Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-06-10
BLOWN TO PIECES.
4 THslYe-lnch Breech-loadins Ri
Worth $25 900.
OFFICERS MARROW ESCAPE.
Al Shell Con ain ng $50 Pounds OF Gun
Cotton Exploits irrmaturely,
Causing The Wreck.

WARRINGTON, June 10.-The state
of Maryland trembIei last evening as
the result OF an explosion OF $3.50 pounds
OF gun cotton at the government
proving grounds at Indian Head.
A twelve.inch breech.loading riff :,
weighing 10l 600 pounds and worth
$4,000, was blown 10 pieces. The
armor covered "bomb proof" iu which
the spectators take refuge while tests
are made, was wrecked and dozen
naval officers and ordinance experts
narrowly escaped with their liver. The
final teit was being made Of gun.
cotton shell, Invented by q Chicago
man, and through oome uDaccountabie
error the shell exploded In the gup,
wrocking the monster and its carriage
anu throwing some Of the pieces more
than a mile down the Potomac.
Col. O'Neill the chief Of ordnance
for the navy, and several United
States naval officers and naval at
taches from the various foreign lega-
tions had fortunately taken refuge on
q navy yard tug ABOUT mile from
shore. Lieut.. Anderson, who had been
when the signal was given from the
tug, had gone behind big earth.
works or 'butl" about 800 yards from
the gun. He and the other spectators
were unhurt, though n massive piece
OF the gun, weighing many tons, flew
through the air with irIgntiul velocity
and struck the water within a huL-
dred feet Of the tug.
II the spectators had gone Into the
"bomb proof" as they usually do hen
such tests are made, they would all
have been killed, tor big piece OF
steel struck 1t and ripped Though the
twelve inch armor as though 1t had
been 80 much paper.
A great hole was torn in the ground
where the kun stoou and the buildings
at the proving grounds were bauly
shaken. Not q particle OF the massive
gun or lis csrriage remained.
Since last September the ordinance
experts Of the navy have from time to
time been making tests Of this gun
cotton shell. A duzen or more "blank"
shells have been fired during the win.
ter, GENERALLY with great success. and
the officers were confident that when
the finAl test was made the shell would
leavs the gun safely and carry its
heavy load Of explosive far DOWN tho
river.
The virtue Of this shell was that II
was expected safely to carry charge
of gun cotton large elough, TO wreck
battleship or iottress for distance
OF from Elk TO ten miles according to
the powder charge. BY an Ing snious
arrangement In the point OF the shell,
vial Of fulmipate OF mercury was ex.
pected to explode the gun cotton. Up
to this time no successful shell of this
kind has been Invented, and n the
Bhsll had been successful 1t would
have revolutiopized naval ordnance
and warfare,
Those who saw and beard the ex-
plosion from the tug, say 1t was some.
thing terrific.
First there was rumblit 4 Of the
earth, and then the iull clap OF the
awful explosion broke. A thick smoke
covered the gun, and IN an !. slant an
enormous piece OF steel came Shrek
Ing through the air anu struck the
water, throwing the spray In every
direction. When the men looked
again they saw great ihole where the
gun had been, with the smoke floating
swsy 10 the air. For several minutes
the sound OF the explosion rover
berated through the surrounding hills.
This was the largest charge OF guu
cotton ever fired ur attempted to be
fired from powder gun.
The government paid about S25. 600
for the gun blown up and II Was built
especially for these tests. A shell
shot from this gun was expected to per.
forats q Inches Of steel at o distance
OF l.6UU yards, and to travel from TO
10 miles before losing its momentum.