The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-28
NO BATTERIES OUTSIDE.
SPAIN'S NEW EXPLOSIVE.
Thr Queen Regent Has Paid out One
of Her Crown Jewels for Supply.

=
KEY WEST July l4-News comes here
from Madrid, via Washington, that Spain
has placed her final hope IN a new explo-
sive which Is called daza.
Daza was invented by a Frenchman
named Carrot who perfected IL early this
year He offered IL TO his government.
but was told that the French army could
fight well enough with the powder Of
Napoleon. Carrot offered his invention 10
England but was laid upon the shelf.
Finally DE took 30 20 Spain where IL was
tried and accepted. Meanwhile a syndi-
cate had been formed 10 manufacture
and protect daza and the purchase price
was held high
The queen regent who is progressive
Austrian. wholly unlike the Spanish, APP
pointed ii committee 10 test 30. The COM
mittee reported that for ripping quail
ties daza had no equal
The queen regent on hearing this,
decided 90 purchase H. The secret was
held by the inventor but for a certain
sum he would give 10 up.
Accordingly. the head Of the Spanish
government works called upon him and
made the arrangements. and the fol-
lowing day the inventor visited the
government laboratory and eXpounded
the mysteries Of daza.
But not until the purchase money had
been paid. on the day d8zs became
known 20 the Spanish government a very
large confidential sum passed into the
hands Of the syndicate.
The price WAS so high that the cabinet
demonstrated with the inventor, but 10 no
avail They told him he was ignorant of
the great honor But be replied that he
ranF rs Nnn
knew good thing when they saw 1t.
And daza WAS % good thing.
Finally the queen regent declared that
She would raise the money AS other
queens of Spain had raised " before her.
She would sell her crown jewels, In an
old cor0not worn by Johanna was an un-
cut ruby of great size. To Us the third
largest ruby in the world. Uncut il is
worth fifty thousand pesetas. Cut tt is
worth twice the sum, although cutting
would reduce its size. To cut 10 would
cost one-tenth of its value.
The queen regent decided 70 sell this
jewel and 30 passed .last week into the
hands of the original owners Of daZa
who will. it is presumed, either place u
ON sale in Bond street. Or dispose Of II
at private sale 10 an American million
aire TO adorn the tiara of some Ameri-
can queen.
Daza. as soon as it's secret came into
the hands of the Spanish government
became the prize of the navy. The queen
regent furnished DO at once 10 the Pelayo
and the Carlos y. and Is turning out
more of &c as fast AS the ammunition
factories can manufacture o. The TWO
great warshlps are provided with enough
of IT, # 10 works as promised. 10 blow
every CITY ON the Atlantic coast of the
.HI.. q fl.Nn frrHlf
Ing Bob Evans hopes TO people with
Spanards
American inventors Of high explosives
smile al the discovery of daza and say
that IL is "a form Of guncottOn with GER
tain good qualities lacking. They declare
10 to be only a slight advance upon dy-
Mantle in its crudest state.
Soain. on the other hand builds her
hope on daza. They say it is "A high eX-
plosive especially adapted 10 lombard
ments Unfortunately DO is Of such a
nature that lbs aim is necessarily IN
accurate owing To It's tendency 10 eN-
plode before b. reaches It's destination
a bad fault In an eXplosive-but. 10 on
set this. daza has such immense eNplo-
sive power that one small charge or II
will rip a hole as large as three charges
Of any explosive yet known. Bursting
above the head or an army IL does little
damage except from aying pieces Of shell
but were IL % strike low enough 10 would
toss every man into the air and mutilats
him Such is the report of the govern
ment experts on Spanish proiectiles and
such Is the substance now carried ny the
Carlos " which the queen bought with
a jewel from her crown.
The gun from which the daza projectile
is fired is tube shaped. similar 20 the
dynamite guns OF the Vesuvious. and is.
like the Vesuvius gun. built specially for
81. It's motive force is compressed air
Spain is a country Of few enthusiasms
outside OF bull fights and senoritas. but
10 is aroused over this new explosive.
The Minister OF Marine and the Minis
ter Of War journeyed from Madrid 20
Cadiz 10 inspect 70 and. on seeing II work
successfully. they tolegraDhed the good
news back 20 the queen regent az Madrid.
IL Is safe 10 say that the new Spanish
explosive Is built 10 mutilate. for Spain
thinks no gun or ball a success that
does not tear. The fearful Mausers are
examples OF this. The SDaniards aim
AT the abdomen with the Mauser rifles.
The ball enters leaving dny hole.
Once inside its nature IS such that II
explodes tearing fearful inside rent.
Other Of the Mauser bullets slowly but
surely plough through the entire body,
coming out with an awful wound.
Another Spanish monstrosity Is the
brass bullet which eXDlodes and causes
blood poisoning.
Daza Is warranted to be a mighty
bombarding force. but our experts say
II can far excel anything now In use
on the Spanish marines and yet fall Tar
abort of our own perfected dynamite
projectiles.