The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-04
THE ROCKET TORPEDO.
Gun-COttOn Safely Thrown More than
Mile from u Small Gun.



Mile from u Small Gun.
Golfers Weekly.
Rear Admiral Howell argued that ac-
curacy and range would be attained only
when the rocket could be given the same
rotary motion that a powder gun imparts
an ordinary gun requires pressure of fif-
teen or twenty tons per square inch-a
mass of high explosive at the instant of
discharge. The inventor, therefore, con-
celved the novel idea of revolving both the
The projectile, consisting in the ten-inch
caliber of one hundred pounds of gun cot
ton, is incased in a thin metal envelope, the
rear end of which contains rocket compost
ton and the head a percussion fuse. which
is set in action by the force of impact. This
projectile is placed in the gun, and when,
by mechanical contrivance, it has been
spun up to $500 revolutions per minute
friction cap ignites the rocket composition,
and the banked up pressure at the base
starts the rocket The shell then begins it's
flight with rotary motion corresponding
to that of the gun The fact that this mo-
ton is due to neither the resistance of the
atmosphere against vanes nor to the escape
of a part of the propeling gas from a num-
and, above all. perfect accuracy, while the
absence of any initial shock of discharge
renders it absolutely safe
the heaviest war rocket fired from the
new Howell gun will weigh 300 pounds, the
range will be about 1900 yards and it's
curacy almost equal to that of a rifle pro-
jectile The piece, though it cannot be
called a high-angle-fire gun nor one Of
pointblank range is between the mortar
and the rifle.
The enemy is supposed to have been one of
a large fleet that has engaged the Sandy
Hook batteries, and. either either through the
chance of war, has succeeded in passing the
fort, clearing the channel of torpedoes by
cOuntermining, and is speeding for the Mar
rows, from which point she expects to make
of New York a mass of smoking ruins. He
has not reckoned WELL however, for, owing
6prT eI,fxz
compelled to follow the tortuous main ship
channel, which brings her within range Of
the new weapons of destruction mounted on
the point of Coney island.
A report, little louder than that of toy
pistol, however, at last attracts his atten
tion-and, before he has time to reply with
even one of his rapid-fire guns, a number of
steel cylinders are kissing and suffering
through the smoky atmosphere. With ac-
celebrating velocity they rise as high as the
foremost head, then turn their noses down.
ward, and, with unerring aim, one of them
crashes into his starboard side forward
tearing away the armor plates and leaving
hole through which rush the waters of the
bay. Another falls a little astern, too far
away to do it's work of destruction though
the conclusion shakes the ponderous fight
ing machine from stem to stern, disables her
steering gear and puts her engines out of
hne The guns from the forts at the Mar
rows now open fire at long range, and
after a few well-directed shots a white flag
is saved.
Or, suppose a flagship is forcing an en-
trance into hostile harbor planted with
submarine torpedoes. Knowing that the
concussion produced by any high explosive
will detonate all others within circle
whose radius is fifty feet the starboard
rocket gun is brought into action Five
hundred yards ahead there is a muff1ed ex-
plosion. followed by a rising column of
water that sDarkles in the tfopic sunlight
This is Immediately succeeded by other and
greater explosions, and the flagship knows
that she may proceed in safety followed
by the other vessels of the fleet The port
gun also throws her torpedo destroying pro-
Jectlle, With like result until the entire
channel is clear and the Ndeet is ready to
engage the batteries of the inner harbor
The firing of the gun is ACCOMPLISHED as
follows: The breechlock is first opened and
the projectile inserted. 1t is then closed and
the primer attached. The gun is then spun
up, and when revolving rapidly enough and
the primer fired and the fame commune
Gated to the rocket composition in the end
OF the projectile. A certain amount of the
gas is allowed to escape around the rocket
so that no more pressure will be banked up
than is sufficient to give the projectiIe a
good start. After leaving the mMzzie the
burning of the rocket composition increases
the density of the gas, thus imparting an
accelerating velocity.