The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-10-24
demonstrated that, with progressive

smokeless powder, charges OF any re-
qulred size may be employed for
throwing aerial torpedoes. and the
pressure in the gun regulated exactly
as may be desired. for the attainment
of the highest results. and without
any danger whatever of over-straining
the gun. Furthermore. there are
number OF high explosives, as strong
as the most powerful dynamite, which
can be thrown from ordnance at any
required velocity with perfect safety.
l have recently developed o new high
explosive called Maximite, which Is
being tested by the United States Gov
ernmcnt, with n view to its adoption.
1t Is more powerful than anything
heretofore tried, while it is so insensi-
tive to shock that 1t may be not only
safely thrown from ordnance with
| powder charges. but armor-plercing
shells filed with it may be fired
through armor plate. and the Maxim
tie will not explode until it has passed
through the plate. A single shell filed
with this material, fired from one Of
our largest guns, and exploding inside
a battleshlp. would probably place her
hors de combat.
The present twelve-inch sea-coast
rife of the United States army weighs
| dfty-two tons. and throws an armor.
piercing projectlle weighing one thou
sand pounds. This she'll will carry
about seventy-fve pounds of Maxim.
ite. A torpedo gun, however, may be
made of the same weight as the
| twelve-inch gun, but with twice as
large bore, which would be capable
of throwing projectiles carrying half
a ton of Maximite at very high veloci-
ty. This gun would be capable of
throwing a ton of Maximlte a distance
of five miles. Such a quantity of high
explosives, striking a battleship would
not require to penetrate armor-plate in
order to effect its destruction, and,
striking in the water anywhere with
in twenty-five to fifty feet of a battle.
ship, it would sink it.
l predict that, in the future large
torpedo guns. capable of throwing
such quantities of high explosives as
to render armor plate useless, will re.
place the heavier cannon now carried
on shipboard. l have also invented a
new compound called Motorite, a ma.
terlal capable of burning without at
mospheric oxygen, producing q very
hot flame. 1t is proposed to burn this
material in n confined space, under
pressure, and utilize the heat of the
products of combustion, or flame, to
evaporate water, by directly mixing
the water with the fame. No boiler
will be required. The products of
combustion, and the steam thus gen.
GRATED, will be utilized for driving tur-
bines for the propulsion of torpedo
boats and automobile torpedoes. Ex-
periments have already been conclud-
ed which demonstrate the perfect
practicabllity and utility Of this inven-
tion.
a torpedo boat, such as that already
designed, would be adapted to travel
upon the surface of the water in the
same manner as the torpedo boats and
torpedo boat destroyers now in use. 1t
would be supplied with ordinary steam
boilers and steam engines, of sufficient
horse power for its propulsion at
speed of from ten to fifteen miles an
hour. This speed would be great
enough for all ordinary purposes, when
cruising about, and the engines and
boilers would not weigh more than
a quarter as much as those now en-
ployed.
In place of the extra weight of en-
Sines and boilers thus saved, propose
to carry quantity of Motoritc, with
auxiliary engines and turbines, sufTi-
cient to develop enough horse power to
propel the boat through the water at
the speed of the fastest express train
say at the rate of mile a minute.
Enough Motorite could be carried to
deyelopc this speed for half an hour.
Means will be provided for regulat-
ing the combustion of the Motorite, so
that only just such a quantity as de-
sired may be burned in a given period.
1t Is intended that, before going into
action, this Motorite-drlven torpedo
boat win assume semi-submerged
position, leaving above water only its
lookout tower and long, thin back
simply for hotation purposes.
This boat, sighting, ut distance Of
ten miles, battleship going at the
high speed OF twenty miles an hour,
would be able to gain upon it at the
rate Of forty miles an hour, and to
overtake it in fifteen minutes.
As so little Of the torpedo boat
would show above the surface, and as
its speed would be SO great, it would
be practically impossible for the bat
tleship to hit it with any of its larger
guns; and. as the lookout tower would
be armored, machine gun fire would
have no effect upon it. The torpedo
boat would rush upon the battleship, |
launch two or three automobile tor
pedoes, the latter also driven with
Motorite, and capable Of travelling at
the rate of mile a minute, and. with. |
In few seconds, there would be but
a ripple of the sea to mark the spot
where the ocean leviathap plunged to
the bottom, with all her human
rreiglt.-Hudson Maxim, in Success.