The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-12-13
GATHMANN GUN TESTS
Views Of the Inventor of the
Giant Weapon.
SATISFIED WITH ITS PERFORMANCE

Contends That the Recent ENperi-
ments Mt sandy Hook Bear out His
Theory of the Guns Vniue-CInims
He Has Proved That lie Can sink
Any BnttIeship.
The mixed board of army and navy
officers detailed to witness and report
on the performances Of the Gathmann
gun at Sandy Hook did not make a
further trial Of the gun the other day
The board intended to try a projectlle
TO be weighted with 800 pounds Of
sand as a substitute for the wet gun.
cotton used In the Gathmann shell
The object was TO ascertain what the
shell was capable Of doing without the
explosive. The board, however, de-
cided to abandon any further test after
witnessing the effect of a regular serv-
ice shell charged with twenty pounds
of rnaXimite, says the New York Trib-
une. The latter was discharged from
the regular twelve inch rifle with n
reduced charge Of smokeless powder at
distance representing four miles. The
service shell, with a muzzle velocity Of
1,S00 feet a second, struck the target
and shattered 1t to fragments, Mr.
Gathmann made the following state
ment:
"In view Of the numerous reports as
TO results at Sandy Hook | desire to
make a few statements that will,
trust. make the situation clearer to the
average reader than 1t must now ap-
pear. My system was properly de-
scribed by the testing board in re-
port to the secretary of war made
about year ago as follows:
"'What II is proposed to accomplish
by the Gathmann system is, ia effect,
as presented by the inventor, to crush
or break In the side OF an armored ves-
sci by the impact above the water line
of Gathmann proJectile; upon strlk-
ing the guncotton charge will detonate.
and the forces generated will act in the
direction of the line OF flre. destroying
the structure Of the vessel over a con-
siderable area In the vicinity Of the i'm
pact In addition the stress will be
transmitted through the water TO the
underwater body of the vessel and open
up q portion Of the vessel below the
water line
Three shots have been fired from the
Gathmann gun. The first was not ef-
fective, as will sometimes happen. there
being no complete detonation because
of n defect In the adjustment of the
fuse, rectifed In the others. The Sec
ond and third did have detonation. By
the second the plate was driven back
thirty-three inches at one end and
about n foot at the other The plates
project four feet below the water line,
so that this blow-equivalent TO "a ram
ming action would open up some forty
square feet as an inlet for water and
sink any ship atloat This is independ-
ent % the expected destruction of the
lighter plates below the armor, which
! could not prove because the target is
on land. | only claim what is shown
by the target itself. The third shot
broke the plate in two pieces from top
TO bottom and drove 1t back still far
ther than the second. 1t now stands to
the left of its original position over
seven feet and at the left some eight
feet farther back than its original posi-
tion, with the whole cofferdam struc-
ture crushed and timber braces smash
ed. Either of these blows would have
sunk any battleship, since no human
agency could stop the incoming water,
especially facing the terrific and death
dealing onset Of the gases from the de-
tonation OF 400 pounds of guncotton,
which would have instantly killed ev'
cry man on the ship who was not un-
der cover. This result is a fulfillment
OF my intention as stated By the board
The targets were prepared by the chief
of naval construction and were to rep
resent the side of the latest type Of bat.
tleshlp.
THE results OF the firing today (Nov.
1S) with the service rife were also
very remarkable. and from this date
II is inevitable that high explosives
will be the shell filters OF the future.
and the solid shots will pass to the
oblivion of smooth bore guns. Either
result at Sandy Hook would have put
any ship out OF action. II remains to
compare the probabilities OF achieve
ment by the two methods, their safety
and availability. Both do enough when
they do 1t as on the proving grounds
BY mine safety to the user is assured
My fuse is safe beyond peradventure
and defy any one TO create mishaI
10 the main charge Of a normally ar
ranged shell. This is not true Of any
other system, including the one used
by the twelve inch rifle. My effective
range is as far as the object can be
hit and at any appreciable angle. By
the other system penetration must hC
had. and that is not possible at great
range. such as will prevail In all fu
ture conflicts.
"In battle with high explosives al
the destructive agent the GathmanT
torpedo could destroy at long range be
fore the enemy could reach effective
distance from which armor could b'
penetrated. | therefore have the in
pstimable advantage Of perfect safety
coupIa1 with moro than double tl,