The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-08-12

ton OF mis- own
towns and the destruction of the ships
of the enemy. The new engine of war
is a submarine shell intended to be
fired in an entirely new way. The in
ventor of this shell, DR.. R. B. John
stone, says that by means of 1t the
smallest tug boat may be cheaply con-
verified into a vessel of destruction be-
fore which no foes fleet could stand.
The doctor is a scientific man and has
brought out this invention as a result
OF experiments in explosives. His in
tention is to make the government a
leaving it entirely with congress
whether or not his services be recog-
nized by any compensation. He will
not sell to any foreign government,
but will offer it for nothing to Cuba
in her war with Spain. The tombstone
shell is different from all others mas
much as it explodes not simply by
conclusion, but is fitted with a car
fridge containing a chemical which
goes off on touching water. This
point makes it of infinite and unique
value. All other t%orpedoes are con-
structed so that by means of a cap at
the end. the explosion takes place
when the point strikes a hard sub
stance, but should the shell fall short
of its mark, even by half a foot, it will
sink useless into the water and hum
dreds of dollars be wasted. With the
tombstone torpedo this difficulty is
obviated and the shell explodes not
only on striking a ship, but will be
fired just as e~ficaciously by simply
Ealing into the water. Should it
glance off from the armor Of a ship,
or be dropped within a few feet of the
boat, 1t will explode the moment the
water touches the chemical Of the pc
culiar cartridge and the hundreds of
pounds of dynamite it carries will blow
to atoms any ship afloat in the world
to-day. All modern men-of-war, while
heavily armored above the water line,
have only a few sheets of the plate be-
low, hence the most vulnerable point
is that below the edge of the water.
A shell exploding there has not only
but a few inches of armor to penetrate,
but, being unable to displace the huge
bulk of the water, it expends it's
strength in uplifting the ship, at which
point it finds the least resistance. But
the trouble in firing below the line is
the DETECTION of the shell. With the
Whitehead torpedoes now in use a
shell is run out by means of machin-
cry, gets under the ship and is ex-
ploded by an electric wire from the
home boat or a percussion cap on its
head. But nets now protect vessels
from this form of attack. Besides this
torpedo Is of great cost. When one is
lost it means a large sum of money
wasted, lying in the bottom of the sea,
But it is impossible for the tombstone
torpedo to become useless, for if IT
falls anywhere within several hundred
yards of a boat the effects of the explo-
sion will reach the vessel. In an ac-
curate aim be taken and the shell hit
just a few inches from the ship the
cartridge can be so timed that it will
explode at any depth desired, whether
it be one inch or fifteen feet below the
water line. While the cost of the pres.
emit style of torpedo is very great the
tombstone can be made at a small ex.
pense and they can be fashioned OF
glass, iron or cast stell, and cast into
any shape desired. They are intended
| to be fired from a pneumatic gun. ant
a tiny tug, fitted up with a cargo O
| these shells could exterminate the
| fleets Of the world. The peculiar chem.
| ical which possesses the property o.
exploding on touching water is placed
, it is ready to be fired, but at othe,
times is kept in another part of thu
vessel, so there is no danger to thu
seaman who is handling the shell. TIL,
shell is also intended to be Used +,
drop from a balloon elevated above tn,
ships of the enemy. There is no neee
of a gun, for the simple fact of lettins
fall into the water at the side of tn,
foes vessel will set it off with III
same violent explosion caused in othe
torpedoes by striking the armor of tn,
ship with great force. In case of tn,
landing of marine from a foreign YES
sci a few forts along the mouth of tn,
harbor would amply protect a countr.
from invasion and small shells in tn
hands of the inhabitants could be cas-
so as to make it impossible for an,
foreigner to get ashore in the boats
Small towers placed at the entrance t.
our rivers and at such places as Sand,
Hook and the Golden Gate would kee'
out the navies of England if provides
only with a l%ong-range pneumatic gu
and a bountiful supply of these water
exploding shells. The capital of thi
nation is now supposed to be SAT
from any invasion of the enemy fror
the fact that torpedues have bee
sunken in the bottom of the Potoma
river, and these can be exploded b
electricity at the approach of an in
vading foe. Yet these torpedoes hav
lain now for many years, and it is jus
possible that some might fail to ex
plode were they touched off in a mo
ment of danger. A line of forts twent
miles down the river could blow an
fleet to atoms with the tombstone shel
and not a one be wasted. DR.. John
stone has offered his invention to Gu
ba's acting minister, Senior Gonzalo d
Quesada, and IL the struggling repuh
lie makes use of the present it will b
able to blow up the fleets of Spain a
a small expense and with a great ds
struction to the forces of Weyler. TIL
ingredients composing the cartridg
i'll -