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Show I Grim Ycsuvius,Terror I of Cuba's Coast. M The Little Ship That Amazed the Spaniards by M Ringing Earthquakes at the Santiago Mills. M Th whirligig of tint brlngB In It H Hit fflantb ago the Vnarlut wm H airily ronalgned to tb Junk pile by (II H save a few despairing sealot. Unity H was don, her reputation we n thing H of shred nnd patches. H Toilar she l giving new ntn to H 'iDtloua admiralties ib In the tin- H known, not the discredited, factor In fl modern naval warfare ami her whist- H linn tuba arc awakening echo tbat H Clrrlaa lrtled world H It la not given every nation In pro H lm ai the maihemstlrally exact mo- H mrnt the insihrmailrally ari ran Or for a deeperaK- illaw W did It H on- surely wlin the Monitor the ciiri'M box nn a rafi defied the flying H cil of the M'rrlniar That rrvo- H lutlonlf.nl modern warren anil ushered H In tha clanking mo of Iron ant eteel H ro we done Ibl again In the flrat H nrrcaftil employment of high biplo H elve sfloat Who mar tetl but when H It comes to heating earthquake nt nn B emmy. of noleeleulr depositing vol- H canoe, eager ami reailr far eruption, H In hla midriff we mr without undue H boosting believe tbat the inntcrlnl rovo. H lullon of th la war will lie In thl safe H handling of untried force, and It It H American to the rare. H; Tli isuvlus deserve her good luck H ry ounce nf It; and when one con. Hl aldera th fight her champion! had to H r.iakc before practical proof nstablUhed H lli'lr theories, our regret for their neg- H lert la made more poignant by tho Inor- H al every other Inventive crunk will H draw from her to adorn their tale of H woe We mar eipeei a deluge nf dyna- 'f mile mechanlam, a flood nf guncotton Hij fuses n tornado nf deapernte device; jf which In n Jiffy will eitlnqtllsh fleet and obllleratn landscape. The Hputi- 1 lih druggkU lor I lie a flpanUh bar- It la net for a moment thought, evm after the splendid recent performance of thl boat, tbat 'ah will create a revolution In rural tactic, a waa at drat contended by her projector Him-liar Him-liar eiaggeraled otfenalv capabllltle er for a long tint ascribed to torpedo tor-pedo boat, and eery rocenllr to torpedo torpe-do lioat dtroyra, but the more obr minded naval men and tactician It can be aaaerttal, realise that Ibe armored hip and lb crnlaer are tbe true type of ablpa for fighting battle at aea Theae other an) serviceable for aperlal purpoaea ami are nereuary adjunct of n neat. They pier an Important part, but not Ibe moat Important. Tli. enr llif Vr.a.lm. The main armament carried by the Vesuvius: conalat of three pneumatic dynamite gun placed aid by aide, cloae together, In th furward part of th til p. The three paralttl tuba are built Into the hlp, about fifteen feet of tbe mlisles protruding above the forecastle deck. Inclined at an angle of about twenty dgrea, tbe ende of the muule of the tube rlalng about five feet nbove the deck planking. The remainder nf Hie tube run down to the hold of the hlp, where tbe com-preeel com-preeel air machinery la, and where tho ammunition and th breech and loading mechanlam are situated The tub are made of light oat Iron, are flfty-flvo feet In total length and bavo nn Interior diameter of fifteen Inches. Thero are two air compreeear to rompree the air that I uaed a the propellent to discharge the aerial tor-pedoea tor-pedoea from tho long tuba. Tbe ub-aqueous ub-aqueous torpedo with which ordinary torpedo rrnlt ara upplleil I dlsclutrg-Ml dlsclutrg-Ml usually with a charge of gun powder, which I quick In acting, hence the ordinary or-dinary torpedo gun la thort, nut abdve eighteen or twrnl) feet long; hut the law, elcady