The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-07-18

, first shot fell a trihe low, striking the
hillside, and exploding with a tremen-
dOus roar but with very little flame.
A great column Of earth and stones
was seen to squirt up into the air, and
then all was quiet. The second shot
was sent with a higher pressure of
air, in order that it might be carried
over the hill into the harbOr; but like
its predecessor, it struck the hillside,
although higher, and exploded in full
sight of the blOckading fleet. The
third shot was successful in 50 far as
clearing the hill was concerned. The
projectile went swiftly out of the air
tube and sailing through the air, dis
appeared over the hilltop, and I'M
doubtedly worked obstruction where
ever it fell. No further shots were
discharged, and the little Vesuvius was
recalled to the flagship.
S9%%e ssI9%*S S6E9<%e sSI8**ss9
taken part in actual warfare, using
| shells loaded with guncotton and
| throwing them successfully against
the enemy's stronghold, all the Objec-
tions made by the naval officers OF the
/ Old school have been proved ground
! less: and SO far as being effective in
a bombardment of shore batteries IS
/
nOunced a success. The term "dyna
mite" as applied to the vessel, is a
misnOmer, for the Vesuvius never has
thrown any dynamite. She was built
as a harbOr-defense vessel intended to
throw shells loaded with guncO-tOn.
She is small boat, as slender and
I graceful as a yacht, and faster than
most pleasure-craft. She has a reaOrd
of p % knots, or about twenty-five
miles an hour. She is 252 feet long,
$50 tons burden, 900 horsepower, and
when loaded draws 10 feet 10 inches
OF water. She is armed with three So
called dynamite guns, which are really
three fixed tubes that project at an
acute angle from her forward deck.
These are 80 feet long and 10 inches
in diameter. They are stationary, and
cannot be shifted in any way, so that
to aim them it is necessary to move
the entire vessel. For this reason it
would be difficult for the Vesuvius to
hit moving target, but an easy mat
ter, as was proved at Santiago, to do
great execution against land fOrtifica-
lions. She was called by the Span
iards 1.-The hurler Of earthquakes. The
prOjectiles used in these guns are 10 IL
inches in diameter and feet long,
looking much like huge cigars. They
are hollow, and the explosive. usually
guncOttOn, is stored in them and set
off by primer that is itself exploded
by contact with some solid substance.
or by a mechanical device which can
be regulated before the shell is dis
charged. The three tubes run down
into the bowels Of the ship. and at the
base of each one is a mechanism much
like that of an ordinary pocket revoI-
yer. There are five revolving chamb-
ers at the base of each Of the tubes. 50
that fifteen shells can be fired without
relOading. The force used for the dis
charge Of the guns is compressed air.
4 gUage fixes the amount Of air force
necessary to throw the cartridge a Ger
tain distance, say One-quarter. one
half, of full mile. There is scarcely
any sound at the discharge and of
course no smoke so that shortly after
the pTOjeCtile leaves the muZZle it Is
visible to those on the ship. and the
place where it strikes can plainly be
seen. The firing of these air-guns IS
done from the cOnning-tOwer by means
of levers. The prOjectile rises swiftly
TO height Of nearly 800 feet. and then
travels horizontally as though follow
ing a straight line marked off against
the sky, and finally dips sharply and
plunges into the target There is a
peculiar spiral safety arrangement on
each prOjectile by which the fuse is
rendered harmless until a flight
through the air of about one-eighth
of a mile is accomplished Otherwise,
the primers might explode just as the
projectile left the tube. doing great
harm 10 the vessel itself.
Until she was used at the lombard
ment of Santiago, the Nesuvius had