NEW ZEALANDBR'S DWAR BULLET

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 71, 18 December 1918, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDBR'S DWAR BULLET

POMEROY'S INVENTION DOES EFFECTIVE WORK

ON ZEPPELINS AND SEA MINES

(TCec. December 17, 7.25 'P.m.

London, December 16. Tt transpires that Air. John Pomoroy, a New Zealander now in London, invented this explosive bullet which was the principal factor in destroying Zeppelins raiding England. The bullet is now used to destroy marine mines.—Hcutcr (via America).

TRIAL EXPERIMENTS AT POLHILL GULLY (From Tnr, Dominion, July 13, IMS.) The old rifle range at Polhit) Gully was on Friday the scene of a trial of a new explosive of great possibilities—one ' that is calculated to bo of effective service in warfare, and that possesses properties similar, or closely allied, to the great. Japanese explosive "Sliimose, , which created such dreadful havoc in the B-usso-Jwmncse War. The- invention is called the "Pnmeroy Explosive, after its inventor, Mr. J. Pomeroy, of Invoroargill, who intends to submit it to the Admiralty authorities at the first opportunity. It is stated that already tho secret agents of the Chinese Government have heard of the new explosive, and are awaiting the inventor's negotiations with the British Admiralty before opening up negotiations. Yesterday's experiment* were made with a Martini-Henry cartridge (fired from an ordinary MarhmHenry rifle), the bullet being bored inwards from the nose for about half an inch for tho reception of the charge, which consisted of thirteen grains of redcoloured paste, the ingredients of which are, of course, a secret. To demonstrate its shattering force, a kerosene tin full of water, nlnced about, twenty yaroti away, was fired at by Mr. Pomr-voy. An ordinary bullet would have passed clean through such an obstacle; not so tho "faked" bullet. When struck, the water in the tin was thrown a height of twenty feet in the air, and, on examining the vtin. it was found to bo literally riddled with small ragged holes, and the whole tin was torn open at the seams. A strong galvanised bucket filled with water was also torn about in Hip same fashion. To demonstrate the little resistance re-, quired to bring about an explosion a zinc case closed in on one side with wire-ivetting was set up as a target. The first bullet fired went through the netting, without touching and exploded on piercing the back of the case, nicking pieces out of tho rock-face behind. Then a piece of canvas was stretched over the wire and fired at, with the result that the back of the case, was riddled with holes. There is no backward action about the. now explosive. The bullet, when shattered, describes a circle into an expanding forward action. This was very clearly shown Tvlieii Mr. Pomeroy fired at a long varnish tin laid endways on the ground. The bullpt pierced the bottom of the tin, and its shattered particles almost cut the tin in two nearly equal halves. Experiments were also made on two pieces of 8-inch white-pine timber, nailed together (but the bullet only penetrated halfwav throw:))), i> bae of snnd fin which it tore big ugly holes, and an oil drum. When only thirteen grains (leas than half a thimbleful of tho explosive can rend an ordinary leaden bullet into a hundred tiny ■fnessengers of death, one shudders to think what the effect would bo when used with a six-pounder or big naval guns. Every shimose-cliargcd sheli during the Russo-Japanese war was effective, none ever having been found uncxploded, and «o far Mr. Pomeroy's paste has never been known to fail. ' He has been working on his invention for six years, and goes as far as to say that he thinks he has hit upon Hid" same ingredients for Ms explosive as Shimose. 'The new explosive would be ineffective for blasting, but in shelling a town or. fortress' or in searching out a trench-hidden enemy its effects would surely be successful to a ghastly degree. It is Mr. Pomeroy's intention to submit his explosive to Vice-Admjral Sir Hichard Poore, of the Australasian Squadron,' on his arrival in Auckland during "fleet week" next month. The commander and officers of H.M.S. Encounter are manifesting' a lively interest in the explosive, and are to attend a trial on the warship's return to port. "I claim for my explosive shell," said Mr. Pomeroy, "that in every effect it shows the new properties claimed by the Japanese for their famous Shiniose exploding shell. It is impossible to have a miss-fire, as my shell will explode on any object. If_ my shell were to hit. a. ship's deck or rigging, or any obstacle, it would make the deck or. other places of observation untenable. A shell striking the armour-plate would teai\it. open and the fumes would drive thy men from the guns. A torpedo, with a full charge, would throw a battleship on hor beam-ends. I claim that my preparation is more effective than guncotton, and 100 per cent, more powerful than lyddite, and that it has not Ihe backward hit that occurs with the latter explosive. One pound of "ray stuff is equal to ten pounds of black powder, and can be made just as cheaply as the-lat-ter. It will therefore be seen that a 6-inch shell charged with my preparation would have ns great an effect as an ordinary 12-inch shell. ' I have fired a • cartridge after it has been charged for five years, and got the same result from one charged a few minutes before a test, proving that there is no deterioration in the oxplosive, and, furthermore, that there is no chemical action set ud to corrode fcteel or iron shells as Is the caee with other explosives."