The San Francisco call., 1899-12-31


would have been exploded exactly Wlrn ?.
struck the water. and the force sl '.'
explosion would have been sul'cirtl IT'D
sink any heavily armo-ed rfttlt-s"'p I'D
the vicinity.
s,ves during the firing process have r'-
suited disastrously az our various pr'El.-
grounds Several years ago. a dyuaiuI'.
she'll. fred from an experimental b"il.
gun. burst the breech Of the weapon ""i
hurled it's fragments In every dlrecii'n.
General Miles and a delegation OF ouI'''-
that dav had the narroWer' '-''P' .I
their lives. and 10 was regarded a- p m'r-
acIe thar th.v were not am killed Duriur
"a test al the Indian Head proving GROUND
a l3-inch gun was badly damaged oE t1e
evplosion in its brecch ~ 3l' pounds 0t
uun-cotton At another time gun I'dI-
cd with q i5-inch shell CONTAINING -tI
pounds Of the high explosive. emHrN-.r.
burst 10 spllntereens. Such tNP'Il"l.
with high explosives were discourage l'r
a while bv an accident iu 1907 when
Gathman she'll burst iu the brcecn m
very valuable gun badly damdgins I''
veapOn and the expensive h+uIdN''.
mount The explosion tore up the railroad
tracks al the proving ground destroy -H
one OF the heavy bomh-proots ure' it
experiment. and damaged properly lH '..
reighborhood Fragments ot the 500.
hurled n mile away fel into tHo river O.
short distance from tug CARRYING experts
Witnessing the trial
That this new element or warfare "'..I
not explode from the shock OF lmpto. t4-
would reap It's hcllish harvest OF %. .i.i On.
any other moment desired or inc -IH.'
was proven iu a more fasciuaunE series
If secret tests Teu-iucE shells uN't "..-
n were Ieft withou1 fuses necessary @" i'-
explosion and were fred entirely t1r'N-i
huge chunks OF HarveyiZed steel arilf-
plate a. inches thick. Reg rdles- 'f IH.
terrific shock and tremendous irIeIl'N
these shells did not explode in an"lH.'
trial a large iron shell of l.- pounds
weight and inches In diameter was
loaded with only pounds ot tne new
explosive and placed inside % -Il'f.
enclosure strongly built OF Steel ''N-
nection was made by Wire between one
shell and an electric circuit Iur .pNi-
pose Of the steel enclosure was tI
collect the hyirs pieces of Che -HN.
in other words to Test it- "tr1E-
mentary power" This power is nee.
essarilv an important consideration.
The explosive capable OF bursting Ii-
shell il.o the most pieces o. tne mos.
destructive lu warfare sine. NJ rN-
dangers the greatest number of lives.
An electric button was touched 1ui
after the explosion several men were
delegated 90 gather the scraps ot from
within the enclosure. IuoT counted
10000 visible fragments. To determine
destructive power shells which had
been fused were fired from -i.-iucn
Sims-Dudley gun down the beach a.
Sandy Hook. Great "crajers' left iu rrs
sand were sufficient proof tlu, tn0~ite 's
as powerful as the strongest blasting
gelatine.
Thorite shells cannot possibly eSp,7de
save by AID of a certain time fuse o.
detonatOr devised by the inventor. In-
aT 20 H
brought ont hy the tests in other words
~ can he hammered and battered around
during transportation and subjected t1
various temperature. loaded lu t-ECr
cans or smells 80 accident can occur sr-
less the Getonator Isl attached and ..t.
The new 'Ap.osive. Furthermore needs no
particular make ~ shell bur can be rlt
in any. Another advantage is THAT .-s
power does not Yoaken during 0u- store
age. Unlike ans otuor high eyr'osIv. 10
Will lasr Cor an indefinite period
The Philippine insurgents viii bc .Is
hrst % suffer from The effects % tl1I.re.
Or Trttle will be busy this winter 4t
Sandy Hook. There no viii erect 4 ls-
poratory ard mauufaciurc r' compound.
This workshop viI' bc shrludad in doa1er
mystery than We're those nf rho lI.r.r.-
ISIS of old. He VIII b. 1iInd hv tis .lr
and Lieutenant Charles IT. Parker of fre
Second ARTILLERY. both pledged not I1 disc
close the secret formula Tho Ordnance
Department ras al-r7Ir shipped t1 -ne
doctor sufficient r1w materials to rrt1u-
iacturo several thousand pounds NJ .7a
explosive witrIr rho next two months.
What th so materials aro w.lI not 1o I.a.
closed. THE flashed product will le
placed For -tcl'- ~ gc-i1rh caghcr for tho
light artiI.er. rur-. ard other -.zee lra
required. The -hsu- win he shor f-7r
guns charged with cu1Dovde- suokefszs
or black The War Department has Irat
purchased % dozen Maxim mountain guns
of the same type as used by tho R-Ir.r
ln me kh1rtoum. Omdurman and rrars-
NadI caw1a'gns. These will soon a-lfv,
IN Manila and shells Tor them will la
supplied although the department. mas
ordered 'ol" Wounds 1f ammunition surr
as g used with f1eU in Europe a rov.
weeks "r0 Lieutenant Buckle ~ tho .r-
uilery was 7rta-r-l to inspect tho p-.r-
cipai ars'77is - europe. investigate th-Ir
orfluizaiiors of mountain batteries ana
report.