, 1861-08-29
FROM FORTRESS mQNRQE.
TE1A1 OF The Great Union Gun.
IeerfeEpondance of the New York Tribune1
FORTRESS MosRoE, |

FORTRESS MosRoE, !
Old Point G. n&ott, Aug. 23, 1851.
Yesterday took place the first experimental
titug with tie great gun "Uaion.'' 1t was
coL6ucted by Lieut. Baylor Of the ORDINANCES
Department, and Was Witnessed by Naior
GEnera Wool and Butler, and a corcourse ~
cHcefs, soldiers and Others. The carriage Of
tie Gun Was turned SO is to throw the shot
into the bsy, the design being solely to test
tie gun, which had never before been fred.
ard to ascertain its range. Before going
further, It may be well to recapitulate II re,
gard to the gun itseH. Its weight is 5000
Pounds: extreme length, l6 feet; length Of
bore, Is feet Il iachss; diameter Of bore, Il
chez, 1ified. 1t Is mounted on ~ iron car
I!ege, placed en- platform Of solid masonry.
Like all ritie6 projeetles, the shot are conicaI,
the selid shct weighing 423 pounds, and the
s1sH 552 pounds, with . bursting charge Of Is
peuncs- The charge Of powder used varies
according to circumstances, from % to 45
ponIds The powder used On this OCCASION
ENG which 10 doubt Will be uniformly used
was the Rodmau grain powder, Ehe separate
grains Of which vary hem the size Of 3 walnut
to hens egg.
Al things BERG ready, the process Of load
ing the gun was comnences, bereeapt WeJch.
at The head OF his black battalion Of gunners'
bad a;ready cleared the decks, wheeled the
monster SO that lis gage was over the waters,
and arranged the plstfoEm CT staging on which
the men could stand and he up eyen vita the
muzzle. First, the swab, which two men iu-
sert, cleans the interior; then comes q man
witE red flannel bag, filed With " powder Il,, On
his shoulder it is the cartridge, AID the ram
rcd, worked By four men, sends it home.
Then comes the process Of getting the shot to
lis spl2ce, Eiafs cf metal that four men carry
with eificulty It is first rolled into an iron era
dis o. vide strap, looped with rope, through
which piece OF strong wood, several feet long,
is Inserted. Thus s]ung the men tug the ehct up
tLe steIe OF the platform, eome ten feet high,
to the Mouth Of the gun. Another life brings
1t en- the leyel, a1d it is slid into the mnzzle
AID pushed to lie place. The gun Is then ele-
yated by meals Of an iron bar, the gun being
n:cely balanced Oh its tru1nionE. The psim.
ing wire Performs its office, the fuse is insert
cd, and the Lanyard is attached. Then Lieut.
Bayler, who, though everything has.been doae
nnGer lis mlnutest inspection has moved about
moTe Ike modest spectator than the respon-
slble 6lrectSr, gives warning that the gun has
neEeE before been fred, and moves short dis
lance to the rear, in which he is ;znitatec b7
the others. The men who are to calculate
the fight Of the shot are at their table The
flag is up The man with the lanyard retires
geant Welcb. Lieut.. Baylor gives the word ::
lasady-6re!' 4 terrific crash, a sheet Of
bsMe, u1d the trembling Of the earth follow,
AT the same time there is screech ana
scream caused by the shot, black mass which
yon can see, in it's flight, yelling like an infu-
rated devil let locee from the Internal regione
We count the seconds, and watch to see the
shot Strike. a column Of water away of on
the baE sEoOts up to the height OF ships
mast. The elevation Of the gun was but ten
degrees, little mere Than blank shot, conse-
quently The distance was not great, say two
milee, The time Of fight fifteen seconds. TIE
terrible engine, the echoes of whose thunders
have sca1 cely yet died away over the waters
and alopg the shore, whose breath, a dark sui
phnrious cloud, floats before the wind-the
iiEng which We would naturally azsociate
With the idea of glowing fiery monster, the
Embodiment of al the faE,es, is next the Oh
Jcet OF attention 1t is as passive as anything
can be. The sergeant pats faUoiGarly its mas
Five smooth bresct TIE smoke cGrls sloYIT
frtm tie mouth Ut the chamber from which
the 420 pound shot has just been vomited, and
for the Instant it is difficult to reconcile the
eereech, with the thing that Eeither trembles
nor glows nor makes other Sign Of its truly
sud almost supernatural endowment.
lEs next time, 3 shell is fired, at the same
range, hnt IT fails to explode. Aud here let
me Iemark that both shot and shell seemed
to be not the thing for the gun. The soft
Il etA with which they were coated stripped
and flew il ali directions when only few
EunGred feet 1rcm the gun, SO that one might
IlEtske the pieces for caarge OF grape itom
8 Eowi'zer. The, idea Of filing the grooves
5ad thereey obtaining rotary motion must
The gun was again loaded with solid ehot,
and elevated twenty-eight degrees. This and
the next shot, which WAS at the same eieya-
ton, we're very fine features Of the expert
nent- A. Son watched the progress OF tho
shot, which in it's circuit attaiEed al eleva
ton probably of not less than 800 OF 1000
feet, you might easily conesive yourself that it
was wild, screaming, roaring monster, dash
irg through the skies, mad a. the sun, or an
afI!= =hted spirit from the bowels OF the earth
seeking Eatsty in the clouds. The range was
about three and half miles; the time thirty
seconds.
Two shells with percussion fuse wera then
fred into a sand bank not more than 25 feet
f1cn1 the gun. The result gave some idea Of
Ehat the gun would do against sand batteries.
The sand was thrown in every direction, and
the experiment seemed to prove that the shell
accurately tired would undermine and destroy
sand battery quite as rapidly as a battalion
Ct nen with shoyel5. The shell burst into q
great number Of pieces, the parts found weigh
1rg but few pounds
The following is an analysis Of the firing,
fer which We are indebted to Lieut.. Baylor.
It will be read with interest, not less By the
public who have heard SO much Of the Big
Gun, than By those who watch such expen.
meEts with q professional interest:
No, L. Elevate n, 10 degrees: Eo!id shot, weight
4a3 1bs; cartridge, A ns; fight, -; range, 351a
yards
No: 2 Elevation, 10 deg; shell, weight s5s ns
cartridge, IS nsi flight, IL seconds; range, $3.50
No. 3, Elevation, Is deg; solid shot, weight La
rs; cartridge, Il ID; Mght, 80 seconds; range,
No: 4. Elevation, es deg; shell, weight, a51 lbs
cartridge, IS hs; flight, 2915 seconds zange, sou
No. +: Elevation; .: shell, weight s51 ns; car,
No. Elevation, 0; solid shot, 423 bs; car:
fridge, ~ ibe; the same.