New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-03
A NEW EXPLOSIVE, JOVITE.
SAFER THAN POWDER AND MORE
POWERFUL THAN GUNCOTTON.
Washington letter to The Boston Transcript.

| Washington letter to The Boston Transcript.
| the dynamite cruiser VeSuvius represents a neW
power in naval warfare" said Professor Charles
| f.. Munroe. the famous chemist, yesterday. SHE
| is destined TO Wreak tremendous destruction a.
| Porto Rico, Havana ana elsewhere before the
! conclusion OF hostilities. Big guns may smash
| things seriously, but warsl!.p that can thro"
| junction in chunks weighing quarter of a
ton to distance Of over a mile with reasOna BILE
| accuracy is able literally to batter down the
Landscape. The inventive genius OF the Yankees
is being stimulated TO a high degree, and the
present conflict will be marked By many sur
priscs. Indeed. quite a revolution in the science
OF explosives is likely to be brought about. and
international struggle will be conducted on a
wholly new basis, through the development Of
novel chemical combinations"
Professor Munroe is dean Of the Columbian
University and the foremost expert in explosives
IN THIS country. He added
Though the Vesuvius is called dynamite
cruiser. the explosive employed in her projectiles
Is wet guncottOn. Before long, | expect, she
will use jovte instead. This is sub
stance with which the United States Navy is
at present experimenting. Ii is a high ex
pi9slve OF tremendous efficiency and am OF the
opinion that 1t - destined TO take the place Of
gunpoWder To great extent And why not?
Safer than gunpowder, 1t has an energy equal
to that Of dynamite Shells filled with it have
been put through 14i2 inches Of nickel-steel
arm"r. not exploding until they reached the
other side.
"Do you realize what this signifies? 1t means
that such a shell would enter the hull OF the
most heavily armorcd vessel and explode the
Inside The result. Of course would be the total
destruction Of the ship: not the mghtiest battle
ship could survive such catastrophe. An
armor piercing shell Of the pattern now in use
contains no bursting charge. it IS made Of such
tough material that gunIoWdcr would not ex-
plode il. But such proectiles loaded with 'joyite'
are able not only to make holes in armor. but to
create the most tremendous ha"Oc after piercing |
~ nder present conditions the Ncsuvius is a |
typ" of Graf that carries within itself the ee-
rn"nts Of It's own destruction. OF course. this !
might BE- said II any ship OF war that contains |
A powder magazine. but the % the dyna-
mite cruiser Is somewhat peculiar. The charges |
packed In her prOjcctes large masses Of |
wet guncotton. and that substance is harmless
'noush 10y reason Of the 81 per cent Of moist
are that II holds But the guncotton shell has
% be decorated by small quantity Of dry gun
'otton. which Is extremely dangerous ma
erlal 10 handle. shell striking "A quantity
u the dry guncotton would blow up the vessel
7 JoNitc were utilized as a substitute il would
," equally effective as an explosive and its use |
would involV" no risks whatever Jovite' can
lot b" set of 10y mere concussion The Navy
department has been making trials with it for
ON" TIM" past. and its adoption ~ only a uucs-
ION Of a brief tim.
rot course. need not tell you OF the diff
ult"s which experts have encountered in deal
ng Win high explosives for war PURPOSES II Is
ot That the handling II them requires such
"lica'y Of manipulation. but that they go off
ID quickly as To lee unavailable for ordinary uses
f'l VIII nor serve as charges for guns because /
hey burst the weapon before the projcctile has
IN" 10 he expelled. Accordingly. So far as / I
rdrancc Is concerned. they scrviceable only {
: ming for the shells. Indeed. even in this J
ay they have been considered worth ass hither- a
because II the danger I
But Jovitc' has solved the problem Loaded 7
shell. II Is safer than guLpowdcr; only
Use or "A detonator will set II of In other I
ords. II may be employed as il il were a harm h
ss substance from the point Of view Of the L
INNER though at a determined period after its Z
IA iG Into
heilish d"structveness. During the present 4