Dynamite Gun,
an invention of Mr. Mefford, in 1883, and since developed by Lieutenant Zalinski, U.S.A., to propel a projectile containing dynamite. No fuse is required, as the shell explodes by concussion when it hits its mark. It is easy to perceive that a single shell of this description striking the site of any ironclad would inevitably sink her.
Entry from
Everybody's Cyclopedia,
1912.