Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-12-28
TIE NEW NAVAL TERROR

The New Dynamite Cruiser yesuvtus
10 Eevolnti0niz4 ava Warfare,
Park Benjamin in the Forum: There
is nov approaching completion for the
United States government 6 vessel which,
it is predicted, will exareiss as potent an
influence in revolutionizing naval War
iare as did the famous Monitor. Unlike
the Monitor, however, which in her build
presented features of entire novelty, the
so-called dynamite cruiser" VtenyiGs
owes ner Importance to the weapons she
carries and to their capability for the
pKlaction of aerial torpedoes charged
with enormously powerful explosives.
1t 10 not dIticnltt to C )nceiye that O
hostile vessel approaching our coasts
and ~encountering the d5 Mantle cruiser
may find herself in O very disegreesble
situation. True, she may open fire at q
range much greater than that over which
the dynamite shells can be projscted,
but the low, raft-lIke craft, coming bow
on toward her at the rate of three miles
an hour, and showing q breadth OF bat
2619 feet. offers a target exceedingly
difficult TO hit. IL the deck of the
dynamite ship be protected by q curved
~turtleback shield of steel Eve inches in
thickness, as is contemplated IN future
construction, shot and sbell fred at
sharp angles may easily glance from it.
To reach the hull with q moyeable sub
marine torpedo of the Whitehead type
is even more difficult still. The range
OF such q torpedo is only about three
hundred yarde, so that the dynamite ship
would some within easy fir ng distance
and be enabled to throw her projectilea
long before the torpedo conld be effec-
tive.
III the enemy's iro6olad awaits the at
tack motionless she will necessarily have
bnt a few minutes, after sighting Ter
opponent, to dosa fatal In irry. Ii she
advances this period will necessarily be
shorter still. The moment the Yesusius
finds herself within 1000 yards of the
mark she tnn laupch j 800 pounds Of
nitrogesstine, the explosive energy of
which equals that OF about s. 400 pounds
OF dynamite, or more than ten Thousand
pounds of ~gunpowder, aad this
can be repeated every two
minutes; or, if the guns be
discharged singly, q 600 ponnd shell can
be fred every forty seconds. Ii Is not
ct all improbable hat after o few Ct
these prolectiles had exploded in her
Immediate vicinity there would. be no
ir0nelsd.
The foregoing represents the capacity
OF ta3 parsicaier weapons OF the. Vesu-
yius for projecting the large amounts Of
explosives noted Shells containing
smaller quantities can be thrown or er
much greater distances. the range OF the
proiectlie containing 200 pounds of nitro.
geiatine being a mile nd O hall, and
that of one containing 100 pounds of the
same substance, two miles, The rapidity
OF fire depends upon the construction OF
the gun, which is practically 8 huge res
voiyer. BY increasing the number OF
chambers in the rotating breach mechan
ism it is possible to fire even the heaviest
shell three times Fer minute.
Lieut.. Bradley a. Eiske, .ot the navy,
has recently discovered q wonderful APP
~plication of electricity which will pre-
vent the effects 0 fthe ships motion >up-
on the gun.
The possibility OF controlling the
range. OF the prelectile with nicety rem.
ders il probable that the dynamite ship
attack upon a harber protected by fixed
submarine torpedoes-thas ie, she may
destroy torpedoea by torpedoes. One
hundred pounds of nitro-gis cerine ex-
plcdiDg under water will. it is said, Gee-
troy torpedo cases and blow up torpe-
does exiting . where within q radius
Of fifty feet. The ship on arriving eff a
bsrbor enirence known to be stndded
with explosive minis would anchor her.
sell and proceed to drop shells OF regular
distances of 100 feet apart in lengitndin-
al end lateral directions. IL is ciaaned
that in this manne she could clear OF
torpedoes O channel 80 feet wide at the
rate OF o mile an hour, and advancing
into-the passage as fast as she renders
1t sefe to do 80 copld eoon blast her way
10 q position fiom which her SHELLS could
be thrown directly into the city or iorsi-
tications.