New-York daily tribune., 1861-08-26
NECESSITY FOR MORE TROOPS
THE POTOMAC NOT CLOSED.


Yesterday took place the hrss experimental
erme with the great gun Union' IL was
conducted by Lieut.. Baylor OF the ordnance De-
nsYfmet,t. aud was witnessed by Major ocneisi'
wool and Butler, and concourse oil on1cers,
..,diors and Others. The carriage Of the gun
ws. tprned so az to throw the shot into tho
bav the design being solely to test the gun,
which bad never before been fred, and to ascer-
tain its range. Before going further, it may be
well TO recapitalate in regard to the gun ITSELF
It's weight is 50 ,005 pounds; extreme length, 10
feet; length Of bore, l3 feet II INCHES; diameter
of bore, II inches, rifed. IT is mounted on hn
iron carriage, placed on platform OF sOhd ma
sonry. Like all rhed proiectes, the shot are
conical, the solid shot weighing 423 pounds and
tle shell 352 pounds, with bursting charge OF
IS pouIds. The charge Of powder used varies
according 10 circumstances, from 40 to 45 pounds.
The powder used on this occasion-and which
no doubt will be uniformly used-was the ROdmsn
grsin powder the separate grains Of which va
red from TIE size of walnut to q hens egg.
Al things being ready. the process Of loading
the Vua was commenced Sergeant Welch, at
the head Cf HIS black battalion Of gunners, had
90 that bis gage was over the waters, and ar
ragged the platform or staging on which the
Iaep could stand and be up even with the muz'
zlc. Fret, the sWab, which two men insert,
cleans the interior; then comes man with
red flannel bag filed with powder, on bis
shoulder; il is the cartridges and the ramrod,
worked BY four men, sends it home Then
comes the process OF getting the shot to ns
p.acs. a mass Of metal that four men carry with
dK Guilty. II is frst rolled into an iron cradle or
VIDE strap, lOOped with rope, through which
n niece OF strong wood, several feet long, is In
sorted. Thus slang, the men tug the shot up
tha steps Of the platform, some ten feet h'gh,
b. the mouth of the gun. Another lit brings II
On q level and it is sid into the muzzle aud
pushed to its place. The gun is then elevated
bY means Of an iron bar the gun being nicely
balanced on its trunniOnE. The prmiDg wire PET
sorms ta office, the fuse is inserted, aud the lau
yard is attached. Then Lieut.. Baylor, who,
though everything has been done under his minut-
sst inspection, has moved about more ike mod
est spectator than the responsible director, gives
warning that the gun las never before been
cred, and moves q short distance to the rear,
M which be is initiated by the others The men
WHO are to calculate the fight of the shot are at
their table. The fsg is up. The man with
tbe lanyard retires TO its extreme length.
"Ressy," sayS Sergeant Wech. Lieut..
Dsyhr gives the word "Ready-fre Z"
terrific crash, sheet Of fame, and the trembling
OF the earth follow. At the came time there is a
screech and a scrcsm caused by tho shot black
nass which you can see, in it's fight yelling like
IN infuriated devil LET loose from the internal
gious. We count the seconds, and watch 10 see
the shot strike. A column Of water away off on
Vie bay shoots up to tie height CT ships mast
The elevation Of the gun was but ten degrees little
moro than blank shot, consequently the distance
was not great, cay two miles, the time Of fight
fifteen seconds. The terrible engine, the echoes of
whose thunders have scarcely yet died away over
line waters and along the shore, whose breath dark
suphurous cloud floats before the wind-the thing
which we would naturally associate with the idea Of
q glowing fiery monster, the embodiment Of all the
hries, is next the object of attention. 1t ia as
ptssiye as anything can be. The sergean, pats fa-
pl4arly its massive smooth breecb, the smoke curls
slowly from the mouth Of the chamber from which
Che 42O-p0und shot has just been vomited, and for
the instant il iS difficult to reconcile the crash, the
game, the trembling earth ard the screcch, with
the thing that neither tiembes nor gOws nor makes
other sign Of its truly awful and almost supernatural
endowments.
The next time, shell is Cred, at the ssme
tsnge, but it fails 10 explode And here let
me remark that both shot and sheIl seemed to
be not the thing for the gun. The soft metal
with which they were coated stripped and few
In all directions when only a few hundred feet
from the gun, 10 that one might mistake tho
pieces for charge Of grape from bOwitrer.
The idea Of filling the grooves and thereby OBJ.
tanning o rotary motion must have been but i'm.
perfectly realized.
The gun was again loaded with solid shot,
and elevated tweDty-eieht degrees. This and the
next shot, which was at the Same elevation, we're
sery fine features Of the experiment. As you
wttcbed the progress Of tho shot, which in its
Sircuit attained an elevation probably Of not less
than 500 OF 1000 feet, you might easily convince
yourself that it was wild, screaming, roaring
monster, dashing through the skies, mad at tho
suu, or sn sfrighted spirit from the bowels Of
ss earth seeking safety in the clouds Tha
range was about three aud half miies; tho
time thirty seeonda
Two shells with percussion fuse were then
6red into o sand bank not more than 25 feet
from the gun. The result gave some idea Of
what the gun would DO against sand batteries.
Tie sand was thrown in every direction, and