El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-07-14
VESUVIUS IN ACTION.
The Most Novel and Dubious Craft
rar- Hf1Odt
commercial Advertiser

New York Commercial Advertiser.
No incident of the war will have
much more technical interest to naval |
officers and experts than the perform
ances of the Vesuvius, the first OF |
which was on Monday night of san
tiago. She is new thing in sea fight
inn, and therefore is doubtful thing,
with many enthusiastic friends and as
many skeptical enemies. She has now
to conquer the Spanish forts, and the
work she did at Santiago, if effective,
will be battle fought at home.
The Vesuvius was authorized in 1856,
and was built by the Cramps, going in
to commission June Z, 1890. She de-
ponds for offensive power on three dyna
mite guns, or long iron tubes, built in
to her, with their muzzles projecting
above the deck near the bow. The
tubes are Is inches in diameter and 81
iron. The full-sized shell, which ls hr-
ed from them by q charge OF compress
ed air, is l4a inches in diameter, and
it's body is seven feet long. Back OF
the body is q tail fitted with spiral
vanes, which secure alignment and ro-
tation. This is the largest size of shell
which the Vesuvius can fire: what the
effect of such a charge would be is Is
vet unknown, but it will be something
schooner, made some years ago, the
vessel was completely wrecked at q one
mile range by so pound charge fired
from an eight inch gun. According. to
some experts, the submarine explosion
of full-sized shell would destroy
ship 20 feet distant.
The guns or tubes are not movable,
and the vessel itself must be maneuver-
ed in order to point them, just as an
artillery officer moves his gun car
riage, but the range of the shells is
varied by admitting more or less air
into the firing chamber. The first
trials of the guns were not successful,
as the shells could not be placed near
the target. The trouble arose from in
ability to control the charge OF air,
due to faulty valves then in use, but
later experiments obviated most, if not
all, of this difficulty. Naval officers
who are interested in the craft have
| long waited for an opportunity to ire q
full charge in actual practice, and, &C.
cOrding to the press reports of Tues
days work at Santiago, the experi-
ment was entirely successful. There
has never been any doubt about the
destructive effects of the shells, pro-
| vided they could be landed at the
place desired.
The compressed air for firing the
gums is stored in q number of tubes at
q pressure of 1000 pounds to the square
inch. The firing reservoirs contain 21O
cubic feet of compressed air, and the
storage reservoirs 42O. In the firing
reservoir the air is maintained at a
pressure of 1000 pounds. Each shot at
$50 pounds. but it is Immediately
made good from the storage reser-
| viOr. . b.. ..-.... .s
The Vesuvius was not designed to go
| into action with other vessels or with
shore batteries, for single shot
through her dynamite magazine would
destroy her and her crew so completely
could be found. Her officers and crew
realize fully the extremely hazardous
nature of their duty, and one of them
| remarked when she left here on her
present cruise that if the Vesuvius was
ever struck by shot from q
heavy gun no board of inquiry
would be necessary to determine what
became of her. for not scrap of vessel
or crew would be left. The full equip
for each gun. Under the rear of each
gun are two five chambered ''reyolv-
ers" for holding as many torpedoes.
To load the gun it's breech is dropped
until it's opening comes in line with
and forward end'of one of the cham
bers of the revolver" containing a
shell or torpedo, which is pushed
in by hydraulic ram. The
breech is then swung up to it's place
behind the barrel, while the revolver
is turned one division, so as to be ready
to supply q second shell. One revolver
is filled from the other in the same, way,
all the work being done by hydraulic
power. The steering of the vessel,
which, when she is in action. is equi-
vslent to the training of the guns, is
done by steam, and all her operations
are directed or executed from a con-
ming tower on the deck. -