The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-02-09
DYNAMITE.
Trying our Jew Pneumatic Gun,
at Fort milton.

Trying our NeW Pneumatic Gun,
at FOrt hamilton.
The board ordered by the navv de-
partment TO witness aud REPORT upou
the trial of the gun consisted OF Com
mander Caspar f. Goodrich and
L%ieutensnts Seaton Schroeder and
Bradley A. Fiske. Commander Good.
rich watched the experiments from
the Nina, stationed near the ''target :"
Lieutenant Schroeder was stationed
al the gun to record the firing,
and Lieutenant Fiske took up his
position on Bath, l. l., a point
about opposite the target, to guess
o cross range for distance
Preparations for the first shot, a
shell loaded with ITO pounds of dyna-
mite, were made at about half-past
two. This copper torpedo shell was
gently and tenderly passed out of the
magazine in the fort, and was softly
lifted by a derrick and fell on a level
with the cradle at the breech Of the
Immense ''putty blow err outside the
crumbling walls of Fort Lafayette
With great care and skill the projectile
was then inserted in the tube OF
shO gun "A sup, a luuIOl VI u
harsh jar might mean death TO all
around the fort, as well as to those
cheeriully shiyering OH board the
George Carr on her mud bank.
AWAY SHE GOES!
Then the breech block was closed
there vas turning of cocks and all
opening of valves, a Kissing sound,
gradually increasing in force and
Bang! a slight smokish matter issued
from the muZZle of the huge tube,
and a short, black arrow shot through
the sky, reaching an extreme elevation
of about three hundred feet. Then il
gracefully curved downward until il
touched the wafer. Instantly a huge,
symmetrical pyramid of foaming hite
water rose at least 150 feet high, hav-
ing the appearance in the distance
the sun shining gloriously upon its
minarets-of a magnificent cathedral
of majestic size. Then, in a few
seconds, the glorious vision vanished,
aud the experts began to calculate time
and distances.
Ii was gathered that the initial
velocity was about eight hundred feet
per second, with an air pressure OF
one thousand pounds TO the square
inch; the prejectile travelled over
a mile, aud that the time occupied in
its fight was eighteen seconds, the
plunge having been made at forty
minutes and twenty-five seconds past
two o'clock.
This shot passed slightly over the
target.
SOMETHING WRONG.
Considerable delay followed this
highly successful exhibition, and IL
soon became evident that ''sOmething
was wrong somewhere" Time wore
on and the pneumatic artillerymeu
still lowered a%nxiously about their
long piece. Eventually a much larger
dynamite shell vas slowly pushed into
the tube, and then another long wait
followed. Finally the huge gun was
elevated until IL seemed as ii the gun
ners were going 10 take a shot at the
heavens, and almost an hour after the
first shot, or at twenty-five minutes
and thirty-One seconds past three
O'Clock, the strange. Kissing >ound was
again heard from The direction of the
piece, and with a growl, q roar and a
loud report the largest quantity OF
dynamite ever hurled through the air
sped toward Coney Island.
Ga reaching an elevation of about
four hundred feet the huge copper
torpedo fwirird anl twisted head
over heels" in the air, like an arrow
sent upward with too lille force to
give 1t proper flight.
GRANDLY BEAUTIFUL.
But after turning over and over
nearly a dozen times it plunged into
the water, point foremost. A second
larer a huge wall of water, stones and
mud. crowned by gigantic pyramids of
foam, lowered three hundred feet
toward The sky, a greater upheaval $50
l was Informed by those who witnessed
both events) than eIrber OF the world
famed He'll Gate explosions. The wall
of water actually seemed to rise nearly
a hundred feet in solid, seething mass
before il broke upward into pyramids
much higher aud OF many strange
forms. IL was all awfully grand and
beautiful sight-a sight long to be re-
membered by those who witnessed it.
Upon the scenes of the explosions
later CD. countless dead fishes aud
strange foisam and jetsam were seen
until tue tide swept them away.
CoMNENTs AND EXPLANATIONS.
The first of these awful shots was
fired by Engineer q. II. Reynolds, of
the gun company; the second was
started skyward by Captain Zalinski,
who has done so much 10 perfect the
new implement of destruction
There are two explanations given
for the failure to carry out the official
programmes which were to decide the
fate OF dynamite gunners. The first
reason was that a valve attached to the
pneumatic apparatus supplying the
compressed was out of order and
caused a leakage, which prevented the
artillerymen from Keeping up the pres
sure of l,00o pounds to the square inch
necessary for satisfactory firing.
The second explanation was that q
new leather sabOt was used at the
breech of the gun, aud that ii was not
accurately fitted to the chamber. The
old one was discarded yesterday, as il
was feared it might give out.
The amount CT explosives used in
the second shot was 800 pounds of
nitro gelatiue and 200 pounds of dyna-
mite, or 500 pounds in all.
The offi ;ial test will be again at
tempted in about a week.
All the officers present at the exhibi-
ton admitted that, though the Official
programme was not carried out, il had
been shown beyond q doubt that large
quantities OF high explosives could be
safely discharged from a pneumatic
gun.
SIZES AND WEIGHTS.
Imagine a huge copper, double
pointed cigar. with a propeller shaft
aud curved propeller blades attached
60 its rear end. and you can form sOIne
idea of the projecIile fired by the
pneumatic dynamite gnn.
The guns To be used on board the
gunboal Vesuvius are lifty-five feet
long aud almost Identical in form with
the forty foot gun used Yesterday ut
the experimental trials at Fort Laray.
eitc. The bore Of the qua has o
diameter OF fifteen inches. The length
of the Vesuviu3' prOjeclile will bo
ele sen feet, ami they viii weigh 900
pounis each, OF which go pounds will
be the explosive charge.
TIE cusI nf the gun and carriage il
about $40, 900; cost OF the shell without
explosive. 5000; with explosive, $500.
TIE weight OF the dynamite gun and
Carriage is 50 tons.
COMPARED WITH A KRUPP GUN.
A comparison between the dynamite
-- a. IN n..I 4. Efg..a s,.I,