The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-23
The Experiments at Sandy Hook.

The recent experiments at Sandy Hook
revive tho hope that before long we may
avail ourselves Of high explosives as the
bursting charges Of shells both in heavy
guns and icid-pcces. When we find 113
pounds Of explosive gelatine, a compound
more powerful than the best dynamite,
safely fired from nm ordinary Pinch rife,
with the regular service charge Of brown
powder, 1t is plain that great progress
has been made. or course, the test Of
the Isham diaphragm shell. from which
the 1o3s-pound projectile was fred, the
other day, will not be complete until It is
also made against an armOr plate repro
s"nting the side OF a battleship; for in the
recent experiment it was scnt out to sea,
where it sank, there being no impact
against anything to explode it. But, after
all, the great point is that. for the first
time anywhere. such a mass OF this ire
mendous explosive was thrown from a ser
vice rifle under service conditions.
Great interest too, attached to the high
ly successful test of DR.. TuTrLE's thorite,
OF which about thirteen pounds was fired
in an s-inch shell out to sea, and then an
other charge was fired through 41S-inch
steel plat" without bursting. This now OK
ploSivo had been previously rubbed be-
tween blocks covered with sandpnpcr ham
mered on in anvil, and pierced with a rcd
hot iron, without exploding. Finally, the
S!ms-Dudley gun, which represents n sys-
tenn tested for tiedpieces in actual warfare
In Cuba, once more achieved success with
its shell charges OF n powerful explosive.
One point OF interest in this group OF
tests was that it included all the leading
lines OF experiment with high explosives
for shells. Hitherto our own country has
expended most OF its energy in substitute
ing for gunpowder less dangerous pro-
pusive force, namely, that Of compressed
air, and has led all countries in this dlrec-
ton. The pneumatic gun invented by
MEFFoRD and greatly improved and made
practical by ZALrNsKI has passed through
The actual test OF war as a naval weapon on
the Vesuvius at Santiago, while az a land
gun IL forms an important part Of the de-
fcnces OF New York Boston and San Fran
cisco But while this gun, or aerial tor
prdO tube ns IL has sometimes been called,
Is tremendous within its range, throwing
masses OF guncottOn or other high cxpIo-
gives practically limited only by the size OF
the shell, that range is too short for many
PURPOSES, and also requires high anglo
fire. Hence for long ranges It is desirable
to find a system OF using high explosives in
the shells Of ordinary powder guns with
the regular service charges.
Two systems have been chiefly resorted
to for this purpose, one being some mod
lflcation Of the shell and tho firing appara-
tus 40 that the high explosive may not I've
prrmaturcly exploded in the bore of the
gun by the shock Of the charge. Various
Ingenious devices of this sort have been
invented. Tho English, for example years
ago experimental with the Snyder shell,
while in this country DIR. JUsTIN's projectie
also long ago attracted attention and off,
cial experiment. More recently we have
had the Gathmann shell, OF which great
things are hoped by its inventors, and now
we have the Isham shell. which performed
so we'll last week. and in which the interior
Is divided into small compartments, for
packing the explosive grlatne.
But wholly distinct from these special
devices in constructing the shell and the
chamber. orfor furnishing buffers against
the shock Of the discharge, Is the system
OF making the bursting charges Of such
compounds as cannot possibly be exploded
either By shock in the bore or even on i'm