aclloti of the roinprrawed air cannot reach II maximum Intrnally for aoino time after Impinging on the bato of the projectile It begin to move the torpedo gradually and, rap-Idly rap-Idly Incrcaatng In propultlro force, drive tho (hot out of the long barrel at n high velocity. Tho great benefit derlred from the low, aleedy. gradually InrreMlng pre auro ot compressed air I that 11 allow tha iih ot thin gun barrel or lube and the omploimenl of Immense quart title of the hljbeat viplote. There la an alieenc of nil shock nnd n consequent con-sequent avoidance of th danger ordinarily ordi-narily connected with the firing of dy-tiamlta dy-tiamlta or gun cotton. The charge, of eiploalre at flrat tried In the pneumatic dynamite gun vtai flvo hundred pound of eiploalv gain-tine. gain-tine. Thl liaa been changed to nbout tkre hundred pounds nf gun cotton, the latter lelng eater to handle. Tlili charge la held In the front end ot a el-gsr-shaped abell aeven feet long and not quite fifteen Inchea In diameter. Tbe rear end ot the bell U fitted with wlnga o rtan to luaure th tor-pedo'a tor-pedo'a preMtTlng II horltonullty during dur-ing It time of (light. Thl torpedo I loaded to tbe gun at the breech, nr which there I a revolving enamber holding five other torpedo, quit atter the manner In which the cartrldgee qt a Coll'a revolver are carried; hydraulic poner la need to manlpulflte thl carrier car-rier Once In place and tbe breech clueed tbe air valve le opened, the romiireaeeil air rathe Into the firing chamber and away apeeda tbe moat deadly projectile man' Ingenuity lua thu tar ilevUe.1. Th on reaped In which tbe dynamite dyna-mite cruUer. ed eiceptetl 1 Interior to the torpedo boat ileetroyar la In tbe important matter of aiming tbe gun. The being lmmonbly tlaed In the towel cannot be trained and handled tike other gunt, they eanuot lie laid to bit the target by moving them to the riM or left or up or down; Inttead the cam luX Gvim.il lull,1, i iiraill.V.J. ! o a to get within th range Mbethna becomea the gun carriage, her belm and her ecrewa being Iht mean employetl by her for the accurate laying ot her gnn. Herein lie an objection to the dynamite dy-namite gun aa It I emplaetd on board the Veeuvlua, and for a long Urn it waa thought to be lOMpernbte. Bo convlnreil weir naval men of the Ira-practicability Ira-practicability of thl methoq of pointing point-ing that the navy department made preparations for removing all the pneu. ma tic fitting and dyaamlle Rtma and aubetltntlng autjmoblle torpedo nppur. tenance A lack ot fund alone pre-vented pre-vented the carrying out of thl Intention. The ablp being laid fair for the tar get, the range of the dynamite projectile projec-tile la controlled by mean of the amount of (ompreaaed air admitted to the gun No torpedo nf the Whitehead or Howell type can approith thl, a thouaand yard being an extreme range for them, and for etfeetlve) trark not over eight hundred abould bo attempted attempt-ed For getting In her fin work the bt illatanc at which the Veauvlm thoulrt operate la about a mile ntf, knd to land her projectile on abore or nt a target at Ihla remote dlatanea would rtem're in air prcatur of about eight huMred pound. ttark ,lln.t Torti. The tnmendou rfflcleney ot ahelU charged with large qunntlUa of high eiploelve having been tbu demon. atraldL even lb moat bttttr opponent of the Veeuvlua hav concedul tbat wheriver one of her ahtll (truck de-trurtlon de-trurtlon would ttirely follow. Doubt lee many Hponlali eoldlcra within a lant mil lit ot where tho projectile truck In the Santiago iMtterle ran at. Kit the value of the dynamlto gun a a weapon to oppoee the fortineatloni, Herein lie both her