The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-03

Other I'm BattIes-What Govern
ment Experiments Show-The
Vesuvius May Lead tho Way in
RevIutiOnizing Of Naval War;
fare--PrObIems of Battles.
correspondence The st. Paul Globe,
WASHINGTON, June 30.-It is exas-
perating that the Spanish fleet persists
IN remaining phantom one, while
there are so many problems of naval
warfare awaiting a. solution True.
we have sent the Philippine squadron
to the bottom Of the Manila bay. but
the destruction of that collection Of
marine targets has done little to help
the naval designers by practically
testing the value Of their numerous
theories. We want Spanish ships cap
able of hitting back in fairly effect
i've manner to come on and give the
world a chance to witness a real naval
night There are many points regard
ing modern fighting ships on which
naval men are at odds. The idea in
naval construction that looks forceful
today may be weakened by an event
that takes place tomorrow. There are
mighty engines of destruction in the
In the modern navies whose effect
1veness is practically INFESTED
Theorizing on the effect Of the dy-
Mantle guns Of our Vesuvius, the ma
val men are brought face to face with
the question: "Of what use Is 1t to
spend millions on a battleship that
may be blown to pieces by a single
explosive from this new demon of the
sea-" For it is a fact that one shot
from the Vesuvius landing fairly on
the deck Of the most strongly pro-
tected vessel afloat would sink her as
surely as though her thick steel sides
We're mere match boarding.
Even If the dynamite projectiles
nearer than thirty feet of an ar
mored vessel. the force of the explo-
sion would place the vessel out of ac-
ton, dislocating her machinery and
rending her gun gear apart.
The Vesuvius has had an opportu-
nifty Of testing her dynamite guns on
stationary forts during the recent
bombardments by Admiral SIMPSONS
ships, and the result has been
that the dynamite gun is fac
tor in naval warfare that seems likely
to revolutionize warship construction
In a way that has not been done since
the wooden vessels became obsolete.
WHY NOT ON LAND?
And again the theorists, delving
deeper into the question, ask: why
should not dynamite guns be extern
sively used on land as we'll as sea-"
Such q charge as one of these guns
of the, Vesuvius throws would ami
hilate regiment of men. These be-
ing theories needing only opportunity
to be capable of practical demonstra-
ton the students of modern means of
killing men are turning confidently to
the high explosives as the war pro-
jectile Of the future.
Important experiments have been
made by the board of ordnance to test
the possibility Of using high explo-
sives in battle. In a recent report 1t
Is stated: Experiments are now in
progress under the auspices of this
board with view to discharging high
explosives from powder guns. The
batteries of these guns that have been
erected at Fort Hancock and Fort
Scott, San Francisco, have shown that
these guns are capable Of throwing
100 pounds Of nitro-gelatine a distance
of 1890 yards, 200 pounds $500 yards
and 500 pounds $500 yards with great
accuracy.
''The board, however, has not aban-
doned the expectation Of some time
being able to discharge aerial torpe-
does of great capacity from powder
guns. and experiments with that end
in view will be continued"
In a government report of expert
mentS with shells loaded with gun cot
ton it is stated: Believing that the &C
ton of these substances fired from
twelve-inch steel mortars, with a 1,00)-
pound torpedo SHE'LL holding large
| charges, would be even more conclusive
than results obtained from the eight
inch SHE'LL it was proposed to fire three
rounds each from this mortar. The
charge of wet gun cotton was III
pounds, and the propelling charge for
! ty-nine pounds Of smokeiess powder,
the resulting pressure being 5000
pounds per square inch and estimated
velocity 10000 foot seconds" The aw-
, full effect of these projectiles can be
imagined.
THE TORPEDO.
Another problem with which the naval
authorities are wrestling is that wicked
explosive, the torpedo, which has prov
ed such a miserable disappointment
to those who expected so much from
it. Writing on this important subject,
well known naval officer says: AT
present We are in face of that ire
mendous problem as to whether the
torpedo is to rise to the position OF
governing type, as the ram did; and
whether, suppOsing opinion places it in
that position once held by the ram,
that will be it's true and lasting posi-
ticn or whether it will rise to power
only to fall again, as the ram did. 1t
was at an carly date proposed to build
rams pure and simple to contend with,
and so to supercede the ironclad bat
tleship. They were to have been small,
swift and but lightly armored-just
sufficiently armored, in fact, 10 ensure
that numerous and yet rot effective
fire could not be employed against
them by the battleship. Such ship
was never built, and it is impossible
to say what might have been the re-
suit had one been built ard tried But
at a very early period. the torpedo,
which had till then been an adjunct to
the battieship's gun and ram power,
was given vessel to itself; and from
that moment the torpedo became an
Independent threat TO the battleship,
which the ram had never been. That
threat has been greatly developed in
recent years, and the place it will take
ultimately may be determined by opin-
ion, even though that opinion is wrong.
GOALS PROPULSIVE POWER.
''The point is thai this is only one of
the many questions vital to the future
of naval war, yet we do not know any
thing about it in reality. The immense
progress that has been made in in
creaSing the propubsive power of the
pound of coal destroyed sail-power.
and there is no reason to suppose that
development has ceased. II has, by
greatly adding to the speed of the tor
pedo boat or vessel, greatly strengthen