New-York tribune., 1890-05-28
A DYNAMITE GUN BURSTS.
DR. JUsTlN'S EXPERIMENT ENDS IN Di'-
ASTLR
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN PERIL fNo4
pF FLYING METAL-SARRow EsCAFA
OF THE INVENTOR
,uv ry1rorAru TO THE TRIBUNE

pou. Y Nav .7.-The large. crowd OF
.1a ,,,ho wont 10 Pcrryvillc, Madison Comfy,
TODAY. 10 witness the phohc cAPc''''' VIZ"
49, yrs,ir dvnamitc she'll were greatly dlsap-
nointed as the big cannon eAp'o"c" Ni'H l.
~ ca Hundreds of people narrowly escaped
being killed By the flying pieces ol ''c gun ana
Iii proboblv over 1000 people witnessed the
explosion .o,.or with HE ,yi,e
DR. loci G. Justin, the inventor WIN ms wl'e
.,a little boy and his associates MeSsrs' Milton
Do,eno William Patten and Gusherle Dewitt, az
-,,,.d at Perryville early thus morning Two
snecial trains left Canastota, arriving NJ ferfy-
yilc AZ . 80 this afternoon. hiNitatlohs were
...m.d 60 President Harrison, Governor Hill and
N. heads of all departments but Dr Justin re-
o.ived neither letters of acceptance nor cards of
r.crst from any of them. Nevertheless, many
Government officials were on hand Among those
rresent were Yung Wing, eX-Commissioner of
Fducation for China Lieutenant Davidson,of Fort
ontario Oswego: Lieutenant Commander Wash
bnru MAYNARD of Washington, ID. c., and Com
mander Theodore +. Jewell, OF the United States
Naval Station Newport, r. |. IunG represented
the Chinese Government, and was an interested
spectator. Among other foreign witnesses presehs
were O. G.. Staples, proprietor OF wizard iio"l'
Washington, d. c.; o. A. Farman and ii. IL.
Harvey. of Wilkesbarre tie Rev. DR.. Darling, OF
Albany II. II. Warner, of Rochester, and Wesley
Austin, manager of the Laclede Hotel, 81 LOUIS.
Dr. Justin and his associates were well please"
at the interest the public had taken, and dld not
think for a moment that the experiment would
result as it did, blowing the gun into thousand
pieces.
About o'clock a committee Of newspaper men
and interested visitors appointed to select
A cartridge, which DR.. Justin opened TO prove
that dynamite was used. and at the same time
the construction of the shell was explained. Inc
shells were loaded in a shanty about 200 feet rom
.he gun. Dr. Justin loaded the six shells in the
oresehcc of the Naval officers and others. lhl
average weight of each when loaded was an3ui
200 pounds The shell that burst the gun weighed
213 pounds without the explosive. Inc dNha.Hlle
weighed Is l-2 pounds, making tne ,ool ind mo.Ln5
fsO > pounds About o'clock two men rehched
the gun with the shell, with Dr. justin following
with thirty pounds of powder lor me GhaISe' ~
the warning He lit the fuse. eXclnimlng. tlre,
so all could hear, and ran only about hfiy letS
from the gun when 1t exploded. Ao9ody was Vas
seriously injured. One man was struck on the
chin by small piece of the steel she'll and another
was struck on the neck.
DR.. Justin had nearly reached tree MY
feet behind the gun, when the gun was IN
thousand pieces flying In thc air. lie Icoked
around and exclaimed Good gracious ne
was the coolest man in the crowd; and was plea'cd
70 find that nobody was hnrt. DR.. Jus'ln'S WiIe
was about 200 feet behind the gun with her
friends. and she tainted when The explosion came
4 large piece OF the cannon. weighing OYER 800
ponnds nearly strIci DR.. Justin Hundreds OF
other similar occurrences are related.
Or. Justin said that he coIh MOI accoun,
for the explosion. The Iun being an DID one II
is snnposed 10 have resulted from a defect: Inc
officials all examincd the larger pieces ana some
Of them being experts on the question: Saia , .na.
the gun was defective. II cannot he dcfnltcY
said whether the she'll exploded ir the gun oT
struck the target third of nie dstan, list dvco;t Gtn
uscd was soft Which might have been the cause
of the explosion. DIR. Justin said that ne stlli a
believes his invention will be successtu,, ana
that he will give another trial as soon as he can
Get another gun He will make the shells some
what heavier and with metal free from blow-holeS'