New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-22
ANCIENT AND MODERN ORDNANCE.

ANCIENT AND MODERN ORDNANCE.
ApDRrss BY ILMUEL W. WRIGHT BEFORE THE 90
CIyrY on PRACTICAL RSGINEERs-THE con
sTRUCTON OF HEAVY CANNON.
The third of the series of lectures before the
eosety Of Practical Engineers given last evening al
the Cooper Union by Lemuel w. Wright, civil engineer
mon The Construction OF Heavy Ordnance"
Mr. Wright, IN giving tho earliest history OF cannon,
SAID that first they made Of bamboo laths, bound
tao hollow cylinders by metal hoops These really
pullup guns used by the Chinese and Tartars
When cannon were introduced into Europe wrought iron
vac substituted for the bamboo In fact majority OF
the guns made during the fifteenth century were made
on this pIaD which s advocated by some con-
stu,ctors The famous stockton gum which exploded
with fatal results on board the Princeton about forty
years ago. was hOOpod gun Of iron bars That disaster
was only repetition Of similar which bad occurred
about three and half centuries before when James H. OF
Scotland had been killed by the bursting Of lombard
before the walls OF Roxburgh In 146O. These bufup
also sometimes made with tho bars sodered
together instead OF hoped.
These ancient cannon were made OF disproportonate
length and were unmanageaOe that could be fired
only three four times day. At first they were used
for throwing sSn' as sn9mtnse iof Inc pfSecng
masses Of rock such were the cannon employed by Ma
is7s and some of which had a calber for stone shot
weighing l.20O pounds. In Western Europe, how
ever improvements were mafe much earlier than in the
Eas for ~ carly $780, and during the invasion Of
iialy The Freuch had numbers OF brass field pieces
east guns and the casting the the same pur-
pose was probably simultaneous. The manifest SUPERB
GRITTY wrought iron east iron, however, led to
many early attempts to make cannon in one piece In
tho middle OF the eishteGnth een'pry gun weighing
was soon followed by some smaller Ones made In the
come manner in spain me construction OK artillery
history Ia Of interest showing from early dates,
the ' sy Which ehs y arc ase s' Oh
The great problem OF glnnery IL the production OF
ban bnt the sections must concentrc parallel
with the Tho OF cast iron Is dependent upon
tnown Rodnan system Of cooling from the inside in
casting, and Of casting under heavy pressure to give
advantage of combining wrought and cast iron is appa
rent In the Parrot CUR In which wrought iron REINFORCE
inferior judcous combination Of iron and steel The
i9g Of gYgeton fs11 I TSn piece be
that sulphur phosphorus, etc. eliminated and the
uniform and soneos s,renet OF r ias metal secured
been tested r s ,s Dfoa es nna Necessary TO
eoncies OF service. Compound guns OF wrought metal
made OF "A central tube of Steel with the breech screwed
wrought sleeves arranged In successive layers the
several layers breaking points With each other and the
brszng. advocated By the lecturer. lie claimed that
strength resist the bursting strain O the powder The
various experiments previously made In tho production
Sether with illustrative examples Of each experiment
while several described made Of heavy pieces OF
ordnance OF wrought iron or steel by welding together
rlngs having doveto joints. to form a tube"
Among the American plans brought forward was
Of cooling sheet Of iron around mandrc q welding
heat, and welding the into solid by rollers
or hammers The almost practical hnpossibily how
ever OF welding such large surfaces firmly Together with
out faw osyd'on that would weakness In the
whole, must sd IN the way Of this bold and ingenious
sehec T1e construction OF heavy ordnance requires
the most thorough duplication Of scientific principles 10
te resistance of strain, and the demands IA ade uIon the
Akin Of the constructor constantly incr,sng from
the peculiares OF the improved proiectcs used In rcd
gups which Ia some have carried the pressure
within gun from 10000 10 100000 pounds to the
Sauar. inch.