Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-30
ZALINSkI'S AIR GUN.
IL Sends 100 Pounds of y Very High
Explosive Two Miles Through the Air.

From the New York sun Nov. 81.
The steamboat John T. Moore carried Tewfik
Plsha, Turkish minister; the Chinese minister
several foreign consulS and many other persons
down to Fort Lafayette yesterday TO witness
experiments with the new pneumatic gun in
throwing high explosive through the air. The
gun consists Of a wrought-iron tgbe lined with
brass. IL is 60 feet long and has an S-iach bore
Air ut n pressure of 900 pounds to the square
inch Is let into the tube behind the proiectiIe
to- force il from the tube. The proiectile con-
sists of brass tube 10 inches long filled with
the explosive nitro-gciatine. At one end is a
cap shaped like rifle bullet, and at the other
6-foot wooden tail that serves TO keep the pro-
jectile end on, like an arrow. The whole weighed
2O3 pounds The charge is exploded by q
minute electric battery in the front end, which
under the water.
The spectators stood around the charged pro-
,jectiles while Lieut.. ZaIinski explained their
structure and then went out On the south side OF
the old fort where the gun is. 1t was supported
at an elevation of about 500 by frame WORK.
Under the frame work were eight long .rors
: CIV finders which contained compressed air. n
projectile loaded with sand was hOisted up and
showed into the breech of the tube, which was
: then closed. Then everybody looked intcftly
at the InCZzie of the gun while the lieutenant
gave half Q turn to a crank With ashrieE that
could be heard two miles away the arrow-like
proieeJile climbed mp toward the clouds, and
finally dropped with splash into the water 81.
miles down toward the old buildings at the
Quarantine islands.
A second sand shell was sent oil. and then
the company went OH the boat and were car
ried over to place near where the projPcties
struck the water, in order that they mieAht the
better the work of 4 nitrO-gelatine shell.
Two shells, containing so pounds each, were
first fired, followed by one containing 100
pounds The spectators could plainly trace the
flight of each The first disappeared without
leaving any other trace than was left by a blank
prOjectile. The second one went down in like
manner, and when everybody was thinking
that this one also had failed 20 explode the sur
lace OF the water became covered with foam.
The shell, IL was explained, had exploded in
The mud about SD feet below. Then. after n
long wait, the pull of frozen vapor from the
mouth OF the gun indicated that the shell with
100 pounds of the explosive was on its way
1t came along in wabbling flight until it
plunged into the water only few hundred
yards astern of the little steamboat. The water
closed over 10. but in an instant a column of
spray rushed / 30 feet straight up into the air,
while the waves danced for fifty feet around.
A dense cloud OF yellow smoke rose in the
midst of the spray. a report like that of a big
cannon WAS heard, aud then the water became
quiet again. IT had been demonstrated that
100 pounds of the most powerful of explosives
could safely be hurled two miles through the
air by the force of compressed air and then
fired under water ut the moment desired by the
gunners. The shell that failed 10 explode will
be recovered.