Evening star., 1898-04-29
A PATRIOTIC OFFER
Hudson Maxim Proposes a Plan for
the Benefit of America.
A SYSTEM OF THROWING EXPLOSIVES
Details of a Scheme of the Most
Modern Naval Warfare.
REVOLUTIONARY PROGRESS

The Star is in receipt of letter from
Mr.. Hudson Maxim. brother of the inventor
of the famous Maxim rapid-fire gun, him.
self an inventor of note, and deeply in
terested in all matters pertaining to naval
warfare. The letter, which was written at
London on the Goth of the present month,
is as follows:
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Enclosed I send you a reprint of my
lecture before the Royal United Service
Institution, on my system of throwing high
explosives from ordnance, and which has
just been published in the April number of
the journal of that society.
Il shall be glad of any publicity which
you may see fit to give this matter, espe-
citlly in the event OF hcstilities between
the CniLed States and Spain. 1 shall also
be glad of any publicity which you may
give to the expression of my earnest de-
sire to serve my native country in any
way. Just one cruiser built and equipped
complete with torpedo guns, according to
my system. explained in the inclosed lee
ture, would be sufficient to destroy every
Spanish warship which 1t might encounter
at sea Taken in rotation, such cruiser
would be more than match for the entire
Spanish navy. The cost of such cruiser
would be about 100000
Il beg to make the following proposition
through your columns, either to the United
states government, or to any of my
patriotic fellow citizens who may be willing
to furnish the capital necessary for the
construction and equipment of one such
cruiser: Will grant the free use, without
royalty. of all my inventions, for the pur-
pose, and will come to America and super
intend the building of the cruiser, or will
get it built here in England by Sir William
Armstrong, Whitworth & Co., and will
make no charge whatever for my personal
8 in .r,ns sptin 4
work.
AN opportunity to serve on board in an
engagement would also be very acceptable
to me
The lecture delivered by Mr. Maxim. as
noted in this letter, was in part. as follows:
The Great Race for Supremacy.
For a generation there has been a race
for supremacy between guns and armor
between penetration and resistance, be-
tween offense and defense. This race has
resulted in the development Of cannon of
comparatively small caliber, but with great
thickness of wall and tremendous weight,
in order to withstand the enormous pres
Sures necessary to impart requisite veloci-
ties to long and heavy armor-piercing pro-
Jectiles. Powder space within the armor-
piercing shell has been sacrificed to weight
and strength of metal, reliance being MAIN
ly placed upon the smashing effect of a
huge bolt Of steel. Opposed to this we find
the modern battle ship. clothed in a wall
of steel so pOnderouS as to reduce mobility
to a minimum
We find in history something like paral-
le!ism with this before the invention of
hrearms. wnen warriors clothed themselves
in armor. which was constantly increas sed
IN weight and strength, to resist penetra-
ton OF improved weapons. However upon
the advent of firearms all armor was east
off. for it was found impracticable for an
individual to carry sufficient armor to
1 q OF frnf limo Of
siies hurled by gun powder, resistance to
penetration being wholly sacrificed to mo-
bility.
Now, with the advent of a system of
throwing high explosives, in sufficiently
large masses to render armor absolutely
useless, we shall find navies disca riding
their armor, and everything will be made
SubScrVient to speed and mobility This
Will work complete revolution in the con-
struction of ordnance and shps-of-war
Heavy ordnance, instead of being made as
at present, of small caliber with thick and
heavy walls, will be made of much greater
caliber. and with comparatively thin wallis
The projectile which will then be employed
Will be thin shell, simply thick enough to
support the mass of contained explosive in
Its light from the gun, and the explosive
will be sufficient in quantity to work in
finitely more destruction upon any target
than such projectiles as are at the present
day thrown from heavy guns
The PrOpeIling Charge.
'One of the requisites of primary i'm
portance to system of successfully throw
ing high explosives in large masses, rests
upon the propelling charge-upon a suit
able gunpowder-one which shall give a
sufficiently low initial pressure, and main-
tain that pressure behind the projectile in
its flight throughout the entire length Of
the gun. and powder which will, with alb
solute certainty, burn alike at all times,
III
termined pressure and velocities may be
depended upoa.
The value of high explosives in naval
and military operations is becoming more
and more TO be recognized. Submarine
mines and various forms of self-propelled
torpedoes have shown us how wel-direct-
ed blow, from even a comparatively small
charge of high explosive. may throw a
huge battle ship out of action. or send her
to the bottom. Some types of automobile
and dirigibla torpedoes have reached a
very high state of perfection. and their
evolution has led sto the torpedo boat, and,
again, to the torpedo boat destroyer.
''One of the great advantages of high
explosives as an agency of destruction is
the impOssbiiity of opposing to them any
efficient means of protection. when applied
in large quantities. By the subdivision
of the hull of the modern battle ship
into a honeycomb of water-tight compart-
ments, and by surrounding it with torpedo
netting, some protection is secured against
attack from even the largest of present
forms of torpedoes, such as the White
head, but the largest and latest type of these
will carry but 200 pounds of gun cotton.
1t remains only to be able to attack with
sufficiently large quantity of explosive
in order to render absolutely useless as a
means of protection all precautions in the
form of network and water-tight compart-
ments. Five hundred pounds of gun cot
ton exploded against the torpedo netting
surrounding a modern battle ship would
insure her destruction, to say nothing of
what would result from the explosion of
still larger quantities.
Expense and Efficiency.
"In order to form a correct estimate OF
the value of any system of warfare two
things are chiefly to be considered-expense