Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-09-11
DYNAMITE PROJECTILES.
An Interesting Interview with Lieuten-
ant Graydon, the Inventor.
San Francisco Post, September OH.

San Francisco Post, September 9th.l
The recent dynamite projeclile expert
ments that have been conducted by Lieu
tenant Graydon at Fort Point have created
a great sensation among military men, and
already the European Governments realize
that the present system of warfare Will soon
undergo q complete revolution. The enor-
nous explosive power Of dynamite has al
ways been recognized, and ever since its
discovery military men on both continents
have busted themselves in trying to solve
the problem of firing shells loaded with
dynamite, but until quite recently their
efforts nave been fruitless. Lieutenant
Graydon, whose wonderful invention has
recently been tested, was seen by 4 Post
representative yesterday, and gave the fol-
lowing account of his explosive she'll
"My experience with dynamite dates
from the time OF the recent Franco-C Chinese
war, when I was in the employ of the Chi
nese Government. At that time | contrived
and operated a dynamite loaded torpedo
that proved so effectual in keeping the
French fleets out of the Canton river that
l was complimented by the Chinese Gov
eminent formy new invention and thanked
for the service had rendered it.
HE HAS AN IDEA.
Soon after l conceived the idea that a
shell loaded with dynamite could be safely
fired from the style of gun now in use and
| set about to perfect my plans. From the
first have kept the modus operandi of the
affair an entire secret and have taken no
one into my confidence | have not even
sketched diagram on paper, but have kept
all the details III my head. My first eX-
periments were made at Temescal with an
inch and a quarter gun of my own con-
structlon, and were SO successful, and |
was so confident of my ability to fire dypa-
mite with safety that | next projected it
from q shoulder rifle. This was near the
Giant Powder Works at West Berkeley.
The next experiments were with thres-
inch rifle at the Preside, and during the
last two weeks have fred fifty-eight shots
from a four-and- Cne-half-inch Rodman gun,
with twenty-five pound shell, loaded with
sixteen ounces OF dynamite and three and
one-half pounds Of ordinary black powder.
In all my experiments with this dangerous
compound, l have never had an accident
and | am sure that | never will have. for
have the firing Of il under perfect control
What destruction Is q shell fred from
Observation-Disclosures gun capable of
doing?'
d" II shell Of that size should strike The
Palace Hotel, it would be blown to atoms
and if one should fall within the inclosure
of the fort at Fort Point, it would be
SO wrecked as to be unfit for duty.
VERY ZIG LOAD.
An eishty-ton gun fires q shot weighing
about 200 pounds, and as 4 she'll that size
would safely carry between 800 and 400
pounds of dynamite, it is needless to say
that no ship can ever be built to with
stand the shock of its explosion. With my
appliance an eieht-inch converted rihed
gun will sink any man-of-war now ahoat
and it would be just as denoralizing to
coast Notifications. \ solid shot fired from
one of the finest gums in the English serv-
ice will pierce q wall composed of - inches
of solid iron or IS inches of steel. backed
by three feet of oak timber that is held i'll
position by nine inches of metal. That
makes wall over five feet in thickness. If
a dynamite projectile should strike that
barrier it would be about as effective as a
board fence. In fact an armor that would
withstand dynamite shell would be i'm
practicable
Then the use OF war-ships would be
dispensed with altogether ,"
Not exactly that but the invention will
do away with the use of the curnbrous
men-ofwar now owned by almost every
nation, and will restrict the service to the
cruisers only. Dynamite multiplies the
destructive force of q shell about eighteen
times. That is, it is eighteen times more
destructive when in motion than at rest.
A 100-ton gun can be fired accurately for
distance of eleven miles, and in event of
war with any foreign power whose vessels
were armed with dynamite projectiles, the
ship could lie ten miles at sea, far out of
reach of the guns of Fort Point, and drop
shells into the city, each of which would
destroy an area of not less than a square
mile.