Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-16
STORY OF THE MAN WHO
INVENTED DYNAMITE GUN
Death Of Edmund zalinski Recalls In
terestinq Accounts of Engine
of Destruction

Naval officers and artillery experts
have more than q passing interest in
the announcement that Captain Ed
mund Louis Gray Zalinski, the inventor
of the pneumatic dynamite gun, has
passed away at his home In New York
city. For number of years the Ia
linski method of firing safely shells
loaded with dynamite, gun cotton or
other high explosives has been under
experiment by the United States and
other nations, with the result that ex-
perts seem to be of the opinion that for
coast defense, at least, the gun may
have permanent and great value.
Edmund Louis Gray Zalinski was
born in Kurnich, Prussian Poland. De-
cember 13, 1S49 With his parents he
came to the United States when he was
4 years old, and he grew up in the
village of Seneca Falls. N. Y. When
the Civil War broke out he was stu
dent in the Syracuse. N. Y, high school
and in 1864, though only IA years old,
he entered the army as a volunteer aid
de-camp to Gen. Nelson A. Miles. In
February, 1865, he was given COM
mission as second lieutenant In the
Second New York heavy artillery be-
cause of gallantry displayed at the bat
tie of Hatcher's Run. Va. In Septem-
Der, 1866, he was mustered out OF the
volunteer service and in the following
February was given an appointment In
the regular army as second lieutenant
of the Fifth United States artillery.
A year later he was promoted to be
first lieutenant and in this rank he
served nearly twenty-one years, until
December, 1887, when he was appoint
ed captain.
Army life, in time of peace, is large
ly one of leisure, and Liuetenant Ia
linski turned his time to profitable ex-
perimenting. He was a close student
of the thetory of military affairs and
for four years. 1872 to 1876, was pro-
lessor of military science in the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology, then,
schools in the country. Subsequently
he was graduated from the United
States artillery school at Fort Monroe,
Virginia, and from the School of Sub
marine Engineering at Willett's Point,
N Y From 1880 to 1888 his time was
almost wholly given to the develop
ment of the pneumatic dynamite gun.
Several other inventions attested the
usefulness of his studies. These In
cluded an intrenching tool. ramrod
bayonet, a telescope sight for artil-
lery and system of range and posi-
ton finding for sea coast and artil-
lery firing. His fame, however, will
rest chiefly on his pneumatic gun. For
a year he travelled in Europe to obtain
military information for the army serv-
ice and in 1892 he was appointed to
garrison duty at San Francisco. In
1894 he retired from the army and ten
years later was given honorary pro-
motion to the rank of major.
The Zalinski dynamite gun is oper-
ated by compressed air. Dynamite, 1t
is well known, is easily exploded by a
sudden shock, and because of this fact
it cannot be fired from an ordinary
gun or cannon. Compressed air. how
ever, is highly elastic as well as pow
erful, and these qualities make it pos
sible to fire safely and effectively from
a gun whose motive force is COM
pressed air a shell containing a large
amount of powerful explosive.
AS developed by Captain Zalinski the
gun is about fifty feet long and Is fif-
teen inches interior diameter. Three
such guns form the equipment of the
dynamite cruiser Vesuvius, which was
tried in actual warfare against the