Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-08-23
COMBINED TARPED0 AND
HlGH CAli6RE RIFLE


inventor of the combined torpedo and
gun which exhibited remarkable re-
suits In a test at Fort Strong. Mass.
on Wedne 8day, spent few hours
here yesterday on his return journey
to Washington, where he Is attached
to the bureau Of equipment Of the
navy department. With him were
Samuel 8. Wales, a metalmrcist. and
J. M. Flannery, Of Pittsburg, president
of the American Vanadium Company.
While the idea of a cannon within q
torpedo came to him years ago. Com
mander Davis said. he had not been
able to accomplish any practical ri
suits until the introduction of vana-
dunn In steel making had provided a
metal for the internal gun light
enough not to interfere with the buoy.
ancy of its vehicle and of tensile
strength sufficient to Withstand a
charge which gives a velocity of about
eleven hundred feet q second to pro-
jectile.
There was no distortion Of the gun
after the discharge yesterday" Com
mander Davis said, land it could he
used over again IL desired. The
Whitehead torpedo used was about
sixteen feet long. The gun tube. OF
vanadium steel. was fitted into the
torpedo just as a torpedo tube is fitted
into q submarine boat. The tube cor
responded In diameter to gun OF
large calibre,, with length of ten
calibres. 1t is less than an inch thick
and weighs less than $50 pounds. Its
weight Is about One-twentieth that OF
a ten inch rife. and still 1t sustalns
unchanged a discharge which drives
its projectile with one-third OF the
speed of the big gun.
Great Tensile strength.
with the steel used in this tabe
we can get a tensile strength close 10
$50, 900 pounds to the square inch, far
above any other known material, and
which will enable us to reduce to a
small fraction Of an inch the thick
ness of the tube with corresponding
reduction in its weight.
I'm the tube was placed a charge
of smokeless powder. which was auto
maticaIly discharged the moment the
torpedo touched the target, shooting
ont the projectile, which tore a six
foot hole in the targets outside plate
of three-Quarter inch steel, went
through three steel bulkheads, each
about half an inch thick and passed
out of the other side of the target
Then it went on through the water
and has not been recovered yet SO +
as I know The target presented the
same conditions as would the null OF
q battleship.
The only new thing was the thin
tube OF vanadum steel. which pro-
claimed itself a new thing in warfare
and made me a very happy man,
though. of course, ! have never had
any doubt about the result since l
found the right material for my gun.
Would Penetrate Netting.
Torpedoes attacking battieship
are nov met by a half inch iron chaih
netting which discharges the torpedos
explosive and practically nullifies its
damaging force on the ships hull. Inc
Davis projcc.ile would penetrate this
netting as well as the hull after the
,opedo itself had beer halted by the
netting
M. Wales and NJ. fiannery said
,t,t yanadsum is the lIa"'er as!oy oi
Al metals and "sca,. nS.r- :teei Gull
pleteIy of its nrrro2.1 I'D oxygen
gases. thereby STRENGTHENING ana
touxhening the metal. In the metal
fer Commander Davis gun only one
quarter Of one per cent. Of vanadium
vas used, Mr.. Flanner.- explained.
vapadium Is sold for - pound.
We can make copper in conbiha
ton with vanadium so hard t"rf u
does first class work as razor. ne
declared. The Wright brothers are
nov working with vanadium alumni
mum with which they will be able TO
build the ,ishtcst engine N the ~o''a.
ana also: have the Iicrr":t metal pats
~ .srir aeroplanes View lorN
Ecrnld