The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-28

1t was little after O'Clock when everything
was in readiness for the test The woods and
hills around about were covered with people,
and down in the ravine the Sewing Society OF
the village church had q booth where they
Despite the signs posted here and there reading
"Dynamite-Danger many OF the coun;;
into the wooden house where Dr. Justin had
his nitro-glyceri ne stored. Half dozen ANA
Sg snS 9Sf s Iqns s he the
crowd climbed to the brow Of the hii OVERLOOK
Suddenly some one shouted: The fuse is
fred" and everybody held his breath. mo-
ment later there was pun OF smoke; and then
a tremendous report In twinklinR huge
masses Of iron were spinn ing in the air In all
objections, and everybody had to look ont, for
amite shiveted the big gun into thousand
Fragments Inventor justine and CaSsius
Brand. Syracuse shoe merchant. were behind
a tree twenty yards away when the breech OF
the gun went whizzin2 by them. Several doc
tors from CazenQqyia and WoGdstock had taken
refuge behind "A big stump about fifteen yards
west OF the gun. Tho right arm oil the rifle
shot over this stump, bounding into the water
and covering the doctors wit dirt and powder:
Among others who had taken refuge behind
this stump was Lawyer Dennson. who
OIL A thousand pound piece of tho RI ght arm
grazed his head One young man had planted
his camera tripod within twenty yards OF the
gun. and exposed tho negative, when the sig
nal TO lire was given. 4 piece Of the ereeGh
time before he manifested any Gu iosty re-
gRrding the condition, OF the negative. DR..
s a9SdP shp9
OF the big gun was driven back through the
gun carriage. cutting a swath through the
young trees aud poughinG the earth within
From tho hillside. where SUN reporter had
s4kG MS sad the 10 was S an aTein
sand feet INTO the air, When they came d avn
thousands of eyes followed their flight for they
"a It m N TifVhf int haa nFfu
was time to dodge them before they got down
one chunk weighing nuli u ton. plunged three
chant
After the panic had subsidized everybody
rushed down into the ravlne IL see the destruc-
ton that the explosion had wrought There
was not yestige Of the big, gun in the position
over twelve tons of steel had boen distributed
arounn In fragments Of from one. pound to ono
nearly every other man decided to break oil a
Bit OF the broken cannon as a memento OF the
one .! the first mon to inspec, tho pieces of
the shattered gun was Commander Jewell OF
the Newrort tOrpedo station.
cartridge primarily" said hs The The steel ell shsIl
was only partly nlled, and hence certain parts
had to Ys he e strain NoW the
least rosistapce; The, shock OF the discharge
evidently broke the thin steel casing
flames from, tho powder reach the dyna-
mite. which would have produced the
explosion. In the next place, the gun
was an exceedingly old one ana should not
have been used in an experiment of this kind.
which requires the strongest kind Of rifle guns.
This gun was In the war OF the rebellion and
served out it's days of usefulness. Even with
powder alone II was not q saio piece to IRE. AS
II WAS, the broken pieces show tho metal 10
have beon full of flaws and utterly unit for
thy present purpose"
The inventor pr. Justine. was considerably
cast down over the unfortunate issue OF the
experiment, He said:
I'm March last we fred some half dozen
shells With great success. The last weighed
33l pounds. carried Is pounds of dynamite
and was projected by So pounds OF powder. In
to-day's test the shells were not so heavily
charged and yet we have met with failure |
attribute the hard luck not to tho system but
to ne defect IN the construction OF the shell, Is
well as TO the old gun we used. We
found portions OF the shell UP near the
ella. showing conclusiyely that there
must have been two explosions. and these
not quite simultaneously. This would
60 TO show that thS shell must have got wedged
IN the gun. either because OF the thinnesS OF
the outer steel casing. or from flaws In the
metal, and this IA proved by the" rifinR on q
piece AZ shell j picked up Tho steel casing |
evidently bo ke before tho shell left the rife. |
The rinng on the broken piece shows that 1t |
WAS Internal pressure tUat caused the havoc. |
We will maze the experiments again within |
the present year The ou'er shells will here |
after be made heavier. and we shall endeavor |
TO get metal free from sand holes aud blow |
holes
Breathe the pure atmosphere OF the pine forest at