HAND GRENADES.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1915, Page 3

HAND GRENADES.

AN EXPERIMENT AT WELLINGTON. Wellington, September 23, A most successful demonstration of the use of hand grenades, made in New Zealand, took place at Fort Dorset today. The demonstration was under war conditions, and the grenade used was the "Sabulite," manufactured by the Sabulite (N.Z.) Company, of Auckland. Among those who witnessed the demonstration were the Hon. J. Allen, Briga-dier-General Robin, Col. G. F. C. Campbell, Captain Thring, Captain Skelley, Captain Hudson, Lieutenant Petersen, Professors Easterfield and Marsden. In order that the grenades might be given an effective test, two trenches had been constructed about thirty feet apart, and in one of these trenches were ten dummy figures, made of timber, and placed about two feet apart. The first grenade that was thrown exploded in the trench, and reduced the figures to matchwood, fragments of the grenade being buried in the splintered wood. Several other grenades were thrown with equally satisfactory results. The military authorities present expressed the opinion that so severe was the concussion, owing to the strength of the explosive used, that it alone would he sufficient to incapacitate any men that might be in the trench when the grenade exploded.