Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-06-18

In the Midst of a Regiment It
Would Destroy ths Whole Com
mand-Thrown ON the Deck of a
Warship It Would Crush Through
the Arnor and by Exploding in a
Vital Part Would Shatter the
Vessel.
New York, June 1.-THE United
States dynamite cruiser Vesuvius evil
IDENTIFY began a new era in warfare
when she made havoc of the Santiago
harbor Notifications Monday night with
three Of her giant shells. Army and
navy men are talking about her as
reverently as if she was something
supernatural Citizens generally COM
pared her with Ericssons monitor, and
said she is hundred times more de-
structive.
De Borden Wilmot is the representa-
tive of the Pneumatic Torpedo and
Construction Company, of New York,
which designed and built the cruiser
Vesuvius and sold her to the United
States government after she had I'M
dergone a series of severe tests.
THE Vesuvius," said Mr. Wilmot,
has battery of three pneumatic
guns, mounted in the bow at fixed
angle of eighteen degrees. The guns
are 55 feet long, Is inches bore, and
built rigidly into the vessel. From all
| have read about Monday nights trial
with three shells, am convinced that
she has not shown half of her abil-
ity.
What can she do? She can drop
500 pounds OF nitro gelatin nearly two
miles away with accuracy. She can re-
peat this feat fifteen times in ten
minutes. That means three and three
quarter tons of high explosives thrown
upon the enemy's ships or forts, or
whatever the object of attack may be.
''I'he destructive power of such a
brCadside is almost beyond computa-
tlon. 1t is rough to destroy a city;
to wipe it off the face of the earth
and eliminate every trace Of its exist
ence. The nitro-gelatin is half as
strong again as dynamite. Imagine
the effect of three and three-quarters
tons of it.
THE MORAL EFFECT
of a bombardment by the Vesuvius
must be tremendous. By way of illus
tration, let me tell you one fact. The
dynamite cruiser Nictheroy put an end
to the late Brazilian revolution with
out firing a shot. Her mere presence
was enough. Dom Pedro, the emperor
of Brazil, sent Admiral Saldama da
Cana, Of the Brazilian navy up here
to find out how the pneumatic dyna-
mite gun worked. The admiral was
deeply impressed.
I'D rather be with that gun than
against it, he remarked TO me, standing
beside the gun on the proving grounds
at Fort Oamilton, where he witnessed
It's range, accuracy and destructive
power. Within a short time Dom Pc
drO abdicated, a republican form of
government was set I'D and the Mello
began his revolution. Admiral Da
Cana was his chief fighter.
"The Brazilian government fitted ND
the Nictheroy in New York with one
small dynamite gun. Her coming was
reported by telegraph as soon as she
reached the Brazilian coast. She steam
ed into Rio de Janeiro harbor cleared
for action. There was nothing to fire
at. The mere news Of her advent put
Da Cana and all his men to flight.
They abandoned all their ships. That
ended the revolution.
''The Vesuvius has not one small
dynamite gun, but she has three big
ones. Their calibre is Is inches l can
give you suggestion of their force.
There are three 15-inch dynamite guns
at the Preside, near San Francisco. AS
a test one of these guns sent a projec-
tile containing 200 pounds of nitro
gelatine across the Golden Gate into
one of the mountains one mile away.
The explosion of this shell dug a era
ter in the solid rock
THIRTY-FIVE FEET DEEP
and sixtyfive feet in diameter. OF
course it must not be forgotten that the
Vesuvius is using gun cotton in her pro-
jectiles. Gun cotton is only one-fifth as
strong as nitro gelatin.
Where shell strikes from one of
the guns Of the Vesuvius the havoc is
awful. One of her projectiles dropped
in the midst of a regiment would elm
mate it from the war. If any man in
the regiment was not torn to bits he
would not be fit for fighting.
Against a ship the Vesuvius will be
deadly. One of her big shells dropping
on the deck would crush through the
armor and, exploding in a vital part,
shatter the shin If one of these shells