River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-04-20

is now the sole owner of an ex-
plOslve which is the most pow
erful in the world and one
which it is claimed makes the
defenses of New York harbor impreg
nabIe. No hostile ship of even the
most advanced type can now approach
within ten miles of Sandy Hook with
out danger of being sent to the bot
tom By a single shell.
1t Ia the recent perfection Of Eek
plosiVo D. that has placed in the pos
session of the government weapon
far superior to joyeite, nitroglycertne,
melaU1te or the shimose that Japan
used against the Notifications Of Port
Arthur. It is startlingly destructive
in ita effects and yet so safe in the
handling that accidents to gunners
are unknown.
To Col. Beverly w Dunn of the
ordnance department of the army, and
at present chairman of the American
Railway association, belongs the dis
tinction of inventing the wonderful
agent of destruction. He is the in
ventor of "dnnnite" and Explosive
IL IS Ills Improvement Ou IIC OlASoAhoA
invention. He has given 1t freely to
the government.
Hudson Maxim, the inventor, made
this statement the other day:
1.-THE United States government
owns and controls a brand-new ex-
plosive which will prove revelation
in warfare and will do most every
thing except perhaps blow the white
crust off the top of the earth"
In Washington experts of the ord
nance corps were asked:
why need the United States fear
war with any nation?"
1--WE fear no one!" was the answer.
Then the experts set forth just how
the explosive could be used, how dan
gerous it is and, in a measure, how 1t
IS made. They would not go into the
latter very deeply, because that is the
governments secret.
''To show what it would do II used
in the forts about New York against
an enemys ships" said an ordnance
expert. picture a modern dread
nought of the North Dakota type ten
miles at sea steaming toward Sandy
Hook Then glance toward the Hook
and see a burst Of flame from one OF
the big fourteeninch guns and heavy
projectile go plunging through space
direct for the waterline of the dread
nought
THE dreadnought suddenly stops,
trembles and settles. In minute 1t
disappears, leaving struggling men In
the water. One shot of this mighty
explosive has sent $10.000,0O0 worth
Of steel and the finest workmanship
to the bottom of the sea, and with 1t
one thousand officers and men.
ut is almost inconceivable, and yet
1t appears to be true, for with the dis
covery made it only remains that our
men should have marksmanship-an
we have that"
There are enough shells loaded with
Explosive D" stored in the magazines
of Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, Fort
Hamilton and Fort Wadsworth to pre-
vent the city of New York and the
surrounding country from being dam
aged one iota by the combined fleets
Of the powers of Europe.
The explosive is a compound of
which picric acid is the base. In a
proiectile used in twelve-inch gun
Of the army or navy, and weighing
1.O46 pounds, there are siXty-five
hounds Of the explosive. That is as
near to the nature of the ingredients
of the compound as any but the ex.
perts are allowed to get.
The Dunn explosive is fired by a
time fuse and will not explode on con-
tact. But when it does explode it's
powers are almost supernatural.
At Sandy Hook, for one of the Sc
cret tests, the government built a
large compartment of steel armor
plate several inches in thickness. In
front Of the compartment facing the
gun was a sheet of armor plate liz
inches thick. The regulation 12-inch
gun was used and the projectile, con-
aiming sixty-f1ve pounds of Explosive
%. fired with an ordinary charge Of
smokeIess powder. 1t went through
the armor plate into the compartment
and exploded. Great holes were torn
in the steel box on all sides and
demonstrated that had it been ship
it would have gone to the bottom with
all on board
Among the other tests made was
that of shells fired from field pieces
into an embankment to determine
what could be done to an enemy's en-
trenchments. One shell went into an
embankment several feet and explod-
ed in half a second. There was a
great hole in the earth. Had it been
a real entrenchment with men behind
it the entrenchment and every living
thing In it would have been destroyed.
Nothing resists the terrible force Of
Explosive D. 1t tears through iron
and steel as a revolver shot goes
through a tin can. Penetrating the
deck of a vessel, 1t would explode on
the second deck, blowing out the sides
and driving the second deck down
through the bottom.
Hereafter all torpedoes of the navy
are to be charged with Explosive D,
and they viii do fearful work. This