The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-02-27
DYNAMITE N WARFARE.
Protable Eject Of the yesuvius
Guns.
Rstsstve sGsrits 81 ship Armor ana
shs xev Ksxs.<s - D~strue-
tiss-rriAl Tessa-


New fbfk dt-1LG.
The official trras Of the dynamite
gun marks new development OF the
contess that has been going on BE-
tween runs and arFnor since the latter
was firsst applied to war ships. II Il
likely 20 be quite n important step
IS was the creation OF the American
monitor. The gun planted six shots
out Of sisht inside Of q rectangie 50
feet wikle by 10 long. at distance OF
one mile The accuracy thus shown
would secure effective action or IS per
cent OF the proje1tiies fired, bursting
thern either At Eiunging angie ON the
deck Of ail enemy or under her bottom.
To take in the practical effect Of
such firing. let rs assume that the
vesuvigls carrying three Of these guns
goes into action with q representative
modern armoYed ship, such rs the
Benbow. Of 1000 tons. carving two
l10-ton and 10 six-iuch breech leading
rites. protected BY q steel-fared COM
pound armor IL inches thick. TIL
Benbow has q speed OF is knots an
the yesszyius q speed OF Il knots. Tn
Benboy could bring only three guns to
bear as they approached, bows on--one
ii9tcni3r 1G-inch igun and two six-inch
guns. Accuracy OF ere b. none Of
these guns can be expected outside of
q four-nlle range, while the Vesuyius's
three guns would not be available be-
yond two miles. Hence Tor the time
necessary TO cover two miles the vesu-
xrff ur<sfstA 4.xs t.lu a. &s.f
Benh0Es ire. The joint speed of the
distance in less than three minutes.
Only five shots In ali from the three
guns Of the Benbow could possibly be
fired in that time and probably no.
more THIN three. The chance of one
OF these shots striking would be very
small, especially when the rapidly
varying distance aud the ships motion
are considered.
Ii is reasonable TO expect. therefore.
that the Vesuvius would arrive at a
point where she could throw her 80
pound rroiectile with almost mathe-
NAUTICAL accuracy. By means of Lieu
tenant Fishes rangefnder, coupled
with his automatic electric device for
discharg;ng the pneumatic guns at the
precise angle and with the exact air
pressure necessary TO secure the desired
range. two of her three guns could
launch their bolts at the Benbow at
two miles and the third, a minute and
a half later. with 600 pounds OF dyna-
mite at one mile distance.
The Benbow's deck armor IS OF
steel, only three inches thick. The
ship has q width of % feet and a
length of $50 feet, and her main bat
terry Is 10 feet above the water. Thns
she presents q lofty mark, with little
protection from plunging fire ON her
deck. The yesuvius's projectites would
descend with pitch of from Is TO 80
degrees.
Experiments. in the lower bay in the
earliest life of the gun, with little prac-
tice in aiming. show IS per cent. OF
hits on a smaller target than the Ben
bow. Il would seem conclusive that
at least two Of the vesuvius's bolts
would plunge upon the Benbow's deck
or explode beneath her hull, In either
case It is almost certain that the Ben
bow would either be in a sinking
condition, or that her interior would
be SO wrecked as TO put her guns out
of action. The pneumatic guns are
to be fired once in every two minutes.
and another discharge OF the three
In the tesuvius would most likely
wholly destroy her antagonist.
OF course, one bit by a shell from
the Benbow might explode the nitro
gelatine ON board the Vesuvius and
thus end tho combat the other way,
but the probabilities of such hit are
one In 25.
The two great features of the pneu-
matte gun are the accuracy Of IFS
shots and the terrible effect of the
great mass of explosives thrown by II.