Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-04-29
EFFECr OF PRoJECTILEs FIRED FROM TORPEDO GUN.

as It can be completed will be followed
with great interest. The gun Is the IN
yention Of Rear Admiral ]. A. Howell,
of the United States navy, whose auto
mobile torpedo was so effective ana
his name in conjunction with 1t GER
tainly insures a measure OF success
Rear Admiral Howell has been con-
Quoting experiments for several years
to improve the Vesuvius' guns and OBJ
viate the difficulties which they pre-
sent. He believes that the only means
nv which q safe, accurate and effective
gun can be secured is by embodying IN
the projectile the two-fold character
of piece and projectile; that is, to have
1t receive impulse from forces residing
within itself. Upon these lines he has
worked until he has evolved gun
which will speed a rocket containing
the explosive with the accuracy OF
rifle ball. He believed the rocket must
be made to revolve with the same ro-
tary motion of steel projectile hurled
from an ordinary gun. To do this the
enormous pressure Of twenty tons to
square inch would be required in an
ordinary gun. Such force would de-
tomato any mass of high explosive at
the instant Of discharge. He therefore
conceived the idea of revolving both
the gun and the charge. The projectile,
consisting, in the 10-inch caliber, Of
one hundred pounds Of gun cotton, Is
incased in a thin metal envelope, the
rear end of which contains rocket COM
position and the head percussion fuse
which is set in action by the force OF
impact. This is placed in the gun, and
when, by mechanical contrivance, 1t
has been spun up to twenty-five hun
dred revolutions per minute, friction
cap ignites the rocket composition,
and the banked up pressure at the base
starts the rocket. This, then, begins
its flight with rotary motion CORE
spending to that of the gun. The fact
that this motion is due to neither the
resistance of the atmosphere against
vanes nor to the escape of part of the
propelling gas from number Of vents,
gives it great range, velocity, and,
above all, perfect accuracy-while the
absence of any initial shock of dis
charge renders it absolutely safe.
The heaviest war rocket fired from
the new Howell gun will weigh three
hundred pounds, the range will be
about three thousand yards, and It's ac-
curacy almost equal to that of rifle
prejectile. The piece, though it can
not be called high angle fire gun, nor
one of point-blank range, is between
the mortar and the rifle. The new gun
can be used in both offensive and de-
fensive operations, ashore or afloat-in
fact, the illustration represents bat
tleship attacked by several of these
guns and the effect of defamation
against her armored sides.
The enemy is supposed to have bean
one of large feet that has engaged
the Sandy Hook batteries. and. either
through the smoke and confusion of
battle, or some other chance Of war,
has succeeded in passing the fort,
clearing the channel Of torpedoes by
countermining, and is speeding for the
Narrows, from which point she ex-
poets to make of New York mass of
smoking ruins. She has not reckoned
well, however, for, owing to great
draught Of water, the battleship is
compelled to follow the tortuous main
ship channel, which brings her within
range Of the new weapons of destrrc-
tion mounted on the point at Co1ry
Island.