The Irish standard., 1898-06-25
VESUVICS, MOST DESTRUCTIVE OF
MODERN WARSHlPS.
FIRST TRIAL OF THE DYNAMITE CRUISER
AWFUL HAVOC THE FLOATING DE-
MON CAN PRODUCE.
A TERRIFIC ENGINE OF DESTRUCTION
THE REAL VALUE OF THE MONSTER
IS DEMONSTRATED.

The United States dynamite cruiser
Vesuvius evidently began new era IN
warfare when it made havoc OF the
Santiago harbor Notifications on Mon
day night. June 49, with three of its
giant shells, Army and navy men are
talking about the Vcsuvius as reverent-
ly as if the cruiser were something
supernatural. Citizens generally COM
pared it with Ericsson's monitor, and
said it is q hundred times more destruc-
tive
De Borden Wimot is the Representa-
tive Of the Pneumatic Torpedo and Con-
struction company, of New York, which
designed and built the cruiser Ncsuvius
and sold it to the United States govern
ment after it had undergone q series of
severe tests.
THE Vesuvius,' said Mr.. Wilmot,
has Il battery of three pneumatic guns,
mounted in the bow at a fixed Angle of
is degrees. The guns are 80 feet long,
Is inches bore, and built rigidly into the
vessel. From all l have read about
Monday nights trial with three shells
l am convinced that it has not shown
half Of its ability.
What can it do? 1t can drop SOC.
pounds of nitrogelatin nearly two milsi
away with accuracy. 1t can repeat this
feat Is times in 10 minutes. That
means three and three-quartcrs tons of
| high explosive thrown upon the enemy
ships or forts, or whatever The object of
attack may be.
THE destructive power of such a
| broadsido is almost beyond computation
1t is enough to destroy a city; to wipe
| it off the face Of the earth and eliminate
| every trace of its existence. The
| nitrogelatin is half as strong again as
| dynamite. Imagine the effect of three
| and three-quarters tons Of it.
THE moral effect of q bombardment
| by the Vcsuvius must be tremendous
| BY way of illustration, let me tell you
one fact. The dynamite cruiser Nils
theroy put an end to the late Brazilian
| revolution without firing shot. Its
| nero presence was enough. Dom
Pedro, the emperor OF Brazil, sent Adj
miral Saldama da CANA, OF the Brazil
ian navy, up here to find out how the
| pneumatic dynamite gun worked. The
admiral was deeply impressed.
| I'D rather he with that gun than
| npoinvt II ha ram rkad IN mo ctop3;np
beside the gun on the proving grounds
| ut Fort Hamilton, where he witnessed
its range, accuracy, and destructive
| power. Within a short time Dom Pedro
abdicated. republican form of gov
ernment was set up, and Mello began
his revolution. Admiral da CANA was
his chief fighter.
THE Brazilian government fitted up
the Nictheroy in New York with one
small dynamite gun. It's coming was
reported by telegraph as soon as it ap
preached the Brazilian coast. II
steamed into Rio de Janeiro barber
cleared for action. There was nothing
to fire at. The mere news of its advcn;
put Da CANA and all his men to flight
They abandoned all their ships. Tha
ended the revolution.
"The Ncauvius has not one small
dynamite gun, but it has three big ones
Their calibre is Is inches can give
You a suggestion OF their force. Thor,
are three 15-inch dynamite guns at thu
| irpeitin Gan, Jt,.np nj, A,
test one Of these guns sent projectilt
containing 200 pounds of nitrogclati1
across the Golden Gate into one Of Tho
mountains one milo away. The explo
sion OF this she'll dug Il crater in tho
solid rock IS feet deep and G5 feet ii
diameter. OF course 1t must not b,
forgotten that the Vcsuvius ia usnt
gun cotton in its projectles. Gun cot
ton is only onc-tlfth as strong as nitro
gelatin.
where Il shell strikes from one OF tn:
guns of the Vcsuvius the havoc is awful
One OF Its projcctilcs dropped in tn,
midst of IL regiment would eliminate i
from the war If any man in the reg:
ment was not torn to bits lie would no
be fit for fighting.
Against a ship the Vcsuvius will b
deadly. One OF its big shells, droppln!
on the deck, would crush through TIL
armor, and, exploding in /. vital par,
shatter the ship. If one of these she'll
eXplodcs in the air or in the water with
in so feet of a ship of war 1t will crusl
its side or bottom cad sink it, If on