El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-09-30
MAXIM,S NIAXIMITE.
Problem of Sending High Explosive Shell
Through Armor Plate.


The following statement by Hudson
Maxim of the problem of explosive
Droje cities and how he has solved it
will be read with interest: There can
be no doubt as to the frightful slaught-
er that would be effected by melinlte,
for one shell bursting inside cruiser
would destroy ship. But until
chemists can invent "a high explosive
that will penetrate armor, we fear the
pavy Will have to continue to use pow
der as an explosive; for, owing to slow
burning qualities, the shell gets in
side the ship fore t bursts. AT the
same time, if chemists can discover q
high explosive, nOn-sens1tlve, and a
safe explosive-which is a contradlc-
ton of tcrms-then we shall all be
made happy. 1 shall be glad to ex-
plain high explosive shell, as well as
high explosives, which wi | penetrate
armor and which will not explode until
after the shell has pas. ed through the
armOr.
Now, in the fest place, wet C impress
ed guncottcn is a very powerful high
mite. This explosive Can be shot
through armer of any thickness which
the projectile is capable of penetrating,
and without exploding There is also
aaother high explosive known ss
m TX Unite, invented by me-U. S.
|
ably more powerful than wet junction,
weight for weight, as well as having
! specific gravity about three tenths
higher than wet guncOt'On, which
gives it a much higher force than gun
cotton per unit volume.
Maxim tie is u title which was first
applied by me to this explosive, which
is prepared as follows: A nitrOgelatine
is prepared consisting OF 80 to o5 per
cent, roglycerine, and 10 to 20 per
cent of soluble pyroxylin. This is |
frozen to rem er it stiff, and then re-
duced to sawdust by gang OF saws |
About Is to 81 parts of this explosive
sawdus1 is mixed and tt thoroughly in
corpOrated with about 20 to 25 parts of
finely pu ped tri-nitro-cellulose, the
whole beipg saturated with water.
The object of the fbrOus i-nitr o-cel-
lulose is to absorb and hold water, and
thus lesson the sensitive ness OF the
compound. The compound may be
packed into shells TO density Of about
Il, holding about Is per cent of water,
the excess of water being poured off.
filed with msXimite may
be thrown from ordnance at service
velocities with perfect safety, and
fired through armor without exploding
until it has pissed entirely through, to
be detOna ed by the action OF the fuse
explained further on.
The chief difficulty in firing high ex-
plosives through armOr has not been
50 much to get fuse which will carry
asutfi, ens gu ,nt;ty OF decorative COM
pound to explode the insensitive high
explosive without itself becoming eX-
ploG ed by the terrific shock of retarda-
ton Of the shell in the act of piercing
the armor. 1t would do no good to
shoot through armor unless we have a
fuse carrying de,onator which will
live, 70 hn To
plode the wet guncotiOn or other in
sensive high explosive after the same
shall have passed through. The
tremendous shock of retardation is
sufficient to instantly detOnate any
illuminate or other decorative COM
pound whatever.
Now, there is only one way possible
by which a sufficient quantity of deton-
alive compound can be shot through
armOr without being exploded instan- {
upon striking the plat, and
that is by relieving the decorative
charge from the shock of retardatiop, {
By suspeuding the same within the pro-
ectile in such wise that it shall cons
stitute sort of plunger body. SO that, {
upon the striking of the shell upon the
target, the velocity of the body of de- ,
onative compound is not retarded, but
pa ses freely forward in tube within {
The shell without opposition, thus Civ
ng the projectile time to pass through s
he plate. Now, such fuse has been I
invented ny Prof. Phillip Alger of the f
United States navy and myself, jointly,
md has been made and tested. 1t has r
already been shot through four-inch {
armor plate with satisfac Glory results. +
1t should be borne in mind that there q
ire two distinct spheres of usefulness l
or the high explosive or aerial torpe- I
10; the one for the penetration of light r
Lrmor, and the other as a submarine 9
nine. A practical sys EN- Of throwing c
Lerial torpe dos from ordnance may be $
Justly termed a system of placing and .
bringing submarine mines at the will r
If the operator standing at the gun. +
The aerial torpedo or high explosive i
hell shOu never be used against l
leavy armor, for high explosives, even 3
n large quantities, exploded untamped h
Igainst thick armOr plate can do but q
title damage. The armor must be o
and the shell explode inside !
he vessel, or it must be used as SUBJ \
marine mine, or the shell must carry a a
large quantity of explosive 6
o destroy the ship by exploding over
he deck on striking some of the super 8
tructure. n