St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-12-01

POWERFUL WEAPONS
Progress n the Production of Appliance
for Deztroying Life and Property.

POWEne O1 WGbACVNSs
Progress h the Production % Appliaaee
for Destroying Life and Property.
Tho Investigations by, the House and
Senate committees on naval and mill
tary affairs and appropriations into
the question Of providing for coast de-
fenscs, war ships, etc, have had tho
effect Of developing q great deal Of in
teresting information in regard to Inn
proved war arms and ammunition.
The most interesting exhibit was made
by General Hurst. Of Mississippi. be-
fore the House committed on naval
affairs the other day. The General
exhibited a newly-invented reinforeed.
cartridge, which he proposes to intro
duce in the side-arms, rifles and field
pieces Of the army cod navy. In the
first place, the cartridge starts out on
the principle that there should be
three times rs much powder In weight
rs lead or steel. steel missiles
being used instead of the Or
dinary lead. For the purpose
Of overcoming tho. rebound or
..kick" new principle is brought into
requisition. One-third OF the powder
Is exploded behind the ball. and when
the missile gets about four or five
inches from its starting-p0int the two
thirds Of the charge OF powder is ex-
ploded. Thus the resistance which Is
usually encountered in. starting the
missile is overcome. and-the two-thirds
charge of powder adds additional forco
in moving the ball by its being on the
move before the heavy discharge Of
powder occurs. General Hurst showed
that he can shoot with the common
army rifle steel ball through an inch
Of solid steel plate. and that without
obstruction the ball would be forced a
distance of four. or five miles He pro-
poses to shoot large missile. from
a field-picce distance Of twelve or
fifteen miles. and to make. it penetrate
sixteen or eighteen inches of steel plate
at distance Of three or four miles.
and he will shoot steel ball from q
side-arm distance of three miles.
Lieutenant Zalinski's dynamite shells
have been described heretofore, These
are fired from mortars and cannon a
distance OF from two to four miles. and
the explosion will destroy the most
nearly invulRerable ship or breastwork
ever made: and it is improbable that a
ship or breastwork will ever becon-
structed that can withstand the force
Of these shells. -s'. --
Lieutenant Graydon has also in
vented a shell which can be fired a
longer distance, and, il is said. with
greater security and accuracy than the
Zalinski invention. Lieutenant Gray
don's shells are loadedswith a compost
ton of his own invention. which is
said to be more destructive than any
dynamite. Walls of boilcr-plate and
steel two feet thick have been do
stroyed by the Graydon missile. Com
grcss proposes to appropriate $780,
600 for the purpose Of manufacturing
some OF Graydon's inventions and Civ
ing them a thorough test. The ex-
hibitions will probably be conducted
in the vicinity Of Hampton Roads. Va.
and some old iron-clads and monitors
are to be the targets. Lieutenant
Graydon says he can destroy any ship
owned by the American Government Mt
a distance of three or four miles by q
single shock.
The Krupp and Hotchkiss guns have
been distanced by some Of the most
newly-invcntcd implements for human
destruction. There have been exc
hibited before the House committee
on appropriations any number OF rifles,
model cannon and torpedoes. One
torpedo is the invention Of parties in
Washington, and is in the form OF n
screw. which can he driven through
the body OF any of the heaviest mcn-of-
war made. One heavy gun which can
be fired from ship as well as the
earth has thrown shot which pcne-
trated forty feet into hard gravel.
Some models OF eighty-ton guns which
consume $50 pounds OF powder at
each discharge have been exhibited.
Some of the targets show that the inn
plemcnts to destroy them have been
almost superhuman in their effective
ness. One-inch plates of steel to the
accumulated depth Of eighteen inches
have been penetrated by some Of the
terrific steel missiles propelled by
powder force. It is evident that when
Congress finaily makes purchase Ol
implements OF defense in warfare IL
will procure the best that genius and
money can invent and purchase. =
Washington Letter. 80
Emperor Francis Joseph.