Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1900-02-08
4 WONDERFUL EXPLOSIVE
Its Mysteries Confded to Few
Persons Only.
OWNED BY UNCLE SAM
II Is Called Thorlte, and by Its Use
the Heaviest Of Hioh-Power Guns
Can at Last Be Fired With Safety-
A War Terorr.

A War Terorr.
The War Departments adoption OF
thorite is the military event of the
year. Uncle Sam viii see, to it that nc
cret manufacture. Its mysteries have
been confided TO only handful of high
military officers pledged to solemn Sc
crecy.
ThOrite has solved vexed problems
that have racked the brains of most
skilful ordnance experts for FIVE years
or more. Uncle Sam during this time
has secured the earth for a. man able
to furnish him a highly explosive shell
capable of accomplishing two things:
Issuing from high power gun with
out danger OF explosion from the shock
In the breech Of the weapon.
Striking its mark without exploding
from the force of impact. but at any
desired time after impact.
DR.. Hiram p. futile. wizard from
Tacoma. Wash, Journeyed to the ma
tional capital last summer, and made
the proposition to the Army's Board OF
Ordnance and Fortifcations that he
prove his alonity to furnish the desired
article. Shortly afterward Gen. Miles
issued an order enforcing an old rule
barring admlttance to government
tests. A few weeks later the wizard
of the West did wondrous things at
Sandy Hook. The official adoption Of
thOrite is the result.
That thorite could be fired with per-
feet safety and without possible danger
to gun or gunner was readily demon
strated by numerous tests. 1t was
fired from guns of various sizes by
both black and smokeless powder
That intense heat brought in direct
contact with II could not affect 1t in
any way was proved by the inventor
In a striking test. He heated a poker
red hot and thrust II into a 2-pound
can of the explosive without any per-
ceptible result.
Other tests demonstrated that not
even the pressure of the heaviest siege
guns--4O, 900 pounds to the square inch
could effect II. A 12-inch service shell
with thirty pounds of thorite was
fired from a huge seacoast rifle. No
fuse was fixed The explosive shell
withstOod the enormous pressure
caused by the explosion OF 45O pounds
of brown powder at its base and went
out to sea without uttering a sound or
suffering destruction. .~
That this new element of warfare
would not explode from the shock OF
Impact but would reap Its harvest OF
death at any moment desired by the
gunner. was proved In a more fascina-
ting series OF secret tests. Ten-inch
aA.lAA
fuses, and were fred through huge
pieces of Harveyized steel armor plate.
Regardless of the terrific shock and
tremendous friction these shells did not
explode .
In another trial an iron shell of 1872
pounds weight and seven inches dame
ter was loaded with only four pounds
Of the new explosive and placed inside
a square enclosure strongly built Of
steel. Connection was made by wire
between the shell and an electric cir
cult. The purpose OF the steel enclosure
was to collect the flying pieces of the
shell-in other words. to test it's "frag-
menting power" An electric button
was touched. and after the explosion
several men We're delegated to gather
up the scraps of iron within the enclo-
sure. They couated 10000 visible frag-
ments.
To determine the destructive power,
shells which had been fused were fred
from a LIZ inch Sims Dudley gun
down the beach at Sandy Hook. Great
"craters" left in the sand were suffi-
Gent proof that thorite is as powerful
as the strongest blasting gelatine.
Thorite shells, II was proven, cannot
explode save by aid of certain time
fuse or detonator devised by the tnven-
tor. In other words, 1t can be ham.
mered and battered around during
transportation and subjected to vari-
Gus temperatures loaded In either cans
or shells, No accident can occur unless
the detonator Is attached and set. Ths
new explosive. furthermore, needs ne
particular make OF shell. but can be
put In any, Another advantage Is that
Its power does not weaken during long
The Ordnance Department has al
ready shipped to DIR. Tuttle sufficient
raw material to manufacture several
thousand pounds Of the explosive with
In the next two months The finished
product will be placed In shells of 3.2.
Inch callbre for light artillery guns, to
be sent to the Philippines
The War Department has just pur.
chased dozen Maxim mountain guns,
Of the same type as used by the Brit
Ish In their Khartoum. Omdurman and
Transvaal campaigns. These VIII soon 4
arrive In Manila. and shells for them
will also be supplied although the de-.
partment has ordered 5000 rounds OF
such as used with them in
y These new guns. all throw
ing thorlte shells. will dislodge the re-
bells from their ambush shelters In
,wamps and canebrakes
ThOrite viii be adopted for our great |
coast defence howitzers, as soon an
hey are completed. Large shells WIN |
be Manufactured to Mt them. After
he army shall have successfully used /,
he invention. the navy will adopt II. |
By its means each fighting ship can
,reate greater havoc than did the dy- |
lamite cruiser Vesuvius In the Span
sh war.
The adoption OF thorite puts the Uni |
ed states upon an equality with |
france and England In respect to high |
explosives. 1t has been the boast OF |
hese two nations that they excel In |
'bility TO safely Gre highly combusti-
Ne shells with gunpowder. Lyddfte.
he English, and melinite, the French. |