Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-08-06
(To Be Continued
DYNAMITE AT SEA.
Effective Weapons Which May be Used Until
Uncle Sam Builds Nav,
Philadelphia American.


Uncle Sam Builds IL Navy
Philadelphia American.
Lieut.. Zalinsky, of the 9TH artillery,
who has been experimenting with dyna-
mite at Fort Lafayette, for the past IS
months, is delighted with the results he
has attained with his S-inch pneumatic
gun. He has fired over 200 charges in all
and over 100 loaded with dynamite from
10 to 100 pounds, without single accI-
dent, and he has proven conclusively that
dynamite and electricity, the two most
potent and powerful factors in modern
science, can be subjugated completely,
and when combined, can be used as the
simplest and most destructive force in
warfare, The experiments mape in the
lower bay last week before Secretary
Whitney's Naval Board, consisting of
Commanders Howell, Goodrich and Brad
ford, have excited the greatest amount of
discussions in army and navy circles,
and promise to awaken more active in
terest in the application of dynamite to
coast defense. The friends of the gun
that smooth bore as it is, it has practical
ly overcome all the difficulties which were
supposed to lay in its waw namely &C
curacy of fire, rapidity and safety. The
gun is discharged by compressed air, thus
insuring uniform pressure and consequent
ly greater accuracy of fire, strong ad
vantage over the usual powder charges of
the rifled gun, the latter becoming over
heated after many discharges, while the
pneumatic gun can hurl 100-pound
charge of dynamite every minute of the
day without the slightest expansion or the
necessity of swabbing.
Lieut.. Zalinski, while proud of the
achievement of his gun, deprecates the
news paper talk that he has revolution
lied modern warfare. He modestly de-
clares he aspires to no such honor. In an
| interview, yesterday, he said:
"This gun is valuable and imperative
auxiliary to modern ordnance, particu-
larly at the time when the defenseless
condition of the country exposes US to
humiliation or degradation from the most
insignificant power on the globe. | don't
say that it is the only thing we should
have, but it is a desirable thing to use in
conjunction with other arms and imple-
ments. | have noticed that some of the
critics of the gun maintain that efficacy
would be lost if it exhausted its range
of two miles upon vessels lying four
miles away, the latter firing their gus,
not only at the dynamite gun, but also at
the town lying beyond. In such an en-
Urgency we never would think of mount
ing these guns en- barbette, but would
plant them upon the bows of fleet tug
boats or cruisers, take all the chances of
| torpedo boat, and run out within range
of the big ships and drop our 100-pound
shells upon them. 1t might prove to be
| a forlorn hope, but if we had fifty or sixty
tugs mounted with these guns, making
allowance for the inaccuracy and clum-
siness of the armament of the enemy's
ships, we would make it rather unpleas-
ant for them"
The final experiments on the gun will
be made next week when ten charges of
100 pounds of dynamite will be fired for
the editication of the naval board and
select few. In the meantime the com
pany that made the present gun are new
manufacturing a new arm, larger, longer
and heavier, with a calibre of ten and
inches, capable of dropping 200 pounds
of DYNAMITE upon vessel two miles
away, and sending the largest ship afoat
merchantmen, or ironclad, to "Davey
Jones locker" in the twinkling of an eye.
Lieut.. Zalinski declares that with the i'm
provements he has made to the two little
electric batteries that discharge the dyna-
mite mass the moment it strikes an OBJ
iect, it will be an easy and as safe to hurl
500 pounds of this explosive as it would
pounds.
Another evidence of the confidence re-
posed the dynamite is shown by the fact
that designs have been drawn for the
construction of a cruiser 200 feet long,
| with minimum speed of twenty knots
an hour, carrying two or more ten and
half inch dynamite guns, with a singing
capacity of 200 pounds of dynamite. The
ship is long, low and sharp, with ram
e1tention. She will carry two tunnels,
one forward and the other aft of turrst,
whose purpose is not made known. The
! dynamite guns are concealed under
thick sheating of armor forward. When
ready for use the armor slides down the
| side, the gun already loaded and elevated
runs its nose out, bangs away at the enemy
| hides under the armor until another
load is inserted, and repeats the opera
| ton.