The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-12-30
KERITS or TR0RiTe.

The War Departments adoption of
thorite is the military event OF the
year. Uncle Sam Will see to IL that no
foreign power learns a iot as to It's se-
cret manufacture. Its mysteries have
been conneded to only a handful of
high military officers pledged TO solemn
secrecy, says the New York Herald.
Thorite has solved vcx.d pros eng
that have rackei ,Lc 3i@irs u nicst
skulful ordnance eapsl.s for ase years
OF more. Uncle sam curing this sine
has secured the earth for man able
to furnish him a highly explosive shell
.apable Oi accomplishing two thinGs:
Issuing form a high power gun with-
out danger of explosion from the shock
IN the breech og the weapon.
Striking iis marx without exploding
from the force Of impact, but at any
desired time after impact.
Or. Hiram +. 1'uttle. a wizard from
| Tacoma. Wash. journcyed 10 the ma
| tional capital last summer. and made
! the proposition 90 the army board 90
/ ordnance and fOrtlfications that he
| prove his ability 10 furnish the &C.
! sired article. Shortly afterward Gen.
| Miles issued an order enforcing an old
| fule barring admittancc 10 government
tests \ few weeks later the wizard az
the West did wondrOus things az SAN
dy Hook The official adoption OF tho-i
rite last week Is the result
That thorite could be fired with par
feet safety and without possible dan
sscr TO gun or gunner was readily DEM
Onstrated by numerous tests. X was
ntd from guns ~ various sizes by hotl
Hank Ind -Snln.-e-nss- -naIld---- 2, A4s-i- 49,
tense heat brought in contact with IL
could not affect IL IN anv way was
proved by the inventor i'm a striking
test. He heated 4 poker red hot. and
thrust 1t into a two-pound can of ex-
plosive without any percep.ible re-
suit
Other tests Demonstrated that NOT
even the pressure OF the heaviest sieEe
guns-40 coo pounds 10 the sclsiafe sIlch--
/ could affect it A 12-inch service sncll
with thirty nine pounds OF thcritr wss
fired from a huge seaccas; r!ie. Nd rus
( was fixed. The explosive shell withstf"i
the enormous pressure caused lv ae
explosion Of 40 pounds OF hipwn pow
der al It's base and Went 6et - si~t
without utterlng a sound ~ suffering
| destruction.
That this new element rof warfare
would not cyplode from the efrcck ~
impact. brt would reap Ns harvest OF
/
/ gunner was proved in a more fasclnnt-
ing series of secret tests Ten-i1eh
shells filled with It were left wIth out
fuses and were fired thI0u~ ~llfT1lrgc
pieces ~ Harveyzed stect arm nos late.
Regardless OF the terrific 'S'lcs'f and
tremendous friction these she'll did not
: explode.
I'm another trial an ironBsheil os 1Se
mounds weight and seven inches dr.
meter was loaded with oprv mounds
Of the new explosive and nlncel 'nssde
n square enclosure strongly. built ~
steel. connection was made hyI wire
between the shell and an qieeTff cir
cuit The purpose of the steI enclos~
ine was to collect the flving pieces sc
the sheli--in other words. TO test 'fs
"fraementarv power" An electric butt
ton touched and after the eyplo-
| sion several men were deleFafed 70
( gather up the scraps OF iron within the
/ enclosure. They counted 2V,OoJ Nislpief
/ fragments.
To determine destructive pcwer
/ ebalIs which had been fGeed were fred
I IRON, a 2s6-inch Sims Dudley gursdown'
the beach ut sandy Hook. Srcat "rrs-
/ ters" left Nv the sand We're Trf6ciens
! proof that thorite is as pOwerfuf as ths
I stro, -est biasting geiatIne.
Thnrite shells II was prnven- cannat
! avnlods save bv aid nf certain Urle
! FMS. or detonator devised -hv tie if-res'-
I tor. In other words. IL can be f"N-
! mered and battered around drr'rT
! transportation and suhteet"d so variH''s'
; to,nnnratures loaded va either cans 0r,
! sbeue No accident can occrr uT'n =
4 mo ds,onatnr is at'Nched and sot
,a,, evplosive Furthermore. needs ~
| norticular make of she'll bat cRN -.
/ put i'm any Another advaniRTe is lhet
/ its mower does not weaken during ioNy
/ storage.
| rsodv shipned to Or. Tuttle su'hc'"rr
I ,-sNy material TO manufacture s2ver't
tbousand pounds OF the explosive y
I'm rho next two months. The hnwnc Y
nrnduct will be placed IN shc''s ~ =.
! inch caliber for light artillery guns, 10
/ b. sent TO the Philippines.
The War Department has 1usi n''r-
chased dozen Maxim guns of =
san,e tvrre as used by the British M
| their Ehartoum. Omdurman en- Trans
va,l campaigns. These will soon arrire
| az Manila. and shells for them VIII eirp
10 supplied although tho dcp7n..~c1t
| bos .orlered 5000 rounds OF amn'unfic@.
/ such as used with thcm i'm EilroDc-
| These new guns together " p thoeJ q
| the regular artillery. a'l thfovt1e tho-
| rite shells will dislodge tho reheie ffosr
tbeir ambush shelters IN swarps sntd
I canebrakes.
,rborite win he 4opted FOR our -~oat
! coast defense howltzers as soon IS ~ V
are completed Tnrg, shciie VIII hc
manufactured 10 m them Afie- t.e
army shall have succpsefti'F rct f.tNe
Invention tho navy win adop; D. w -
means each fghting shin can ,c =
greater havoc than did the frrT7 q
cruisrr vesuvlus in the Snalish war.
The adoption Of thorite nn-S -
United states upon an cdralrv '-'
France and England In rcsueoi to hi-a
explosives. II has been The bo1s' -
these two nations that thov fTr7' =
| ability 10 safety fre highly conlhusiifls
| shells with gunpowaef. l~dff' f~e
/ English. and fnelinte. the Frc1sif cx-
I ploslve. are practically the same.