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Shot Dynamite from Rifle
A Nebraska Lad Fitting Himself for a Naval
Career
Washington, August 10. – Secretary Bonaparte
wrote a letter today to an embryo Nebraska
inventor which is designed to interrupt some interesting, experiments in
throwing explosives.
John Sweeney, a 17 year old boy
from Ericson, Nebraska, wrote to the secretary asking for
a full statement of the requirements for admission to the naval academy and
outlining some experiments he is conducting in throwing dynamite, preparatory
to becoming a useful officer of the navy.
The you inventor says that at
present he is able to throw .064 of an ounce of dynamite, 150 yards with a Winchester .44 caliber,
range 300 yards.
With a large siege gun, he says
he believes he could throw 400 pounds of dynamite six miles, and asks if his
achievements will not assist him in gaining admission to the Annapolis Academy.
Secretary Bonaparte replied to
the young man that his experiments were better adapted to taking him to a
cemetery than to the Naval
Academy, and suggested
that he abandon them and adopt some other means of preparing himself for a naval
career.
Emporia Gazette – August 10, 1906
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