Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1905-09-09
QUANTITIES. VAST POWER
Governments Secret Explosive
Crumples Armored Target.
DEADLY TWENTY FEET AWAY

Trial mt sandy Hook shows That the
United States Has Most Powerful
Explosive known That Can De Used
to Wreck Inside of Warship-Bursts
Into Large Fragments
, That a twelve inch shell loaded with
only a small charge of dunnite. the
worlds most effective explosive, will
crumple in the side of the heaviest
armor clad vessel, though the shell fall
short of its mark by twenty feet, was
recently demonstrated at the beginning
of series of tests at the United States
governments proving grounds at San
dy Hook, says the New York Herald
Accompanied with secrecy that has
made the discussion of the result al
most prohibitive, the first test was sole
ly for the purpose Of determining the
safe distance that u huge target built
to represent a section of an armored
side of modern battleship could be
moored from the shore and the observ-
ers assured of freedom from harm
from fragments of the exploding shells.
For some time experts of the ord
nance department of the army have
known of the destructive effect of the
explosive substance, which, named
after It's inventor, Major Beverly w.
Dunn, u. S. A., is a closely guarded
government secret. Foreign nations
have sought in vain to learn its com
position. Meantime the manufacture of
armor piercing shells filled with the
explosive has gone on until now the
arsenals of the United States are filled
with them, and almost all the ships of
the navy and the seacoast fortifica-
lions have battle supply on hand and
ready for any emergency.
What the government experts did not
know, however, was the probable effect
if a shell should fall short of its mark
The shot fired within the last few days
has gone far beyond the expectations
of the experimenters.
To those who were fortunate enough
to witness the recent trial the affair
was intensely spectacular A floating
mass Of woodwork, In dimension the
side of a battleship at its water line,
was moored offshore. Then delicately
the 1000 pound projectile, with a
scant charge Of twenty pounds of
dunnite, was submerged four feet in
the water and approximately fifty feet
from the floating structure. Then all
scattered to place of safety, an cleo
trio button was pressed, those on shore
felt the ground tremble, while a col
umn of water shot up into the air $50
feet. When the target was again
brought to shore the effect of the ex-
plosion was plainly manifest and of
such nature that the deductions were
readily drawn.
Major Dunn when seen at the prov
ing grounds at Sandy Hook refused to
discuss the outcome of the trial, say
ing it was government secret at the
present time, although the trials to
come, which would cover period Of
time, would no doubt be conducted
more openly.
''As to the explosive that bears my
name said Major Dunn, Il believe it
in the opinion of the ordnance depart
ment that they have a destructive ma
terial that Is the best in the world. It's
composition is known only to this gov
ernment. 1t Is not the highest eXplo-
sive-not by any means-but it is the
highest explosive so far invented that,
contained within the chamber of an
until after the shell has passed through
the armor. Then it's destructive work,
actuated by a primer, takes place.
cts effect has been accurately de-
scribed since the tests in 1901, when the
Gathmann gun failed signally with its
gun cotton loaded shell to inture an
armor plate representing the turret Of
the battleship Iowa At the same time
the ordnance department fred a shell
from a twelve inch coast defense rife.
The projectile was in reality cored
shell, It's small chamber loaded with
but a twenty pound charge of dunnite.
; The armor plate was pierced and the
backing behind 1t wrecked.
THE advantages of an armor pierre
ing shell over the ordinary bursting
shell can be readily understood by
layman. To inflict the most damage
on the ship Of the enemy we desire to
have our shells enter his ship and then,
bursting into large fragments, carry
destruction to its machinery and vital
parts. A shell bursting into small
fragments would not do that. Tests
have shown that the dunnite will do all
of the things most desired In actual
warfare"