Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-06-18
High Explosives in War.


The dynamite or gun cotton gun is a
new feature of warfare. and its intro
| duction opens UP wonderful and awful
possibilities. The dynamite cruiser
Nesuvius was built as an experiment.
| There is no craft like her in existence
and foreign nations, as We'll as our
| own, have been anxiously waiting for
| the results of her first real test. She
! recently joined Admiral Sampson
| fleet off Santiago, and there at mid
night, one night this week, her guns
| first spoke with hostile intent.
The Nesuvius has three 15-inch pneu-
matte guns fixed near her bow and her
explosive shells are larger and dfferen;
| than any ever before discharged in
actual warfare. Tho4e fired the other
night worked fearful havoc in the
Spanish Qualifications and batteries.
and the attack of the Nesuvius WAS
/ accounted complete success. Ii has
been believed that the Nesuvius would
prove Of ncstimable value in reducing
the Spanish Notifications. To make
her peculiar weapons effective. how
ever. it is necessary Ia bring the ship
close inshor,' and perilously close to the
hostile batteries. for the range Of h.
great bowguns is only about mil.
or two miles at the most. These gums
are fixed firmly in the vessels HEX.
near the bow. pointing steadily for
ward. They are aimed 10y thu helm
by turning the ship toward the point t.
which the shells are II be sent-an1
the distance II which the missiles ar
thrown is regulated by the pressure
of the air admitted by the breelh
valves into the gun chamber.
At best these are rather rough-and-
ready methods, by no means compa.-
able with the mathematical cxactness
by which the poWder-burning steel
rifles of the fleet can be directed. Ii
would be impossible to train the ex-
traordnary battery Of the Vesuvius
upon any small or moving object ana
hope to strike it, but her fire can be
delivered with a fair degree Of ao-
curacy against such a huge target as
that presented by massive fortinca-
ton.
There is another consideration which
/.
efficiency of the Vesuvius-She is
small. fragile, unarmored ship. One
shell would wreck her slender hull,
even if it did not ignite her tremen-
dous store of high explosives. 1t is
| necessary, therefore, for the Ncsuvius
to make her attack either under cover
| Of the night or under the shelter of a
| heavy armorclad, which. if the little
| craft-a veTitable floating magazine
We're hit, might be involved in her de-
| struction.
So We must not expect too much of
the Nesuvius. She has her limitations.
One or two lucky hits by her awful
tWo-hundred- pound suncotton shells
might, perhaps, work as much havoc
among Santiasos Notifications as a
lf-day's bGmbardmcnt by the entire
fieet-and then again it may be found
that, like the torpedo, her chief value
lies in the moral effect upon the enemy
| of her mere presence and potential
force But it is likely that this unique
Warship is only the beginning of a new
style Of warfare. The experts in mod
ern explosives have already given
much thought to the matter of utiliz-
| ing dynamite and other potent and ter
| rible explosives in war. One of the
| MaXims says he has already perfected
designs for ship to carry gun that
IS capable of hurting a ton of dynamite
five miles, and he is ready to dispose of
the device to our government There
are devices already under way Dy
which dirigible balloons may drop On
fort or fleet huge dynamite bombs
| whose fall would mean sure destru,
tlon TO everything within a radius CT
1000 feet from the point of impact 1t
is by no means impossible that the
success Of the Vesuvius and her plan
OF campaign may lead to a great AMI
most significant change in methods Of
attack in war.