New-York tribune., 1901-11-11
NEW GUN OF GREAT POWER
.,--rrssFUL TESTS AT FISHERS ISLAND
BY AN ARMY BOARD.

,ew dynamite gun of destructive powers,
casdtug those of any weapon yet designed,
-, inst been secretly submitted to a successful
-. ~ tests BY a special board of officers Of
- Rnreau of Ordnance Of the United States
= @. Fishers Island. For several years the
-s-nuleut has been engaged In the creation
rxsher's Island Of q veritable Gibraltar which
IN render the eastern entrance of Long Island
- irnnregnable to any naval attack. and
-. e~ectually protect all the shore cities from
.-.u-Tondon 10 New-York. In this great scheme
= 5etenoe the dynamite gun covering the mar
- channel between Fishers Island and Plum
,5 m which formidable batteries have also
-, erected will play q conspicuous part. Owing
.ba secrecy maintained by the government
1.-two N the character of these new works.
50 TRIAL WAS conducted IN private. and no news
..,s- men were permitted to witness the tests
The gun which was built by the Dynamite
n,r Connany. Of New-York. at Scranton, Penn
uos recently installed in a battery at the west
~, end Of the island, and was last week report
= -eadv 10 undergo its final trial prior to its
scoantaDce by the government It is pneu-
..ic niece 40 feet long. with calibre of 10
inches Of the same general type as the guns OF
,bA batteries now in position at Sandy Hook and
Son Francisco. but embodies many new features
s~-,a,a5 - increase its accuracy OF fire and
Sfr,-O ~ action. A
.,so1rte certainty Of explosion Of the shell both
on impact with the "duei u 'i-e 9iue VI :" 'o''ei
and by delay action.
The trials were made in the presence of Majors
80. md Bi-nev Of the Bureau Of Ordnance:
I,,ae,- It s Darling Of the Dynamite Gun
l~o,,r,.rz- and Frank Creelman. Robert Gun
,ac5 and other civilian experts. The gun is
mounted on a seacoast carriage. permitting an
elevation Of 50 degrees and train through the
fju arc Of the circle, the power for this purpose
being supplied by electric motors placed under
she carriage With the full calibre projectile 1t
zrcved its ability 10 hurl five hundred pounds
NJ nitro-geatin sufficient TO aHnihilate any ship
sAoat. distance Of about three thousand yards.
with q degree Of accuracy not excelled, IL
.ousTed. by the most modern type Of large cali
bre riaed guns With smaller projectiles the
range is almost doubled without any sacrifice
Of accuracy.
Two days were devoted to putting the gun
through an exhaustive series OF tests. The first
sbot sent a 6-inch shell, carrying fifty pounds Of
explosive distance of 1853 yards, bursting on
impact and throwing column OF water three
hundred feet into the air. With a 1o-inch shell,
loaded with two hundred pounds Of nitro gelatin,
the extreme range was found TO be 4,S6o yards.
the shell exploding under water with the desired
delay action of two seconds The test for accu-
racy resulted In planting five S-inch shells at
The respective ranges of 5045. 5,05o, 1920. o040
and 1870 yards. all of which, with the exception
of the last. would have taken decisive effect had
the target been a battleship at the distance OF
about three miles or about twice the limit Of
practical fighting range, now generally accepted
TO be about 800 yards.
Still more astonishing was the test for rap1dlty
Of fire which resulted in the discharge Of five
full calibre shells. weighing l1So pounds. or
more than half ton each, in the marvellously
brief time Of II minutes 30 seconds far in
excess Of the speed attained by any other gun
Of heavy calibre, and almost emitting the
weapon to rank with rapid fire pieces. Th1s
was the more remarkable as the feat was ac-
complished under the disadvantage of a raw
crew of eight at the gun, with two at the
the breech.
As a test of endurance, the specifications called
for the firing Of twenty-five tair Shots, or what
in an ordinary powder gun would be termed
blank cartridges in two hours but difficulty
was experienced in discharging forty shots in