Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-02-06
DYNAMITE IN WARFARE.
ITS SUPERIORITY DEMONSTRATED
 IN RECENT EXPERIMENTS.

Used in the AnnihiIntion of Armies
 and the Complete Subj sation of Na-
 tions Who May Incur Our Wrath.
 WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-An official report to the war department on the use of dynamite shells ln demonstration made last Decem- Der at Sandy Hook, but which was withheld from the public until few days ago, is at tracing great deal of attention here among army and navy officers and others and some go so far as to say that the success attending these last and prior demonstrations and sue cessful experiments of 8 similar character lays the foundation for complete revolution ill the system of mode1 warfare. Shells charged with ordinary powder, such as it was alone supposed could be used heretofore, are to be laid aside and dynamite used. Shells are to be used in the annihilation of armies the reduction of forts and the crippling of fleets.
 The thing accomplished 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 wreckage of a wrought iron semi-circular turret, IS feet wide, 10 feet high and 14 inches thick, made of two Finch plates, by three dynamite shells fired from Finch Ames rifed gun. The shells were of steel, weighed 122 pounds and were charged with two and two third pounds of dynamite.
 The problem which seems to have been suc- cessfully solved, in this and former experi- ments, of firing, with safety, projectiles charged with dynamite, is accomplished by a method of charging shells with dynamite, the invention of J. w. Graydon, of Indianapolis, formerly lieutenant in the navy. His inven- tion consists not only in firing dynamite shells from modern guns or cannon, with a full ser vice charge of powder and with no danger of premature explosion of the shell from heat or shock-but also securing the entire range de- sired and penetration into the object struck before the dynamite explodes-penetratio being absolutely necessary in order to obtain the full destructive power of the explosive.
 The demonstrations of this invention have thus far been made by order of Gen. Sheri- dan two at San Francisco in the summer of 1856, and the third at Sandy Hook. The ex- periments at San Francisco were conducted by Gen. O. o. Howard, and were intended merely to demonstrate that shells charged with dynamite could be fired from cannon without premature explosion After fifty-eight dynamite shells had been successfully fired out of 3-inch and 1-2-inch siege gun from the PreSidiO grounds into the hills across the Golden Gate, tue board of officers, conducting the experiment, expressed the opinion ill it's report that the two principal causes or appre- hensions of danger, "heat and shock" had been completely guarded against. Gen. Howard then recommended further expert ments with larger guns, and out of this recommendation grew the Sandy Hook de- monstration with Finch Ames gun and 122- pound shells. The San Francisco experiments had proven that dynamite shells could be fired from cannon with safety, and at Sandy Hook it was intended to prove that Graydon's method of charging dynamite shells possessed still another important merit, that of Ob- taining penetration before explosion.
 The effect of the three shots fired there is minutely described by the board in its report Two of the shots were glancing shots, and not "point on" shots, as was desired to test pene- tration; but they penetrated the front plate several inches and caused marked wreckage; the first, tearing off the iron roof, weighing fifteen tons, and throwing it a distance of twenty-five 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 a dis tance of eighteen feet; the plates were still further separated, while both were badly cracked. The board in its report substantiates the two main points claimed for the inven- tion by saying: ''Shells charged with dyna- mite by Lieut.. Graydon were successfully fired from the guns, and serious damage was inflicted on the turret; this being especially the case in the third round, when a penetra- tion and disruptive effect were combined Other experiments will soon be made with the largest guns in the service and with 12- inch riaed mortars, throwing 625 pound shells, l and with the Hotchkiss revolving cannon, to still further test the merits of this now method 1 of charging shells with dynamite.