unlqucn and tiaetulnee. nod her itipertorlty to vo. l of tbe toriiedo type. The Veeuvlua wa not dealgnnl to attack fortlltcatlana, yet It would Mem a though for audi n role tho I ad. mlrably adapted; better than for tha rolo of thlp attack, where the time needed to get heraelf In poeltMn for dr. Ing would expo her to n hot rapid fire that would certainly annihilate her, Hut give her time and a fairly dark night nnd a Hnantah fort for an object, and no ibot or oilier dettruetlvo mil-lie mil-lie thua far known tan work tucb havoc. H? Till? VIMUVIUS IN ACTION AND ronTKAlT OP III... COiUtANDRIL g IwrT) who la to (tncar the ocean with r an etploalva oil and change the face ot H nature will be nothing In promlae when fl v romparrd with tho threatening ahttal B ' of highly explotlvo Inventive gentlemen H . -or with what I left of them alter H their experlmcnti-that are to haunt B admlraltlea and devattato war oltlce. BH Rome good, ot cotirne, will rome out BJ of them, but It may be well to atatc Bl that tbe field ha long been exploited. BB that cbcmlat and engineer have atrlv- Bh en for year to attain the perfect com- Bl Lluatlon of tretnrudotia deetructlon al- BH' lied to afe handling, aud that, after all Bl lu been tried and daue. tho only ar- Bl tual ucceM I that arhteveil ao won- BJ. droualy by tbe Veauvlua oft tUnttago. Bl ! The W.u.lu.. jf Tha Veauvlua U lit every way unique, m nothing like her in any reaped ilt- tag in any other navy. Hlie I long, B J narrow, and ill low In tbe water. Bh flli la conatruotctl of uouully light aennt-BKl aennt-BKl ling and plating, baa powerful englnea HL und altalna a high apecd, though noth-Bl'.l noth-Bl'.l lug like aa high aa a deatruyer. 8be mfof wa drelgned mueclally for torpedo F 1 work, like tb deatroyrr. but waa to j fire her torpedo In the air aud not, like J the deatroyer, under the water. BE The Veauvlua waa built by the BJ ' Cramp, of Philadelphia, and waa BJ launebed In lUt, ten year ago, I.Ike yfl ? '. the monitor of Kiicaaon h wa prnc- B4 J tlrally the Inrentlon and production ot Bj i private Individual, though hr con- By j ttructlon w autborltetl by the govern- Hf' """t - contract price ot I1K0OOO. BE 1 Her principal dlmenalon are- length, j SIS fM, beam, Mi teet. depth. It feet; BJ, , I mean draught ot vtaler, 9 feet, and die-Hj die-Hj I I placemtut. Mt ton. Bj ;. I There was mueh pecultlon a to th H 0 ! utility of tucb a eraft aa the Veauvlu. H I 1 Many able men oppoeed her conttrue- Bj . i tlon and tyle ot battery, but quite a H ' many took an opposite view, extolling Bj! . I to tbe utmoet th blp, her petl and H, I eepecltlly her battery of pneumatic dy- H ' namlte aun. Strlpiml of all eiagger- j ' atlon tbe Veauvlu represent a now H. j i and torrnlduuio elemeul In warfare and Bl - i-i.v .. . , i ,n)w " j by airy critics. Bllctilly ran alio take her xand, and by mean of range finder accurately drtermlno her poalllon. thcu. without mora nolae than n big popgun would make, alie ran eend her projerlllei gracefully curving through the air lata la-ta the enemy' rump In ilmrt, the Ve. uvlua linaa dlatltrtlve part to play la thla war wo are now waging agalnat Hpaln. It la purely an offenilve part, for (be I ao pitiably weak defenelvelr, being entirely without any protection, Hint a well directed ride bullet could u reck her. Tho VmuvIui should never enter i conibal uitaupportid. but alwayn undar cover of torn largo vel able to draw ai enemy' fir and receive tbe punlah-ment punlah-ment that would be otherwise directed toward her. When thu aafoguanled tb Vwtivtu serves a most valuatil purpose, and th work rut out tor bar will greatly conduc to abortanlug the bombardment of tbe fortlncatlooi of Cuba. |