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Page 14
Blasting gelatine.......................... 1.38
Forcite " .......................... 1.27
Dynamite No. 1............................. 1.00
Dry gun-cotton............................. 0.66
Wet " ............................. 0.66
Gunpowder.................................. 0.14
The wet gun-cotton has twenty-five per cent. of added water.
Mines for harbor defense are of two kinds--buoyant and ground. The
buoyant are usually spherical, and contain from 400 to 500 pounds of
explosive. They bring the charge near to the ship's bottom, but are
difficult to manage in a tideway, and can be easily found by dragging.
The ground mines can be made of any size and are not easily found by
dragging, but are of little value in very deep water. They are either
cylindrical or hemispherical in shape, and contain from 500 to 1,500
pounds of explosive in from thirty to eighty feet of water. Mines of
any kind are exceedingly difficult to render efficient when the water
is over 100 feet deep. On account of the tendency of all high
explosives to detonate by influence or sympathy, and the liability of
the cases to collapse by great exterior pressure, harbor mines are
separated a certain distance, according as they are buoyant or ground,
and according to the nature of the explosive.
Five hundred pounds buoyant gun-cotton mines require 320 feet spacing.
Five hundred pounds buoyant blasting gelatine mines require 450 feet
spacing.
Six hundred pounds ground gun-cotton mines require 180 feet spacing.
Six hundred pounds ground blasting gelatine mines require 230 feet
spacing.
Of torpedoes, other than those described, we have several modern
varieties; submarine projectiles, submarine rockets, automobile and
controllable locomotive torpedoes. The first two varieties, though
feasible, are not developed and have not yet advanced beyond the
experimental stage. Of the automobile, we have the Whitehead,
Swartzkopf and Howell. The first two are propelled by means of
compressed air and an engine; the last by the stored-up energy of a
heavy fly-wheel. Generally speaking, they are cigar-shaped crafts,
from 10 to 18 feet long and 15 to 17 inches in diameter, capable of
carrying from 75 to 250 pounds of explosive at a rate of 25 to 30
knots for 400 yards, at any depth at which they may be set. Of the
controllable locomotive torpedoes, the three representative types are
the Patrick, Sims and Brennan. They are in general terms cigar boats,
about 40 feet long and 2 feet in diameter, carrying charges of 400
pounds of explosive. The Patrick and Sims are maintained at a constant
depth under water by means of a float. The Brennan has diving rudders
like a Whitehead or a Howell. The Patrick is driven by means of
carbonic acid gas through an engine, and is controlled by an electric
wire from shore. The Sims is driven by electricity from a dynamo on
shore through a cable to an electric engine in the torpedo. The
Brennan is driven and controlled by means of two fine steel wires
wound on reels in the torpedo, the reels being geared to the propeller
shafts. The wires are led to corresponding reels on shore, and these
are rapidly revolved by means of an engine. A brake on each shore reel
controls the torpedo. The speed of all these torpedoes is about 19
knots, and their effective range one mile.
A Whitehead was successfully used in the Turco-Russian war of 1877.
The Turkish vessel previously mentioned was sunk by one.
Blasting gelatine, dynamite and gun-cotton are capable of many
applications to engineering purposes on shore in time of war, and in
most cases they are better than powder. They received the serious
attention of French engineers during the siege of Paris, and were
employed in the various sorties which were made from the city, in
throwing down walls, bursting guns, etc. An explosive for such
purposes, and indeed for most military uses, should satisfy the
following conditions:
(1) Very shattering in its effects.
(2) Insensible to shocks of projectiles.
(3) Plastic.
(4) Easy and safe to manipulate.
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