The herald., 1897-09-19
FEARFUL
WEAPON
Explosive Shell to Destroy
an Entire Ship
HUDSON MAXIM EXPLAINS
IT WILL PENETRATE FOUR INCH
ARMoR PLATE
By Means Of the Aerial Torpedoes a
Vessel or Fort Is Practically
Equipped With Mines

Maxim has made it possible for every
vessel to carry around with 1t an equip
ment of submarine mines. He has put
It III the power Of every fort to be able
to shoot these submarine mines at any
vessel. His newest shell, IL exploded up
on the deck or within the interior Of the
Blake, the big English warship that
went to America in 1898, would destroy
that craft in five seconds.
These fearful weapons of war consist
of shells which penetrate the sides of
vessels before bursting, instead of burst
ing at the moment of contact, as has
generally been the case. The two ex-
plosives are known as Melinite and
Maximite, and the dreadful havoc they
may create has been told in the accom-
panying statement, which, in accord
ance with his ordinary custom of deal
ing with newspapers, Mr.. Maxim die.
tated to a stenographer and then signed
Mr.. Maxim also gave me his photograph
as the representative of the Leslie Syn
dicate, and I forward 1t to you together
with this statement:
There can be no doubt as to the
frightful slaughter that would be eff
fected by melinite, for one shell burst
ing inside cruiser would destroy the
ship. But until chemists can invent
high explosive that will penetrate armor
we fear the navy will have to continue
to use powder as an explosive; for owing
to its slow burning qualities, the shell
gets inside the ship before 1t bursts
At the same time, If chemists can dis
cover high explosive. non-sensitive,
and safe explosive-which is con-
tradiction Of terms-then we shall all
be made happy. I shall be glad to ex-
plain a high explosive SHE'LL as we'll as
high explosives, which will penetrate
armor, and which will not explode until
after the shell has passed through the
armor.
Now, In the first place, wet COM
pressed guncotton is a very powerful
high explosive, as powerful as No. /
dynamite. This explosive can be shot
through armor Of any thickness which
the projectile is capable of penetrating,
and without exploding. There is also
another high explosive known as Max
Unite, invented by me-UMted States
patent No. 544, 4,924-which is considerably
more powerful than wet guncotton,
weight for weight, as we'll as having a
specific gravity about three-tenths
higher than wet guncotton, which gives
1t much higher force than gurcoton
per unit volume.
"Maxiunite is title which was first
applied by me to this explosive, which
is prepared as follows: A Mtrogelatine
is prepared consisting of so to IS per
cent nitroglycerine, and Is to 20 per cent
of soluble pyroxylin. This is frozen to
render 1t stiff, and then reduced to saw
dust by a gang Of saws. About rs to
30 parts of this explosive sawdust is
mixed and thoroughly incorporated with
about 20 to rs parts of finely pulped trl-
Ntro-cellulose. the whole being satur-
ated with water The object of the
dbrous tri-nitro- -cellulose Is to absorb
and hold water, and thus lessen the
sensitiveness Of the compound. The
compound may be packed into shells to
a density of about Ia, holding about Is
per cent Of water, the excess of water
being poured off. Projectiles filled with
Maximite may be thrown from ordnance
at service velocities with perfect safety,
and fired through armor without explod-
Ing until 1t has passed entirely through,
to be detonated by the action of the fuse
explained further on.
"The chief difficulty in firing high ex-
plosives through armor has not been so
much to get sufficiently insensitive high
explosive for the purpose, but to get
vuse which will carry a sufficient guam
tity Of a decorative compound to explode
the insensitive high explosive without
itself becoming exploded by the ter
rifle shock of retardation of the shell
in the act of piercing the armor II
would do no good to shoot through armor
unless we have a fuse carrying 4 de-
tonator which would live to get through
the armor to explode the wet guncotton
or other insensitive high explosive after
the same shall have passed through.
The tremendous shock Of retardation Is
sufficient to instantly detonate any full
inmate or other decorative compound
whatever.
Nov there is only one possible way
by which sufficient quantity of detona-
tive compound can be shot through armor
without being exploded instantaneously
upon striking the plate, and that is by
relieving the decorative charge from the
shock of retardation, by suspending the
same within the projectile in such wiss
that 1t shall constitute sort of plunger
body, so that upon the striking Of the
smell upon the target the velocity of the
body of decorative compound is not re-
tarded, but passes freely forward in a
tube within the shell without opposition,
thus giving the projectile time to pass
through the plate Now, such a fuse
has been invented by Prof. Philip Alger
of the United States navy and myself
Jointly, and has been made and tested.
1t has already been shot through four
inch armor plate with satisfactory re-.
suits.
1T should be borne in mind that there
are two distinct spheres of usefulness for
the high explosive or aerial torpedo; the
one for the penetration of light armor
and the other as submarine mine. A
practical system of throwing aerial tor
pedoes from ordnance may be justly
termed a system of placing and spring.
Ing submarine mines, a the will of the
operator standing at the gun. The aerial
torpedo or high explosive she'll should
never be used against heavy armor, for
high explosives, even in large quanti-
ties, exploded against thick armor plate
sen do but little damage The armor