Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-23
WAR AND IT'S AIDS
Result Of Tests Made BY the
Navy Department
WITH SHELLS AND EXPLOSIVES
High Explosives OF Great Power Sue
eessfu,ly Used - Bursting Charge.
Other Experiments.

WAsHISGToS, Nov. 22.-CommOdore
Folger, chief of the bureau of ord
nance of the navy department, in his
annual report Gays that an appropria-
ton of s., ,459 ,324 will be required by
his bureau for the fiscAi year ending
June 80, 1894. The manufacture OF
brown powder for the navy has con.in-
usd without any change in its require
ments, and . sufficient quantity of it
has been accepted to supply our ships.
Marked progress has been made In the
development of smokcless powder.
During the past year 800 pounds of it
have been made at the Newport torpedo
station. and its test in various wars
reau expects soou 10 have under way
the manufacture of this explosive upon
. large scale, and then will lssue il to
service for all classes of fire guns.
Tests With Emmensisy.
Tests with emmnslty have contin-
ued. 1t has been conclusively demon
stIated that an explosion of high order
can be obtained from this material by
the use of . simple fuse. II 10 perfectly
safe to IRE, not containing illuminate
and requiring only = percussion cap to
| ignite 1t. The bureau has Alec developed
. high explosive which may be utilized
as the bursting charges of common
she'll, aerial torpedo, and submarine
| torpedOes, etc., on account of safety
with which 1t may be handled and of
the possibility of exploding it. without
the use Of illuminate of mercury. In
the course of experiments with this ex-
| plosive . number of rounds were fired
from the four-inch rapidl firing guns
with the service velocity OF upwards Of
1000 feet . second. Other experiments
have shown that q common shell of
the tubular manufacture, filled with
| this explosive, can be fired detonatively
at Will beyond. AS bursting charge
for the same shell, when fired in the
explosion chamber. the production Of
| fragments Was entirely satisfactory AZ
regards number and size.
| Settles the Discussion.
It is believed that these very success.
full expert riments in the utilization of a
high explosive of great power as q
bursting charge for shell propelled
by gun powder with high veloc,ties set
tie the long discussion in this course
with regard to the relative merits OF
firing high expl0slves from air guns or
from powder guns. II is appreciated,
and this has likewise been noted
abroad, that . decided revolu.
ton in the character of the armament
vessels of war is imminent. The bat.
teries of naval vessels will be composed
of two classes of guns; the first. as q,
present, of great length and power
using armor piercing projectiles; and
the second, shorter guns, of very large
bore and firing proJectiles containing
charges of powerful high explosives
the latter being intended for use against
the unarmored portions of ships.
Test OF Projectilss.
Tests OF Armor.pierclng projectiles
made during the year show that the
Carpenter Steel company of Reading
Pa, has shown features equal to, il
not superior, to the best of the
Holtzer manufacturer thus far deliv-
cred in this country. One of the Ster-
ling projectlles showed qualities of a
very high character. The bureau will,
in future contracts, demand more sc.
we're reception tests than is required TO,
armor- piercing projectiies. The man.
ufacturer of armor-piercing shell fol
the three-pounder and six-poundeI
rapid firing guns appears finally to
have been established on satisfactory
basis. The bureaus requirements foI
these shells are very severe, since they
must not only pass through three-incn
and four-inch wrought iron places re-
spectively. without distortion or crooks
| but must Also en- being burated break
into large number Of pieces. After
long experiments the three companies
engaged In their manufacture.-tht
Hotchkiss Ordinance company, the
Briggs ordinance company and tine
American ProjectiIe company-havs
succeeded in overcoming these Difficult
ties and are supplying shells of othel
requirements.