Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-06-29
THE MOST POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE.
Maximite Threatens Revolution In
Naval Warfare.

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Maximite, the new explosive invent
ed by Hudson Maxim, has been adopt
ed by this country after a series Of
successful tests which were completed
at the Sandy Hook proving grounds.
The secret Of the explosive has been
sold to the government by the inventor,
and the explosive itself Is expected to
revolutionize warfare. 1t is more dead
ly in its character than lyddite, yet so
safely can it be handled that the dan
ger attaching to its use is less than
that incurred in transporting ordinary
black powder.
The tests thus far made have been
so satisfactory that naval officers be-
lieve the day of the big battleship is
passing, because the explosive will
pierce 12-inch Harveyized nickle steel
armor plate, and having passed through
1t, will explode on the other side with
sufficient power to destroy everything
with which it comes in contact. Never
before has a plate Of this strength and
thickness been pierced.
The tests have been made by the
ordnance board and have been con-
Quoted with the usual secrecy which
attends government tests Of this kind.
The results far surpass anything here
tofore attained in any country, and the
opinion is expressed by experts that it
may revolutionize the building of bat
tleships and Notifications.
Projectiles charged with this explo-
sive were fired through Harveyized
nickle steel armor plate twelve inches
in thickness, the shell exploding after
passing through the plate-that is to
say, on the inside Of the ship or fort.
The insensitiveness Of this explosive
Is so great that red hot iron may be
thrust into a mass Of it without caus-
ing an explosion. The explosion Of the
compound after passing through the
plate is accomplished by means Of a
fuse, the invention Of an army officer.
The explosive is controlled absolutely
by means Of this fuse, so that 1t takes
place the instant the shell passes
through the armor plate. Shells filled
with Iyddite, the high explosive adopt
ed by the British government, filled in
the same shells, and fired at plate an
inch and a half in thickness, all ex-
ploded on impact, and in every test fell
far short Of the results obtained with
the new explosive.
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as having demonstrated that there Is
no war ship Of any navy capable OF
withstanding its destructive effects
when thrown from modern high power
guns. Mr.. Maxim conducts these ex-
periments in person, there being no one
present except the ordinance officers,
and experts representing the govern
ment. Mr.. Maxim feels elated over the
tests, which he says:
Should the United States now be-
come involved in war with any other
power, we will be able to throw high
explosive projectiles through the thick
est armor Of our enemies to explode
inside their warships, while they In
turn would be able only to penetrate
our armor with solid shot, or at least
carrying no bursting charge whatever:
The advantage on our side will turn
any naval battle our way in short or
der" He thought the moral of these
new developments Is that the ponder
Gus battleship must go, and be replac-
ed by the small swift torpedo boat or
torpedo gunboat and cruiser, and prac-
tically unarmored. mo protection What-
ever can avail against missiles such
as we have been firing at Sandy
Hook."-New York Press.