Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-04-21
DYNAMITE paoJecrllEs IN WAR.
Experiments with Nitro-GeiAtina Shells
Marked and Suggestive Progress

Marked and Suggestive Progress
New York SUM-
The experiment lust made at Wash
ington in firing shells charged with high
explosives are of much interest and i'm
portance. The popularity Of these
trials is that the projectiles containing
the miro gelatine have been thrown
from service cannon with ordinary gun
powder.
The substitution of high explosives for
gunpowdcr in shells has been attempted
in Russia aud some other countries for
several years but the disastrous acct
dents attending even experiments made
with great care have hitherto seemed 10
preclude the possibility of employing
such explosives in the stress of actual
battle, where deliberation and Extra
caution cannot be expected la this
country similar experiments have gen.
orally pointed to the same conclusions.
Dynamite proiectiles have been success
| fully used in ordnance of small bore,
with light propelling charges OF per
haps a pound or two of gunpowder; but
J attempts to increase the powder charge,
/ in order to secure a range suitable Tor
I actual combat. have sometimes been
/ disastrous. IN one such experiment "a
4 howit ler which had been enlarged 10 a
| six-inch calibre was used, and dyna-
mite shell fired successfully; but the
second shell exploded in the gun and
blew it to pieces
These results have turned attention to
the praeticability OF employing some
less suddenly expanding agent than gun
powder for propelling dynamite shells,
Such an agent has been found in COM
pressed air, and the protracted expert
ments with the pneumatic gun at Fort
Hamilton have conclusively shown that
it can project with entire safety shells
charged with any Of the high explosives.
Yet IFS range is necessarily very limited,
while the extreme length of the gun or
tube required TO get the full effect of
the compressed air, together with the
apparatus needed for COMPRISING, must
restrict its field of usefulness in military
operations.
Efforts, accordingly, have been re-
newed of late 10 use gunpOwder for
dynamite shell firing, and ingenious de-
vices have been employed TO lessen the
shock of firing by interposing rubber or
wooden cushions between the powder
charge and the dynamite proiectile In
last autumn's experiments by the navy
ordnance bureau twelve rounds of shells
loaded with gun cotton were success
fully fired from the twelve-pounder
howitzer, and thirteen from the eighty
FOUNDER breech-loading gun, all with
service gunpowder charges. In the cur.
rent series of trials, six-inch shells,
charged each with eleven pounds Of
nitro gelatine, have been propelled a
distance of LOO yards across the Poto-
mac, and there exploded with great VIC
lence against the ledge of rocks used as
with eight-ineh shells. containing thirty
five pounds of explosive gelatine
II should he pointed out, however,
that the amount of the explosive in the
shell is probably of less importance Just
now than the amount of powder in the
propelling charge The pneumatic gun
can doubtless throw 100 pounds Of dyna-
mite as safely as ten, and Ericsson pro-
poses TO use 800 pounds of gun cotton in
the pro!ectile of his submarine gun.
which is practically torpedo. But the
pestroyerS weapon is TO be employed at
extremely short range, and the range
of the pneumatic gun Is thus far
too limited. Nth ordinary powder
guns the practicability of safely using
dynamite shells under the conditions OF
actual combat cannot yet be said to
have beer demonstrated. Nevertheless,
the gain achieved in less than a year
has been marked and suggestive. From
the first timid experiments with few
ounces of dynamite propelled by few
ounces Of powder, an advance has al
ready been made TO eleven pounds Of
the shattering explosive, projected by
the regular service charges Of guns Of
ordinary calibers. The dynamite, also,
at first employed was of low grade.
but now the shells are filed with nitro
gelatine, the most powerful of all ey-
plosives, At such rate of progress it
is highly probable that not many years
hence dynamite shells will be habitually
used in war, and perhaps especially in
siege operations,