Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-07-10
! SUCCESSFUL.
The Tests of the Dynamite Gun
ON the Hudson River.
An Injunction Against Using
Loaded Shells

Tests to BE satIsfactory--H How the New
Engine of Death Was Experimental
With at Cold Spring.
NEW YORK, July 10.-About 100 per-
sons went to Cold Spring on the Hudson
Tuesday afternoon to witness trial of
a new ffteen-inch dynamite coast de.
fense gun made by the Pneumatic
Dynamite Gun company, Of this city,
for the British army. The gun, weigh
ing, with its carriage, about eighty tons,
and about forty tons alone, fifty feet in
length, with an inside diameter of if
teen-inches, was placed in position at the
end of the long wharf owned by the
West Point Foundry company, which
cast the piece.
The contract with the British govern
ment called for gun which could throw
IL charge of 100 pounds of dynamite, in
an eight inch shell, distance of !, 900
yards with compressed air as the motive
force. Owing to the service of an in
junction upon the company. it was pre-
vented from throwing shells loaded
with dynamite, and had to substitute q
composition of sand and ashes so mixed
as to weigh the same as dynamite and to
ill shell ordinarily used for that ex-
plosive.
After two or three preliminary trials
four shots were made at distance of
1890 yards up the river to point be-
tween Crows Nest and Stony Point.
The first shot was made in an eight
inch sub calibre shell weighing $3.50
pounds, which was of steel and coated
with copper to avoid corrosion. The
initial pressure on the cylinder at the
time the shot was fired was 900 pounds
to the square inch, the pressure on the
cylinder after the shot being S65 pounds
The elevation of the gun was 1920, The
proiectile revolved considerably after
arriving at its great point. It's weight
was $3.50 pounds and length about eighty
four inches.
The second shot was made with ten
inch shell, ninety and one-fourth inches
long and weighing 529 pounds, This
shell was intended to contain 200pounds
of dynamite, This proiectile made a
beautiful fight Of about two miles Its
course was straight and there was not q
single revolution of the shell during its
course. AS it arrived at the highest
point it turned and fell perpendicularly
into the river in twenty -one and one-half
seconds. The initial and final pressures
were 900 and $50 pounds respectively.
The elevation was 32:44.
The third shot was made with u pro-
jectile of the same size and weight as the
last Owing to some mistake in filling
this shell it broke when nearly at the
end of its fight.
The last shot was made with nm eight
inch shell. The projectile sailed grace
fully upward at an angle of 30:43. When
at point about two and one half miles
from the muzZle it turned and fell as
straight as an arrow into the river. This
shot was much applauded. The initial
pressure on the cylinder of the gun was
found to be only 816 pounds, and the
final pressure 745 pounds
The firing was witnessed by Col r.
T. Ryan, of Halifax, N S., of the Royal
Engineers, who acted in behalf of his.
government. He said at the close OF the
tests he was satisfied with the gun and
that it covered specifications in the con-
tract
Among those present were Capt.
Wood, of the United States military
Capt. Zalinslsi: Commander
of the Vesuvius. 10
Three levers were worked by an engi-
neer standing upon high platform
which fired, raised and lowered the
breech and moved the carriage
A motor supplied the power and an
air compressor stored air in II series of
iron pipes, the mir being at
"A pressure of 1000 pounds to the square
inch. The air is passed from this
TO second one and then
allowed to pass to the breech of the gun
behind the shell by complicated system
Of valves.
1t was said by Mr.. Yale. of the man
ufacturing company, that the gun
would be sold for about $4,000 The
cost OF the test, he said, would amount
TO over 8. 900.
Is was also said that five more guns Of
this kind are in process of construction
for the United States government This
gun will be taken to ShoeburyAess, En-
gland. and experimental upon. II will
be finally taken to Victoria, Australia.