The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-17
THE TERRIBLE vEsUv1Us.
The Most Destructive War Engine
Ever Invented.

New York, June 1.-THE United
States dynamite cruiser VesuVius evil
IDENTIFY began a new era in warfare
when she made havoc of the Santiago
harbor Notifications Monday night
with three of her giant shells Army
and navy men are talking about her
as reverently as if she were something
supernatural. Citizens generally com
pared her with Ericcson's monitor, and
said she is hundred times more des-
tructive.
De Borden Wilmot is the representa-
tive of the Pneumatic Torpedo and
Construction company of New York
which designed and built the cruiser
Vesuvius and sold her to the United
States government after she had I'M
dergOne a series of severe tests.
THE Vessuvius,' said Mr. Wilmot
has a battery of three pneumatic guns,
mounted in the bow at a fixed angle
of 10 degrees. The guns are SO feet
long, Is inches bore and built rigidly
into the vessel. From all L have read
about Monday nights trial with three
shells, I am convinced that she has not
shown half of her ability.
What can she do? She can drop 500
pounds of nitro gelatin nearly Two
miles away with accuracy. She can
repeat this feat Is times in 10 minutes.
That means 334 tons of ------- explosives
thrown upon the enemy's ships or forts
or whatever the object of attack may
be.
THE destructive power of such a
broadside is almost beyond computa-
ton. 1t is enough to destroy a city;
to wipe it off the face of the earth and
eliminate every trace of it's existence.
The nitro gelatin is half as strong
again as dynamite. Imagine the effect
of 3% tons of it.
1.-The moral effect of a bOmbardment
by the VeSuVius must be tremendous.
BY way of illustration. let me tell you
one fact. The dynamite cruiser Mic
theroy put an end to the late Brazilian
revolution without firing a shot. Her
was Th
the emperor of Brazil, sent Admiral
Saldama Da Cana of the Brazilian
navy up here to find out how the pneu-
matic dynamite gun worked. The ad-
miral was deeply impressed.
I'd rather be with that gun than
against it, he remarked to me stand
ing beside the gun on the proving
grounds at Fort Hamilton where he
tructive power. Within a short time
Dom Pedro abdicated, republican
form of government was sent up and
Mello began his revolution. Admiral
Da CANA was his chief fighter.
The Brazilian government fitted up
the Nictheroy in New York with one
small dynamite gun Her coming was
reported by telegraph as she approach
ed the Brazilian coast. She steamed
into Rio Janeiro harbor cleared for
action. There was nothing to fire at.
The mere news of her advent put Da
Cana and all his men to flight. They
abandoned all their ships. That ended
the revolution.
THE Vesuvius has not one small
dynamite gun but she has three big
ones. Their caIiber is Is inches I can
give you a suggestion of their force
There are three 15-inch dynamite guns
at the Preside. near San Francisco AS
test one of these guns sent proiec-
tile containing 200 pounds of nitro yela-
tin across the Golden Gate into one of
the mountains one mile away The ex-
ploslon OF this shell dug a crater in
the solid rock IS feet deep and 65 feet
in diameter. OF course it must not he
forgotten that the Vesuvius is using
gun cotton in her projectiIes. Gun cot
ton is only one-fifth as strong as nitro
gelatin.
Where a shell strikes from one of
the guns of the Vesuvius the havoc is
awful. One of her projectiles dropped
in the midst of a regiment would elm
mate it from the war. If any man in
the regiment was not torn to bits he
would not be fit for fighting.
Against a ship the Vesuvius would
be deadly. One of her big shells
dropped on the deck would crush
through the armor and, exploding in a
vital part, would shatter the ship. If
one of these shells explOdes in the air
or in the water within so feet of a ship
of war it will crush her side or bottom
and sink her. If one of these shells
explodes within so yards of modern
man-of-war it will render her useless
for fighting, for the defamation will
ly out of line. dislocate the shaft or
jam the neatly fitted parts. Thus the
ship will become a mere helpless tar
get
1ohn P. Holland, inventor of the sub
marine boat which bears his name,
was enthusiastic over the favorable re-
ports received of the practical test of
the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius. He
said:
Now, perhaps, they may give the
Fesuvius chance There always has
against her in the navy, just as there
is against my boat now. She never was