The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-05-16
THE DYNAMITE GUN.
FDesrois Free ys~ss.l

Detroit Free Press.l
 Four well-known Detroit genelemea ara largely interested in . new and terrible species of oFdnance. witA which impor> tant experiments have lately been made at FoEt Hamilton, New York. and ol which . giant representative is now being built which will be tested, when com, ptessd, as Sandy Hook. The charge used Is dynamite the projecting force compressed air, and the inventors of the new ordnance thoroughly believe that it wili revolutioniSe the modern methods of warfare. They have already secured patents in every country where was possible to secure them. The original inventor ot the gun Is an old Detrei, boy.
 "l would prefer to say nothing about the gun at this time," said Frederick E Hooper, who is largely interested in the new ordnance. "When we have our ar. engagements thoroughly completed for manufacturing then shall be glad to talk. 1t certainly Is the most terrible var implement ever originated"
 believe VIC have the most powerful engine of war ever invented" said one of the gentlemen of Detroi, who Is interested. "There Is uslhing that can stand before it. Oace we strike an iron clad and there is nothing left of her. We can de- mclisA fort almost instantly and blow up Detroit at two or three shots. The explosion of one of our 100 pound car- tridkes would render Detroit entirely un- recognizable for blocks and blocks and kill every person in that distance.
 The Aymy aNd Navy GaSsiff has already contained quite extensive articles on the new gun" he said, "and 1t has become quite well knowa in army cir cles. It is about fifteen months since h was invented, and have been intets sstsd in it ever since"
 "What Is 1t loaded with ?"
 "Dyas.a!.e"
 "Then how do you discharge hp"
 By compressed air of course you sec it would be impossible to use gunpowdcr, for that would explode the dynamite In the gun"
 "How Is the dynamite carried 2"
 "ln projec,iles weighing from ten to 100 pounds, according to the size of the gun"
 "Theu how is the charge exploded "
 "By concussion, and It explodes with equal ease either upon striking land or water"
 "Cau 1t be fired with precision ?"
 "With even more thao rihed caanon." /"
 "You have been conducting experi- ments tn the east ?"
 "We have done most of our experi. menting with guns that throw a ten pound projectile. We experlmented mostly at Fort Hamilton and discharged the guns at the sea. We were not al- lowed to experiment on land because of the grea, danger of injuring people. We did discharge one or two prejectiles on land before General Hancock directed us to conhne operations 10 the sea, and came very near killing some soldiers as i, was We have permission after we get the big gun, now making, completed to experi ment with il on Sandy Hook "
 "How large Is the new gunp"
 "lt will weigh about thirty tons, and throw 100 pounds of iynamits ten miles. We have thrown our ten pound ball three miles. The big gun will throw a huge proiect that will be nearly twelve feet long. Its tail will be of light wood and will act like the feather of an arrow. You can easily conceive he amount of dam age that this projectile will cause when il strikes the earth and explodes.
 "The soldiers nj Fort Hamilton, where we have lately been making experiments, tell US that it will be impossible to get men to fight when our ordnance comes into use. Men in garrisons would have no chance whatever for their lives after forts were brought within the range of the dynamite guns.
 {" It is no. only capable of much more deadly execution than the greatest can non now extant, but IL has other and man. fold advantages. The discharge occa- siops noise 10 louder than the short pud sound made by the exhaust Of . steam pipe. There is no noise, no dirt, no tremendous recoil, no smoke. The first intimation the enemy will receive of the discharge will be when they sec the great projectile flying through the air. Then there Is no danger of bursting the gun. O. course, the dynamite may ex. plode by careless handling, but 1t will not blow up in the gun"