The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-02
THE CANYONS OF THE FUTURE.

THE CANYONS OF TIE FUTURE,
The London !Ga,dard says England i:
now building ship to carry II inches d
armor, and she is making gun which will be
- tons in weight. It may BE- said here is proof
enough Of Englands superiority Unques.
tlonably the ship is spiendidly designed. So
also Is the gun, which We are 10 lave ready
some time about next July, and which will
doubtless turn out to be wonderful weapon.
Artillerists speak Of the coming monster as
an awful gun" Crowds assemble at tie
forge whenever one of the huge coils is to be
punmeled by the new steam hammer at Wool
wlch arsenal Even in the making of the 49,
ton guns masses Of iron weighing IS tons, at
a Welding heat, have to be laid under the
hammer. For the larger gun en- incondeseent
mass of ID tons has to be fetched ont Of the
! tire and duly hammered.
The furnace has the capacIt. Of a COTTAGE.
and the tongs hy which the glowing cylinder
IS lifted out of It's burning bed weigh 10 less
! than thirty tons. A steam crane bears the
whole weight Of tongs and coil. and every
thing proceeds without accident or hitch OF
any KIND. At night the sight is truly grand,
and well repays those spectators who take the
trouble to be present. Other nations are not
likely to be blind to the advantage which ac-
cfues from the possession Of guns exception
ally powerful. Already it is known thai steel
tubes are being made, having a diameter six
inches greater than that of the tube OF the |
Sl-ton gun. These tubes NAY be intended I
for the lining Of the American slnooth-bore
guns, which are to be converted into rifles
Possibly they are for the use Of the French
Government, or for the Italian.
AT all events, such masses of steel are beino
made, and are destined to play some part in
connection with foreign artillery. Mot GER
talnly the appearance of l0O-ton muzzie-
loading gun among foreign ornaments is by
no means remote contingency. But what
are we prepared to ID? Assuredly the great
steam hammer az Woolwich arsenal can ac
'ompLiaA something more for Us than the
MAKING Of N Sl-t0n gun, big as that uu-
touptedly Will be, with its bore Of sixteen
nches II diameter ana twenty, four feet in
en9th firing projectile weighing 1900 :
pounds, propelled by 300 pounds Of powder. !.
h Z range Of the weapon being seven miles.
{ All TINS IS very formidable, but it is not by
ny means all that can be done W. NAV \
ouble the weight Of the gun, making it 100 !
ons' having calbro Of twenty inches and
ore OF at least Thirty feet, This would BE i 5
laSnlhcent pioc' Of ordinance bat even then 4
lere would be something beyond, and why .
noui We stop short OF that which must he j
AIMED at some period or other. Let Us con y
mplate The further step al once. Why no. t
ave a gun with bore oftwenty four inches
IMPLY two feet. The WeiS ht would be 30 tons; 7,
he charge Of powder would be 1GGO pounds. -
le weight OF the projectile nearly two tons Il
ld half, and the range eight or nine miles. "
his Is not mere dream, but a PERFECTLY er
piece OF work. The cost would -,
ohably be a tritle less than c100 per ton. or lii
out t25, 900 for the entire piece. In weight
prolectlle such gun would be something tit
ore than 5000 FOUNDER. Perhaps, when
had made such weapon, We might think <,
had gone far enough. As for armor, the
oJecule OF the Potion GIN would possibly Il
netIate three feet with corresponding back OF
8 AS we showed some time ago, Dr. Col so
IS browne has modelled ship which shall -
ualy carry three feet of armor. The ~
nor Wonld also be presented at a slope, so LII
It our 50UO-pounder would have its work i'm
do. WIN
IS Tor cost there is the consideration that
such gun viii give results such as no 'io
mber OF smaller guns could accomplish.
e lndezlble, sheathed in part with two ha,
OF armor, will carry four s1-ton guns. ma,
ting eSO00 each. Her four guns, there -
2, VIII cost more than one 275-ton gun. mt
!, how would such a vessel as the Inflexi- the
be able TO stand the attack of so tremen- ce;
is weapon? The 5000 pound proiectiles, If
ess striking with considerable obliquity.
I'D readily smash through the thickest mn
OF the armor, and two or three such to
tors having a bursting charge of 800 rec
nds OF powder. might decide the fate OF :
ship. Surely the result would Be cheap :
hat price. the