The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-03

thrown mile and q half out to sea,
and placed with an accuracy that has
varied only slightly throughout the
tests, has come to aid in the work of
abolishing war.
There comes out of these tests the
conclusion for New Workers. that
hostile ship is not likely to enter their
harbor. If the guns at Sandy Hook
were not equal to keeping out for
eign vessel, then battery of the guns
stationed at Coney Island and at Rock
away could add strength that should
prove invincible. The owners and
promoters Of the new guns maintain
that one of the projectiles is capable
of destroying three men-of-war. Seven
years ago an experiment in the lower
bay gave measured indication Of the
destructiveness of one of these pro-
jectiles when it was discharged at
vessel. An old wooden schooner
which had been used in the coast sur
vey was anchored about 1864 yards
from Fort Lafayette. An eight-inch
pneumatic gun was mounted and
loaded with a projectile containing
tifty-fve pounds of nitro-gelatine,
which is somewhat more than one
tenth of the strength of the projectiles
used in the tests last week. The gun,
moreover, had not been brought to its
present state of completion, although
these experiments attracted public at
tention to the use of dynamite.
The schooner was ninety feet long
and was anchored bows on. The first
shot from the gun at Fort Lafayette
fell short, and the second exploded
about ten yards from the vessel, broke
of the mainmast and blew up part
of the deck. The third projectile ex-
ploded under the schooner and lifted
her out of the water. She seemed to
rise slowly into the air and then broke
into two parts directly amidships.
Two more projectiles completed her
demolition and Left only mass OF
floating wreckage. This was the re-
suit of the experiments made when
the gun was incomplete, and the ex-
plosive in the projectile only small
proportion of the amount used now.
But it indicated something Of what
might be expected when one of these
projectiles and vessel should come
into close quarters.
The news comes from Washington
TINT the results obtained by these last
tests, and more especially, the great
accuracy with which projectiles hove
been placed, have attracted the ad-
miration of the ordnance experts in
both services. The believe that the
success of the gun will lead to its
adoption for purposes of coast de-
fence, and ths protection C those
coestwise cities for which the Fortifi-
cation Board has recommended gen.
eral policy of defence against attacks
from foreign fleets. The army ord
nance officers believe that these tests
have proved beyond doubt the dyna-
mite gun will be a most significant
factor in the harbor defence of our
cities, and that, however strong fortif-
cations may be, they will not prove
completely adequate without one of
these guns.
There was for severaly years in Wash
ington prejudice against the gun
among naval experts, and the failure
of the guns on the dynamite cruiser
Vesuvius to work satisfactorily in the
exhaustive tests which have been given
since the cruiser has been completed
has increased the lack of confidence in
them. The army hns always con-
tended that one of these guns, scien-
ti6cally manipulated, was capable Of
greater destructive power than three
of the heaviest pieces of ordnance
manufactured for coast defense. Gen
eral Flagler, Chief of Ordnance of the
Army, has maintained that while
there was great development yet to
be secured in perfecting the dynamite
gun, sufficient progress had already
been made to guarantee its adoption
with other ordnance in the protection
OF great cities. Captain Sampson,
Chief OF the Ordnance Bureau OF the
Navy, has always been in some doubt
as to the e1pediency Of adopting the
gun for use in the navy, but he be-
lieves that the disadvantages which
have been encountered, mounting one
of the puna on O war shin. can be