St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-06
1t May Be Fired From OPdi-
nary Cannon and Do I'M
mense Damage.
The Dynamite Explodes After
Penetration With Terri
BILE Force.
Thorough Tests Show There
Is No Danger From Heat
and Shocks.
Special to the Globe.


port to the war department of the use
of dynamite shells, in demonstration
made last December at Sandy Hook,
but which was withheld from the pub
lie till a few days ago, is attracting
great deal of attention here among army
and navy officers. The success attend
ing this last. and ether prior demOnstra-
tions and successful experiments of a
similar character, lays the foundation for
a complete revolution in the system of
modern warfare. Shells charged with
ordinary powder, such as it was sup
posed could only be used heretofore,
are to be laid aside and dynamite shells
are to be used in the annihilatiOn of
armies, the reduction of forts or the
crippling of fleets. The thing ac-
complished at Sandy Hook, as
shown by the report of the board of
ordnance officers, Lieut.. Col. MOrdecai,
Maj. Farley and Capt. Greer, was the
total Wleckage of a wrought iron
Semi-circular turret, Is feet wide, 10
teet long and IA inches thick, made of
seven-inch plates, by three dynamite
shells fired from Seven-inch AmeS
rified gun. The shells were of steel,
weighed 122 pounds and were charged
with "a pounds of dynamite. The
problem which seems to have been
successfully solved in this and former
experiments, of firing with safety pro-
jectiles
CHARGED WITH DYNAMITE,
is accomplished by method of charg-
ing shells with dynamite. The inven-
ton is that of j. w. Graydon, of Indi-
anaDOliS formerly lieutenant
CO consists, s' not oily i'' in "'Gog firing
dynamite shells from modern guns or
cannon with full charge of powder
and with no danger of premature eX-
plosion of the shell from heat or
shock, but also securing the entire
range desired and penetration into the
objects struck before the dynamite eX-
plOdes, the penetration being absolutely
necessary in order to obtain the full
destructive power of the explosive.
Demonstrations of this invention have
thus far been made by order OF Gen.
Sheridan, twice at San Francisco in the
summer of 1886, and the third at Sandy
Hook. The experiments at San Fran
cisco were conducted by Gen. o.
o. Howard, and were intend ded
merely to demonstrate that shells
charged with dynamite could be
fired from cannon without premature
explosion. After tifty-eight dynamite
shells had been successfully fired out of
a three-inch and four and One-half-
inch single gun from the Preside
grounds into the hills across the Golden
Gate, the board of officers conducting
the experiment expressed the opinion
in their report that the two principal
causes for apprehension of danger, heat
and shock. had been completely guarded
againSt.Ge Howard then recommended
further experiments with larger guns,
and out of this recommendation grew
the Sandy Hook demonstration with
Seven-inch Ames gun and 122-pOund
shells. The San Francisco experiments
had proven that dynamite shells could
be fired
FROM A COMMON CANNON
with safety, and at Sandy Hook
that Graydon's method of charging
dynamite shells possessed still another
important merit, that of obtaining pene-
tratiOn before explosion. The effect of
the three shots fired there is minutely
described by the board in their report.
Two of the shots were glancing shots,
and not point on'' shots, as was de-
sired to test penetration, but they pene-
trated the front plate several inches
and caused marked Wreckage, the first
tearing off the iron roof, weighing
fifteen tons, and throwing it distance
of twenty-One feet, as we'll as bursting
bolt heads and separating the plates
several inches. The third shot, ''point
on'' shot, completely wrecked one side
of the turret, penetration through the
front plate being effected before
the shell exploded. A piece
of the front plate weighing
nearly two tons was blown distance of
eighteen feet. The plates were still
further separated, while both were
badly cracked. The board, in their re-
port, SubStantiate the two main points
claimed for the invention by saying
shells charged with dynamite by Lieut..
GraydOn were successfully fired from
the gun and serious damage was in
fiicted on the turret, this being es-
pecially the case on the third round,
when penetration and disruption effect
were combined. Other experiments
will soon be made with the largest guns
in the service, and with twelve-inch
rifled mortars, throwing 625-pound
shells, and with the Hotchkiss revolv-
ing cannon, to still further test the
merits of this new method of charging
InI Ilr 70