The sun., 1910-11-16
NEW EXPLOSIVE HITS HARD
rHiRGF or INfONFTNED GELt-
TIVE SINkS THE "a RIyaN.
Another Charge Esplosird Against One
sf Her T,srret- HAD t'a,ra the Arnior
Plate in flghi Inches, HAD Buised the
Top Plate and IlrOkru the RiNets.

fiatr ni sIkhi ifhfhfs. ftnu buisfu Vnr
Top Plate ana I,rOkrn the RiNeis.
FoRr MONROE Va Nov. Is The mon
itor Puritan wis badly ,a ged to- day
by tn. experiment. ia Hampton Roads
To detcrmin" the dCs'ruCllv. energy
~ high power explosive invented by
Wizard y lshaTn. an ordnance engineer.
Her after turr-t was so badly uyuTed
by the force ~ the lgrition ~ 2"p pounds
0f eNpln~rv" gelatin" that - vtl haV.
Ia b. practically r-LuIlr lhe I'D" plat.
oI th" turre- ~ ~ blown inward ahnn' eight
inches from tts normal pnsItIOn The top
plate was bulGsd aud many rIvets were
broken The sido Griuor plate was cracked
in several places
M Isham's pa' cat and two chickens
In the turr.t were uuharn-h
The damaI. caused wv ,ha explosion
on the water line armor belt was very
serious The plates We've d-ated out OF
shape and much damage was also inflicted
on the hull below tho water armor belt
line
Water poured into one Other compart-
menis and she settled rapidly. The
quarter deck was awRsh few moments
after the explosion. The Puritan will bs
towed tn the Norfolk yard for docking
and repairs
Tn. test was made by the Navy Depart
ment 10y direction ~ Congress and ora tho
request OF Nr Ishan Two chars ges
of ?OO pounds each OF unconiinsd explosive
gslatine werr igulted sainst the monitor.
The purpose 81 the experiment was to
deternins the fore" ~ high power
explosive ,gnited unconiined against
armor plate
The Puritan WIS anchored in the New
port News middl. sr"uud. near where the
Monitor and Merrimsr fought ibe,r his
toric naval duel abnut forty-tvs years
ago She was placed in abnaIt eighteen
feet of water that salvage operations
could be performed easily
The first charge Was placed upon n
small wooden shelf op the side ~ the
t,Irret Capt AUSTIN Vi hnI ght. president
of th. special ordnance board. who had
chArg. nf tbs. test had the riskv duty -
punching a hole IN the explosive with n
lead pencil 10 permit tho introduction
Of the fuse. Electric wires ware run for
ward 1" IA position on thaherthd'cs. YheTs
the firing sw itch was placed
After completing all preparations
Capt knight " eut forward on tho Puritan
to set Oh IN. charge suddenly there " as
u tnIiitl.'T'i'aS ,ha'''lAAl'd NV q
fash
When the cloud - pst.n-, lsi smoke 7
lifted from the PuritaC tHs o'tuTg" 20 !
the turre. v'us appsrea' 20 the ~ tctatnr-. !
who v CT" about five hunoasa yards away .
ON 1T. naval rug Wlhr"tE-
After an insprctIri ~ tho iamas" 20 }
the iIirr"t Capt knIgh: prepared Ih"
second charge. which wa. placed "n the /
armor n-lt just above the water line
This charge WAS fired IN tho same way
Thu s.f,.NH H.sNt t,l.t.uafa A. pgIlnEy-
ing and at the same Iun" more spec 4
tacular than III" first sheet Of water .
VAS blown into rhr alr. The CONCLUSION .
and uuls, war" tarriir- Capt Knight. .
who was un tee PurIIlI. said the eGplU- /
sion felt Ia. Hu -IFr sG uakc
Immediately after TIA" .NpiosIon the /
Puritan began - settle. She has "A draught /
~ sIghteert feet and -ts. Was anchored in /
only nineteen feet ut wafer She settled !
10 the bottom RAPIDLY
4 feature of the tesr wa tho faC' that !
thsscaS and chickens Inssie iha tIrret were /
unin iur"d They were placed there ar.
Mr.. l~hams r"ln"St a. determine III. .
effect Of In. conclusion on live animals
To prevent the cat fTCm damaging the
chickens they were kept IN separate
wooden crates After ths explosion
sailor sent into the 7urr"t 10 see how
they had Jared he chickens did nnT
seem to mind 1t at all Tn. cat was howl
ing dl-approval In" 'hIckeus were pat
ON the deck within iiftv Iert Di IN" secpud
EXPLOSION Their prs-4'nC" ~. dan ger
Gus u place was apparently forgotten for
' hey were not removed n"toT. the second
+, harg. was ISnItsd Although vii hin
about 6ffy feet of the seS.Jud explosion
they not hlITf
IN. test was r'.v.la ion so ordnance
officers Tor they d,d not .sp"Jt IN" "T-
pIosIon q" develop such destructive eu-
erEy The Department was "onfideui
that the PuTItan would not be- damaged
that u had planned - furu H.. vessel over
to the Maine naval militia shortly II will
probably be several months before sh..
n repaired
MIR I-ham Wa -lti-hed with tn" re-
suits Of m. test -~p.C .l!lv with IN. water
line explosion In tho furr,-f> test MIR
Isham sad. the charge iGaI not d..."l-
oped its frIl force
When the Puritan l. GioCk-d at th. Nor
folk Navy Yard an "Nhausilys "NamIna-
ton will ~. made To d'terInIn" tn. -Nt.nt
81 the damage to the yrss-l \ special
report will lie made - tn. Navy Depart
Insnt OF the test by the -peciai board on
naval ordnance. which j. composed of
Capt Knight. prs-Id'ai. Lieutenant 4 ON
mander Richard II jackson and Pro-
f.ssor of Mathematics Philip L. Aiger II
large party of offic"n- came from
Washington 10 witness the te-' Among
them wer" Rear Admiral Newton =.
Mason. Chief of The Bureau OF Ordnance,
chief Constructor Richard VI Watt and
Brig G.n Arthur Murray. Chief OF Coast
Artillery Of tn" Army