The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-08

by the shells from the little Vesuvius al
Santiago science won one of the most no
table fights of the century. 1t is a fight
that dates back many years. for into this
victory enter the elements of compressed
air, high explosive, elimination of gun
recoil and the development Of the science
Of gunnery believed practically imposs
bic. All these things Mr.. Theodore S
Darling, president of the Pneumatic
Torpedo and Construction Company,
which owns the patents and makes the
guns similar to those aboard the Vesu-
vius, contemplates with that satisfac-
ton that comes from success after long
continued effort.
Years ago. in Detroit, Mich, Mr.. Darl-
ing, John b. Malopey, then one of De-
( troft's most prominent citizens, and now
a resident of New York. and others be-
/ came interested in a queer pneumatic
gun, designed by Mr. Mefford, of Ohio,
| the gun from which really has sprung
the wonderful pneumatic gun Of today.
Year after year went by and gradually
the men who were interested with Mr..
Darling dropped away from the inven-
ton, until at last he was the only one left
to care for it. He never lost heart, and
pushed on steadily, until now he is the
| oldest and the largest stakeholder in the
gun company, and president besides.
Today Mr.. Darling is in communication
with the leading nations of the world in
reference to supplying them with his
| pneumatic guns. Outside the United
States, England is the only country
which possesses one of the so-cslled dy-
Mantle guns, fifteen inch specimen be
! ing located al Milford Haven, in that
country. Mr.. Darling is fully convinced
that before a very long period his gun
viii be part of the artillery of several
great nations. The action of the Vesu-
vius at Santiago has brought about this
! state of affairs. 1t is the greatest OBJ
! ject lesson in the power of modern ex-
/ plosives that has yet been recorded.
One of the most surprising things that
developes in Mr.. Darling's statement
| concerning the gun, is that the guns
/ aboard the Vesuvius are not dynamite
! guns at all In fact, there is not a pen
/ nyweight Of dynamite aboard the ship.
/ The shells contain, besides the fuse,
nothing but gun-cottnn, which, being
/ very high explosive is not the equal Of
/ dynamite There is almost as much diff
/ ference between gun cotton and regua-
/ ton dynamite as there IS between gun
/ cocton aHnd powder, and the former has
! fifty times the explosive power of the
! latter.
! At the present time there are dynamite
/ guns at Fort Hancock. Sandy Hook, N j.,
! and the Preside, at San Francisco. A rep
/ resentatve Of the company making these
/ guns has Just returned from San Fran
! cisco, where he has been experimenting
7 a thorough examination of the guns there
and placing them in the very best of con-
dition. a fact not hitherto announced
is that the government is about to add
! a battery of these terrible weapons to the
/ fortihcations in Boston harbor, and the
preliminary steps toward such establish
/ ment were taken Saturday, July .. Just
/ how large the battery at Boston will be
/ has not been definitely decided.
! Few people realize just what the dyna1
! mite gun. as it is generally known, really
/ is and how it is operated The scientific
/ features of it have never been understood,
and Mr.. Darling for the first time here
reveals the exact facts.
The three guns on the Versuvius."
/ said Mr.. Darling, ARE by ma means rep
! resentauve of what our pneumatic gun
/ can accomplish. They are the only guns
! of the sort that are stationary and they
/ We're built that way as an experiment.
! You know We built the Vesuvius, equipped
/ her and then sold her to the government.
/ You see. the Nersuvius represents GER
/ tain stage of development Of the gun. At
/ the time she was built we-had nothing
! better. but now we know that we can
/ make our guns revolve the same as any
ajher gun aboard ship, and have just as
gocd feet.
The guns on the Versuvius are fifty
five feet long. fifteen inches in diameter.
of the bore. and about nineteen inches en-
tire diameter OF the muzzIe Inasmuch rs
( they cannot be moved about. they are
trained by the man who steers the yes
sci From these three guns can be dis
charged fifteen projactiles in zen minutes
/ one Oft hese projecjiies weighs. wnen
Z charged. 1000 pounds. and has range
! of more than 1900 yards when discharged
+ al an angle of th.rty-fve degrees This
+ pro5ectae carries 2oo pounds of high ex-
. p.os.ve. There are Two sizes ~ the pro-
F 5ec.,c the Jen-inch % which have
spoken. and Che eht-iurh. the latter ca--
r>irs lV pounds OF high explosive and
5 having a range of 5.oo0 yards when dis
charged az the same elevation as the ten
4 iuea
The guns aboard the VevSuviuS do
uog fire dynamite. The explosive is gun
. cotton. The only other explosive in the
shells besides the gun cotton is located
/ the fuse. Tbs fuse Is made of bronze. Il
! IS a copper sheI containing thirty-;ive
I grains NJ illuminate ~ mercury. u IS one
/ and a quarter inches Ions three eightls
/ 90 an inch il diameter. The fuse weighs
! twenty pounds and is twelve inches long.
: three and aaE inches IN diameter. To
the end OF il is attached a brass case
/ containing a pruning charge OF TWO and
j il haif pounds Il cry sun cotton. The full
inmate Of mercury is used 20 explode the
san cotton. and the mercury :-salf Is
! fred 10y means OF . small cap which :
exploded when tha automatic mechanism
Of the shsH releases 6 hammer that
strikes IT,
/ Really, you see. the VerSuvius Is not a
/ dynamite cruiser at all. though we all cau
/ her -. Neither are our guns IS used
aboard her dynamite guns. I, IS on;y
/ when we have our guns OF land that ws