New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-10
THE DYNAMITE " GUN.
A MODERN WEAPON OF WARFARE USED
BEFORE SANTIAGO

The accounts Of the battle before "ant.dso
All mention the work Of the pneumatic dynamite
gun which was in the charge OF sergeant
Halleit Alsop Borrowc His modern weapon VI
warfare was shown for the first time al the
Electrical Exposition held in New-York in May
and June 1898. 1t consists OF rev Simple
parts that may be manufactured rapidly In any
well-equpped machine shop. and the inventor,
Dana Dudley says that it is a perfectly sale ana
reliable niece OF ordnance In the patent the
following claim is made:
The method OF diychargng a pneumatic gun,
which consists in COMPRISING air IN suitaoie
chamber by means OF the explosion OF al eHplo-
sive therein, and communicating tne ar prens
ure thus produced to the base OF Inc proJecthe
in another chamber uninterruptedly connected
herewith. III. =,
The method OF discharging projectiles by
means Of the explosion Of an explosive In an air
chamber which consists in interposing con-
fned body OF air uninterruptedly between me
projcc,ilc and such explosive and then expou'
inC the explosive in said chamber, whereby h.eh
pressure is developed and the proJectlc ds-
charged
The gun is known as dynamite" gun, but
its manufacturers-the Sims Dudley Defence
Com1any-say that this is misnomer' because
the projecte which is fired by the gun is never
loaded with dynamite. but always with some
Other and, as they say. much safer hsh OK
piosive Junction. either wet or dry. or any
high exllcsive may be used in the proJectilcs
but the compound ordinarily used for loading
the projcctile is known as Nobels gelatinc
at is A high explosive remarkable for two
peculiarities" the company says; first, that II
can be handled stored and used with greater
safety and security than any other explosive
containing nitr,-glycerne: second, that when it
is properly dctonated so as to produce an ex-
,osion. its destructive effect is greater IMAM
al civ
Projectiles loaded with Nobels gelatine nave
been used in connection with the Sims Dudley
CUR by the Cuban insurgents. and the Cuban
Juuta has written many letters in which the
deadly work Of the destructive machine has
been spoken Of
The gun consists Of two tubes. one placed
over the other the upper and longer one being
known as the projectle tube These tubes are
made Of a specially manufactured comp 'siti"n
metal possessing tensile strength 81 about
$4,000 pounds to the square inch The diameter
of the bore OF this tube IS two and "nc-haf
,aches and its total length is about fourteen
iect Below the projectilc tube is the expansion
or combustion chamber. which consists 81 tui"
four and one-han inches Ia diameter and seven
feet long.
This tube is connected 10y an opening M" me
nroicctiI. tube at its rear end at the top. and
Is also provided "A its end with an inner
Ering tube which projects into the outer tu"
for a short distance. The projcctilc tube and
Ne combustion chamber are each provided WIN
/ brecch meo hanism. In a description of The
Gun and the method Of handling IL the makers
say:
In firing the gun the hrccch mechanisms are
thrown open by single motion. tn loaded
rrojcctiIe placed in the proicctile tube ana an
ordinary cartridge shell containing nine ounces
Of smokelcss powder placed IN The iiring 'uh"
Thc brcoch rochanisms are then closed 10y
single mo cement and the gun Is ready L. Are
The firing is accomplished 10y pulling n lanyard
H. the usual manner. The Iroj'c'ilr contains
AL exIIcsivc charge 81 four pounds Of NohcIs
celatlnc and is provided with Merriam fuse.
which can be arranged either t. cXplod" the
gelatinc upon impact or any time thereafter NJ
70 six or seven seconds The range - ths par
tcular gun is from one & two miles depend
Ing upon the elevation. and II can b" fired ~"
or SIX times per minute. Tho guns ar mounted
upon an ordinary Eun-carr.ae" for hcid use or
upon Il naval mount when th'y arr e. bc used
on Il boat or on shiphoar,"
TIE list price 81 the gun. mounted like The one
which Is with the Rough Riders. % $500. and
each Irojcctilc costs about 81