Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-12-29
From the Montreal Gazette, december 9.
The Lancaster Gun---Hoyv it di ffers from the On
binary Cannon---Its merits and defects

From the Montreal Gazette, december 9.
The Lancaster Gun---Ilovv differs from the Or
binary Ca"non---Its merits and defects.
Among extracts from English papers in a recent
ISSUE our readers may have observed a paragraph
upon the subj ect of this arm, and a public
writer has shown much ignorance while protesting
to instruct Others it has occurred to that brief de-
scripton of this powerful instrument of DEATH and
the principle of its construction would be acceptable
to many.
The writer in question commences by saying =
" The OBJ ect of boring the Lancaster into epsis
is to prevent the ball from taking rotary notion
and thereupon he raises the question whether the ell
liptical ball. in passing through an elliptical bore,
heing prevented from taking rotary motion, has
| not dangerous tendency to burst the gun So far
from his premises being correct the very reverse is
the true state of the case. The epica bore is in
tended to g the bail rotary motion, for in this
motion of the ball upon its axis consists the su-
perIorlty OF this gun over the ordinary cannon. 1t
is we'll known fact that it is impossible to cast balls
bullets in such way that one side will be heavier
than another, and it is also Unknown that this cir
cumstance defects the pro- ecte from lis right ne
! With small arms this difficulty is overcome by the
groove IN the rihe-barrel, which, being spiral,
upon the soft substance of the leaden bullet, and
gives rotary motion before leaving the muzzle of
the ritie which continues until the ball is stopped
BY this means the heavy side is alternately turned in
all directions, so that any tendency in direction
is Immediately counterbaanced by revolution of the
bullet which changes the position of the heavy side
and the resalt is that the ball flies in direct line
Now, however well this plan may answer for small
arms and eaden balls, the groove is impractcabe for
cannon and cast-iron balls, and it has long been
problem to discover some means of making rihed
cannon.
The Lancaster gun processes to have accomplished
this by means of elliptlcal bore, out of which is
TO be thrown ellipcal projectile either shot or
shell Without plates we may not be able to make
all our readers understand our explanations but we
hope most of them will do The gun is large be-
cause it is at long range that its great precision of
aim tells best over the common gun, and its appear
ance that of an ordinary large cannon except that
the mouth instead of being circular is elongated like
an egg. having one axis longer than another. We
will suppose that the mouth is the largest I'D and
down-that is that the longer axis is vertical so that
the hattened ball fitting it would stand on it's edge
but the bore winds gradually from the mouth TO The
breach OF the gun, so that when the ball is driven
home to the proper position when the gun ia loaded
1t will have turned one-fourth around and will lie
horzontaiy-that is, at right angles to the longer
axis OF the mouth of the gun, and on it's side. When
the gun IS fred the ball must make one revolution
tor every four lengths Of the gum and thereby coun
terbaance any imperecon in its shape which would
otherwise defect it. Several of these guns have
perhaps attributable to the fact that thew
are used at very long ranges and were probably oyer
loaded although it is quite possible, and in fact pro-
babe, that forcing the ball to take rotary motion
would increase the resistance offered so much as &c
increase the risk of bursting Experience will soor
, test the question. We may remark that the same
: principle has been applied to small arms and a dso
ded advantage is claimed for the Lancaster over the
: common rifle. s