The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-07-08

OFFICIAL TEST ORDERED.
Single Rocket Would Spread Death
Over 800 Feet Radius.
EFFECT OF THE HAND GRENADE

Brooklyn, July s.-Arms and arma-
ment and, in fact, all weapons and me-
chanisms OF destruction capable OF be-
ing utilized in the military sense are /
at the present time attracting marked |
attention from the public. This is true,
not only In regard to the regulation |
types used in two branches of the gov |
ernment service, but also the thousand
and one inventions. the product or |
American ingenuity and mechanical
skill. The war has been responsible for
the unearthing of a majority OF these
contrivances, and while the greater
number are visionary and impractical
BILE, there are others that the govern
ment has thought it well worth while
to investigate. preparatory to adopting
them in either the army or navy, or
both, IL experiments Justify the claims
of the inventors.
Among this latter kind may be classi-
fed a number of inventions by Joseph
] Mcintyre of 1878 Putnam avenue.
These have been recently presented TO
the war department. and so Interested
was Gen. Flagler. chief Of the ordnance
department, that permission has Deen
granted to the inventor for an ofncial
test of his inventions at the Sandy
Hook proving grounds. One of these
inventions Is of a somewhat novel char-
acter and Is termed dynamite rocket.
A second is an improved hand grenade
and third an improved percussion cap
| for bursting shells.e
THE DYNAMITE ROCKET.
The dynamite rocket, according to
Mr.. Mcintyre. Is something entirely
new in projectlles. The sample rocket
exhibited by the inventor Is a cylinder
2 feet inches long and inches IN
| diameter, made of brass and shaped
exactly like an ordinary skyrocket,
with the conical head, although not
| supplied with a stick. The rocket Is
| divided into two chambers, the lower
| containing the propelling force, consist
| ing of ordinary meal powder or q spe-
| cial quality, and fired with fuse. The
| second chamber, which is slightly the
| larger contains the explosive, which
| may be either dynamite or gun cotton.
! When the rocket is ready to De dis-
| charged this chamber is filled with
| about 100 steel bullets. Cast iron bull
| let's may also be used, but lead is
| tabooed, as the action of the explosive
i would melt the lead. The bullets are
/ specially prepared in molds and come
| i'm strips, each bullet being connected
| by link OF sufficient strength to hold
1 them apart. In this space between the
II
| tightly packed. About two pounds or
| dynamite can be used with 100 bullets.
| At the point of the conical head Is
/ percussion cap with a plunger, and the
| weight of the steel insures the rocket
| striking head first when it lands, after
| a flight in the air. The deadliness OF
this weapon is even increased by an at
tachment on the outside of the cylinder.
| This is a hollow steel guide, In which
interrglycerine, the most powerful OF
| explosives, Is carried. Almost a pint
| can be stored away here and the guide
| is corlxed and sealed. The rocket Is
mounted on a tripod when about to be
discharged. The firing Is almost noise
less, and this increases the value OF the
weapon, as in an engagement posi-
ton could be concealed with ease. The
| rocket is aimed in accordance with the
science of angles, and at an angle of 40
degrees the range. with the ordinary
propelling force, is one quarter OF q
| mile Mr.. Mcintyre has made numer-
Gus experiments with the rockets and
up to that range claims he can come
within 20 feet of the target. This is
good gunnery for rockets and Is more
than is necessary. as the destructive
zone of a rocket charged as indicated
above is a circle whose diameter Is 800
feet.
GRENADES AND CAPS.
The hand grenades are of steel, about
the size of a league baseball and
shaped like an egg, so that they can be
| readily grasped by the hand. They are
| hollow and in this space Is packed TWO
| pounds OF dynamite. Percussion caps
| insuring discharge at the moment or
| impact, and similar to those In the dy-
| Mantle rockets are attached, while the
| opposite extremity Is tipped with
feathers. The grenade can be thrown
several hundred feet by hand and by
| the use of a steel trap IL can be sent
| twice that distance and at the same
| time, high in the air. so as to clear any
| obstruction. According to the inventor,
| the grenades are "a great Improvement
| over those in the service. which are OF
the same type used In the civil war,
| and which were often caught by the
| soldiers and tossed back again.
| The Improvement In the cap or a Dig
| projectile consists I'm the addition of the
| factor of time in exploding the shell as
| well as the present system OF explosion
| at the moment OF impact. This result
| is obtained by means of separate
| smaller powder reservoir in the In
terror. BY means of small chambers
| connecting the small and the big pow
der reservoirs, and placed so that the
| fire will connect with the large cham
Der at the required number OF seconds
which can be ascertained with mathe-
matical exactness. the bursting or the
| shell IL assured. as the ordinary plum
| ger arrangement. which discharges the
| main charge at the moment OF impact
Is forward of the time device.