The herald., 1898-08-15
BETTER BIDE AWEE

Maxim, the inventor Of the famous
Maxim gun, says that the popular idea
that the handling Of dynamite Is a very
ticklish matter, requiring the incest
care and attention, is a mistake. In an
interesting article, IN McClure's Maga-
zine, he states as the result Of actual ex-
per1ence that there are many high explo-
sives as powerful as No. dynamite
which may be handled and knocked
about without any caution whatever. and
which could not be ignited even when
fire is applied to them, land which may
be stirred with q red-hot poker without
danger"
This will be pleasing news to good
many Of our readers who feel an uncom-
Portable sensation whenever within an
acre or two of this powerful explosive.
But Mr.. Maxim makes still more inter-
esting and, from a warlike point Of view,
valuable disclosures touching the use Of
dynamite as an explosive in gurnery. He
claims that huge dynamite shells can be
fired from ordinary cannon II a certain
form Of fuse and certain make of powder
are employed-that the well known ma
ture and force Of high explosives. deton-
ated under water, as in the case Of SUBJ
marine mines, can be successfully ap-
piled by the use of aerial torpedoes fired
from cannon. Upon this basis he has
matured system Of ordnance which he
believes will revolutionize warfare"
His system dispenses with the use of
costly dynamite cruisers. specially de-
signed as such. and provided with speci-
ally constructed guns or pneumatic
tubes, and converts, at the will OF the
commodore, every armed vessel in the
fleet into vesuvius. The country knows
of the recent splendid performances Of
that vessel in the harbor Of Santiago de
Cuba, and Of the estimation In which her
services were held by Sampson and
Schley. Suppose all our warships over
there could have fired aerial torpedoes!
We can approximate the destruction
they would have dealt the enemy's forts
and ships by estimating the aforesaid
performance Of the little Vesuvius. Mr..
Maxim tells us that the modern battle
ship would be as helpless today against
aerial torpedoes as the wooden-walled
men, -of-war of a century ago would be
against projectiles thrown from modern
high-power guns. And he says that when
the value and efficiency Of aerial torpe-
does come fully to be recognized the pres
ent battle-ship will become obsolete.
This is expert testimony. 1t has Its
basis in scientific verify, backed by ex-
perience. The inventive genius of our
age marches with accelerated motion.
The monitors and gunboats, the pride
and wonder of the sixties, are today dis
carded hulks. And the ordnance used IL
our civil war? Why it is only trifle less
afitiquated than that fired at Bunker
Hill and Kings Mountain.
In view Of these swiftly changing con-
ditions should not the United States gov
ernment "go slow" in building at the
cost of many millions Of dollars Of the
peoples money more battle ships and
crJfsers-vessels that, for example, such
device in artillery as this Maxim tor
pedo- gun is claimed to be, would send to
destruction as speedy and complete as
| that visited upon Cervera's fleet by our
gallant navy July Fourth, 1898. In this
expensive business of battle-ship build
ing we'd better bide vice."