The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1861-05-16
War Material.

The columbiad is recently invented
gun, of great range, combining the es.
sential qualities OF the ordinary sea coast
gun, howitzer, aud mortar. They arc of
eight aud ten inch calbrc, and are capa.
bic of pref -cting solid shot or she'll,
with large charge Of powder, at an an
gle Of from from 8 deg. below to 80 deg
above the horizon. In outer appearance
the Colun biad is similar to the ordinary
sea coast cannon. but its internal shape
more like the howitzer. It's full range is
about two miles, with an extra range of
three miles. The eight inch weighs
+ ahont g. -DD0- lbs. and the charge of naw.
der used is TO lbs. The Weight of the
solid shot is Is lbs, and the shell 80 lbs.
The loinch gun weighs $4,000 lbs, and
the charge used is is lbs. of powder
the solid shot weighing l2s lbs, and the
shell 100 lbs In 1859, there were D.
3l9 eight and ten inch Columbiads and
sea coast howitzcrs in use in our fortifi-
cations, of which over 600 were Colum.
biads, aud We are Informed by an officer
of the ordnance. that, up to the present
time there were over 1000 in use, and
new ones being manufactured daily
Most of our heavy Notifications, from
Maine to Florida, have in use these ter.
rible guns.
THE pAuLsREEN oux.
1t it used for ship service and naval
batteries, and is the most perfect naval
gun ever constructed. 1t was invented
by Commander John A Dahlgrcen, of
the United States Navy, to be used Ell
ther for shell or solid shot. Its merit
consists Of reduction of the proportion
Of metal between the muzzle and the
trunnions, which is found in guns Of the
common pattern largely in excess. The
greater part Of metal at the breech of a
gun, instead of the muzzle, not only
gives greater strength at the part where
the danger of bursting is the greatest,
but also tends to diminish the force of
the recoil. The Dahlgreen guns are s
and 10 inch in calibre, in the ship guns,
and the boat guns are "a and II lbs. cal
ibre, and are used for firing shells, schrap-
nell aud canister shot. So satisfied have
been the Board of Ordnance with the
Dahlgreen 8 and lO-inch guns, that all
our new steam sloop and gun boats have
been armed with them. They are SINH
ar to the Columbiads, and their weight of
shot is nearly similar. They have stood
severe tests Of trial end proof, and are
undoubtedly the best naval guns used in
the world. Rifed cannon for field ser
vice ara now attracting much attention
among military men. About three years
since new model gun was tested at
Ames' mandatory in Cabotville, Mass,
called
Mortars are a. ancient as cannon, and
were employed to throw red hot iron and
stones before the invention of shells. The
FIRST shells were used in 1885 when Ma.
poleon was besieged by Charles VIII, at
which seige they were said to have made
terrible havoc among the enemy. They
are manufactured Of iron and brass, The
iron are 8, 10, and l3-inch in calibrc,
and the brass 5 1-2 and 4 2-5 inch In
bore. The Ii inch iron require 9 lbs.
to the charge; the 10 inch 4 lbs, and
the 8 inch 2 lbs. The largest mortar In
the world was cast by M. Mallet, for the
British tGovernment, to carry a shell
weighing over 16 tons, but it proved
failure. It was SO inch bore. Mortars
are very little used At the present time,
having given place to howitzers and the
new riaed guns. ...... r.,
e ROWlTzRRD, s4 . s4
Howitzers are pieces Of ordnance Of
medium length between the cannon and
the mortar, used for throwing shells OF
large balls At point blank range, or At =
small elevation. They are usually made
Of brass. The first howitzer was said to
have been invented by Belidor, in Ger
many, and WAS used at the seige Of Ath,
in 1857. Howitxers range as SO, 81, II
and 8 pounders, the latter sise being M.
ed altogether for light batteries ID Geld
ssrvics. - g 80 e@.sT
A 81 pound howitzer requires 8 I. 2