Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-14

mechanism, the armament and the person.
nell
1T may be said in this connection that
the destructive effect of the twelve-inch
army service rife surpasses anything hith-
erto obtained from any gun. as far as this
board has knowledge. or as the records
show"
What Can Be Accomplished.
The following is quoted from letter OF
Gen. William Crozier. chief of ordnance.
United States army, under date of Deem
Der 9, 1901. addressed to the Secretary OF
War, referring to the above tests:
LAS this test has afforded the first occa-
sion for the demonstration to others than
the officers of the ordnance department.
who have been concerned with their de-
velopment, of the power of the explosives
used with the twelve-inch army rifle, it APP
pears pertinent to invite attention to the
cardinal points of the achievement. namely
the development of explosives:
Sufficiently insenstive to be fired with
afety from high-power guns with fun
charges.
Sufficiently insensitve to withstand the
shock of impact against heavy armor
plate.
significantly powerful to produce as
great SCATTERING effect as is desired.
The main difference between the high
explosive projectiles employed by the United
States government and those employed
abroad Is that the foreign high-eXplosive
projectiles are not expected to pass through
thick armor plate and explode inside war
vessel. They have not accomplished as.yet
penetration of armor with high explosives
Their shells explode on impact No high
explosive used abroad would stand tho
shock of penetration of thick armor plate
because not sufficiently insensitive. On tho
other hand, no foreign nation as yet would
be able to make use OF MaXimite II they
possessed the secret of It's manufacture. for
the reason that they could not explode It
with any fuse they have.
Automobile Torpedo Boats.
The Japanese have Furthermore Demon
strated what many have believed all along.
but which none of the great powers has
dared to as fully rely upon as 1t should
have done. and this is the efficiency Of the
automobile torpedo. This weapon has been
SO marvelously developed in recent years
that the huge armored battle ship is rem
dered absolutely at the mercy of these hor-
nets of the sea. Consequently, the war ves-
sci of the future is certain to be one where
in the minimum of expense and human life
are exposed to fatal blows from an enemy.
This means that the battle ship must go
and be replaced by small and very swift
torpedo boats. and by large and thinly ar
mored and very swift cruisers protected
by torpedo boats, these cruisers having
great coal endurance, and capable of trans
porting large numbers of men, and also
capable of carrying upon their davits from
four to half dozen death-dealing torpedo
boats.
The torpedo boats need not, In the light
of recent Inventions be of very great size.
In fact. the coming torpedo boat will be
sort of automobile torpedo boat, requiring
a crew of not more than two men, and
armed with only one or two automobile tor /
pedoes. one of which, If it strikes battle
ship. will destroy 1t at a single blow. Two
hundred and fifty torpedo boats armed with
these torpedoeS can be produced at the cost
Of a single modern battle ship
HUDSON MAXIM