The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-22
DEATH IN ANEW FORM
Gun That Will Throw a Dynamite
Shell Nine Miles-..NOVel Idea
in PrOiectiles,

Hudson Maxim announces that he has
discovered gun that will throw half a
ton OF dynamite nine miles, wreckng
everything within an area of 1900
feet.
The invention which is to do this
pleasant work embodies new things in
gun, powder and projectile. To make
his invention perfectly clear to the
reader, it must be promised that, aside
from the torpedo tube on the war
ships, the only weapon now in use that
will throw dynamite OF serviceable |
charges to any considerable distance is
the dynamite gun, OF which type six are
mounted in forts in the United States,
and which are represented atloat by |
the batteries ofthe Vesuvius and Nicthe-
roy.
These weapons are worked with com
pressed air, and as result their range is
limited strictly. They cannot throw
charge Of dynamite more than two and
one-half miles at the most, and their
most effective range is one and one-half
miles. Compressed air is used, because
it alone, as far as known up to this
time, could discharge the terrible pro-
jectile without exploding it inside of the
gun.
Hudson Maxim's invention starts with |
the discovery of form of powder and
manner of using it that will discharge
dynamite projectile as safely as the
common powder gun fires solid steel
shot.
The range, too, is to be equal to any
that may be attained with an ordinary
prGjectile, and this will wipe out the
one great objection to the dynamite
gun OF today-that ship could lie out
Of range of it and shoot the battery to
pieces.
No ordinary powder has been found
until now that would throw charge of
dynamite from gun without exploding
Hudson Maxim declares that smoke.
less powder made by him is SO sure and
reliable in its burning that it can be used
with perfect safety.
The torpedo to be thrown with the
enormous charge of half or even one
ton of dynamite or other high explosive
is, as may be imagined, made with the
utmost care. 1t must be absolutely
proof against shock and its fuse must
be sure not to explode at the wrong
moment and sure to explode at the right
moment.
The torpedo is a inches in diameter
and more than II feet long for a ton
charge, and y inches in diameter and
more than six feet long for half-ton
charge. The ton charge can be thrown
five miles and the haIf-tOn charge nine
miles. The torpedo is made in two sec
tons, telescoped together, and the explo-
siyc is forced into it under pressure.
The shells of the torpedoes are thin,
and one reason for putting the explosive
! into them under pressure is that the
charge thus saves the torpedo from col
lapsing under the effect OF the powder
charge.
y The explosive is 50 treated that it will
e not explode under any condition OF
+ shock, and it is set to burst through the
!, explosion OF Il fuse which is so arranged
e that it acts when the torpedo has pene-
u trated II certain distance into earth,
/ water or steel, its defamation being de-
Il pendent on Il certain amount of retard-
n alton OF he projectile.
r When it is placed in the projectle it is
d to prevent the fuse from setting off the
" explosive through accidental defamation
= As long as the fuse is in the air cham
d Der its detonation would exhaust itsel
d in the clear space and there would be nc
RI premature explosion.
l. Springs prevent any movement of the
o fuse, no matter how violently the tor
y pedo may be handled previous to It's dis
IS charge. But as soon as the gun is free
It the rapid rotation of the projectle free
| the fuse and it moves into the body O
J. explosives.
a As soon as the projectile strikes the
h shock hurls the fuse violently forward
s and expodes it,
The gun to throw this destructive pro
'g jectile, as designated by Maxim, is mucl
is thinner than the ordinary high-powe
| rified gun, because, instead Of having tt
a Withstand powder pressure of 35, 900 tt
l. 10000 pounds it has to support simply
t. pressure of 10000 pounds to the squar
ID inch.
ii The reason for this is that the objec
a OF the dynamite thrower is not to ge
n armor piercing velocity or fiat trajectory
a bit merely range.
vi The explosives that may be used ir
st the gun are any that will withstand thu
o. shock of discharge and of an ordinar,
a explosion. They must not go off excep
on direct defamation. Gun cotton
nitrogelatin, maXimts and picrite aci
Ill could be used with equal safety and wit
a almost equal result.