Daily camera., 1898-08-08
THE DYNAMITE GUN.
Its Practical Value in War Yet to
Be Determined.
Destructivenexs Of the Projectilei
UnQuestiOned But Want of Ac- !
curacy II the Particular
Objection Raised.

In the one opportunity afforded her
by the war up to this time, the dyna-
mite cruiser Vesuvius showed that
her pneumatic gun is possessed of a
terribly destructive power, for the ex-
plosive shells tore holes in Cayo Smith
such as would serve as beds for good
sized artificial lakes. Yet the test is
not one to determine the merits of the
gun. No one knows what it will do in
actual naval conflict, where the vessel
of the enemy is rapidly moving tar
ge<, and those who are skeptical as to
this innovation in gunnery say that
Spanish ship would be as safe to steam
straight at the Vesuvius, discharging
he unwieldy billets as Sampson in dis
regarding the shots from the fort at
Santiago. The Dynamite Gun COM
pany thinks differently and is anxious
for opportunity to make the supreme
test.
There are but eight of these guns in
existence, and the company has placed
them with special reference to having
them tried at the earliest possibility.
Three are on the Vesuvius, two are at
Sandy Hook, one is mounted at San
Francisco, one is on the cruiser Buf-
falo and the other is in England. 1t
was the gun company that had the
Vesuvius built by the Cramps, and,
when she was equipped, sought to dem
onstrate her usefulness to the govern
ment Before a positive conclusion
could be reached through these pre-
liminary tests, the war came on and
the navy department invested in the
boat under conviction that she was
well worth trying. The company is
satisfied in what she did towards the
demolition of land fortifcation, but
realizes that it cannot expect to be
crowded with orders until the guns
prove that they are equally formidable
where warships are to be destroyed.
AS to the destructiveness of these
projectiles, if they reach their mark,
there can be no question. The largest
shell carries 500 pounds of gun cotton,
the next in size 200 pounds and the
smallest 100 pounds, 1t is an interest
ing fact that the two guns at Sandy
Hook can throw each and all of these
sizes, the largest projectile just fit
ting the 15-inch guns, and the smaller
ones being accommodated by means
of subcaliber device. Want Of ac-
curacy in aim is the particular objec-
ton of old artillerymen to these pneu-
matte guns, especially when the
largest projectiles are used. The COM
pressed air does not seem equal to Civ
ing them the desired velocity through
out their trajectory, The result is
that they wobble in their course, and
are not true to the range at which
they are fred This defect is less no.
ticeable in the smaller projectiles,
those adapted to the eight-inch bore
having a conceded accuracy. All three
are fired with the same force of air
and it is inevitable that the smaller
shells should have the greater velocity
as well as the greater precision.
The company still maintains the
thorough efficiency of it's gun, how
ever, and attributes the criticism to
prejudice arising from the fact that
gunpowder cannot be used in the dis
charge of the explosive shells. But
there is an apparent concession in the
fact that experiments are being con-
Quoted with shell containing 200
pounds of gun cotton with fuse of
illuminate of mercury, which can be
thrown from Pinch gun. There is
a promise of success, and should such
prove the case, the brief career Of the
pneumatic dynamite gun will be at an
end.-Detroit Free Press.