The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-09-10

tered Over Many MilcS-Nobody was in-
jured, but Scores Were Scared Nearly to
Death.
SYRACUSE, Aug. 30-Dr. J oel &. JUS
tin, the dynamite experimenter of this
city, made a third test of his dynamite
bombshell at Perryville last Tuesday.
The result was that the 12-ton gun
which he recently obtained from Bos-
ton was blown into thousand frag-
ments in The presence Of at least two
hundred spectators. Nobody was in
jured, but the pieces Of the cannon are
scattered all over circle with a radius
of two miles. A number Of pieces
barely missed the heads of some of the
spectators. Their escape is considered
almost miraculous. The cannon was
placed for the experiment in a deep
gorge about mile west from the vii
lage of Perryville, but TWO pieces were
seen flying over the village, and one
came down in tree top between the
railway station and the hotel. The in
habitants are very much excited, and
it is doubtful if they will allow the ex-
pertinent to be made again in this
vicinity, although the protection afford
ed by the rocky ravine would seem to
be almost perfect.
What Dr. Justin was trying to do
was to prove that he had invented
bombshell which could be filled with
the strongest kind of dynamite Is per
cent. nitro glycerine,) and so thorough
ly protected that it could be projected
from an ordinary cannon by the force
of gunpowder without exploding the
dynamite until it cane in contact with
some substance outside. DR.. Justins
plan is to project the shell any distance
the cannon will throw it, and thus
revolutionize heavy warfare. The can
non used to-day was a twelve foot
riaed barrel with nine-inch bore. It
weighed twelve tons and had been test
ed in the Boston yards with forty-fve
pounds of cannon powder behind a
Shell weighing 375 pounds. The shells
to-day, when loaded with dynamite,
weighed 295 pounds each, and were pro-
jected by thirty pounds of ordnance
powder.
1t seemed at first as if success had
crowned the inventors effort. Pre-
liminary to the experiments a slight
charge of powder with wadding was
fired to clear out the bore. Next a shell
exactly OF the weight and style of the
dynamiter shells was fired. It was fill
ed with sand and sawdusC to make up
for the weight of dynamite to be used.
Thirty pounds of powder were put be-
hind it, and it was fired to prove that
there were no structural features of the
shell (without dynamite) to explode the
cannon. No i'll effects were produced,
and then the same kind of shell, con-
tanning fourteen and a quarter pounds
of dynamite, was put in the cannon
with the same amount (thirty pounds)
of powder behind to projectit.
The shell left the gun as handsomely
as the first had done, and was banged
with it's load of dynamite UP against q
limestone cliff, 1875 feet high and third
of mile away. which was used Tor q
target. About two seconds after the
discharge Of the cannon the explosion
of the shell was heard nearly as loud as
the noise of the gun had been. The
flash was distinctly seen as it struck
the rocks and then the air was filled
with sand and dirt and flying rocks
from the dynamite explosion. Ihe
test had been thorough success, thus
far. and cheers rang out from the sur
rounding hill tops, where most of the
spectators had assembled.
DR.. Justin was warmly congratulated
bv his friends who had gathered around
him. and preparations were speedlly
completed for shooting a second she'll
of dynamite to put success beyond a
doubt. The people again fell back to
give the machine wide berth and the
fuse was applied. The dynamite shell
never left the cannon at all, but scat
tered itself over several miles of terri
tory, and took the cannon with it IN
thousand pieces in as many directions.
The earthworks which mad been built
went up in cloud Of dust, taking the
hopes of DIR. Justin with them. Anum-
Der of the spectators narrowly escaped.
| If the second shot had been as success
full as the first it was to have closed the
experiments of the day and general In
vitations would have been issued to
Government authorities and others to
see five other shells fired which nave
already been prepared.
DR.. Justin declined to say much about
his plans for the future, but he has not
given up his scheme.
How do you account for the accl-
dent ~ asked reporter.
1T is very clear to my mind, ne re-
piled, producing piece of the steel
wall of his dynamite shell. The shell
had slipped easily into the barrel OF the
cannon. but the piece which he pro-
duccd bore distinct marks Of the rltilng
Of the gun, showing that the steel had
been pressed violently against it from
within. You see," he continued, "the
inner brass magazine holding the dyna-
mite is enclosed within shell Of steel
having an air space between them:
The breach of the outer shell was OF
three inch forged steel, but the sides
were of cast steel only nlne-s!Xteenths
of an inch thick. Cast steel always has
more or less flaws or air spaces, and
there must have been one CT more IN
this shell, so thin that the high pres
sure of powder gas forced an entrance
to the casting and swelled it out into
the Cling Of the cannon so tightly that
it could not move The gunpowder
Immediately exploded the cannon, to-
gether with the dynamite. 1t will be
necessary to make the body of the outer
shell of the same material that was
used in the breach.
Lieutenant Davidson, of the regular
army, stationed at Oswego, was present.
lie said that the explosion must have
been of dynamite, from the fact that
!, the gun was so utterly demolished.
DR.. Justin's hackers say they will get a
new cannon and continue the expert