Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-26
THE CANNON OF THE FUTURE.

England is now building a ship to cauy
! tWenty-fOur inches Of amor, and she /.
making a gun which will be 81 tons il
| weight. It may be said here is proc
enough Of England's superiority. Urques
ti0nably the ship is splendidly designed
SO also is the gun, which we are to have
ready some time about next July, and
which viii doubtless turn out to be a won
derful weapon. Artillerists speak of the
coming monster as an lawful gum
Crowds assemble at the forge whenever one
Of the huge coils is to be pummeled by the
new steam hammer at WOOlwich Arsenal.
Even ia the making Of the IS ton guns
masses Of iron weighing 2S tons, at a
welding heat, have to be laid under the
hammer. For the larger gun an incandes-
cent mass Offorty-ive tons has to be fetched
out of the fire, and duly hammered. The
furnace has the capacity of a cottage, and
the tongs by which the glowing offender is
lifted out of its burning bed weighs no 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 accrueS from the
possession Of guns exceptionally powerful.
Already it is known that steel tubes are
being made, having a diameter six inches
greater than that Of the tube of the Si-tOn
gun. These tubes may be intended for the
lining Of the American smOOth-bOre guns,
which are to be converted into rifles. Pos
sibly they are for the use Of the French
Government, or for the italian. At all
events, such masses Of steel are being
made, and are destined 10 play some part
in connection with foreign artillery. Most
certainly the appearance Of a IO0-tOn muz-
zle-lOading gun among foreign ornaments is
by no means q remote contingency.
But what are We prepared to do? As
suredly the great steam-hammer at Wool
witch Arsenal can accomplish something
more for US than the making Of an S1-tOn
gun, big as that undoubtedly will be, with
lis bore OF sixteen inches in diameter. and
twenty-fOur feet in length, firing a proIec-
tile weighing LOCO pounds, propelled by
300 pounds Of powder, the range Of the
WeaDNn being seven miles. All this
any means all that can be done. We
ludN 0OuDlE LlE MClZllb Vi Tile
gun, making It 1G0 tons having a caIiber Of
20 inches, and a bore Of at least 80 feet.
This would be magnificent piece of ord
nance; but even then there would be some
thing beyond, and why should we stop
short Of that which must be gained at some
period or other? Let US contemplate the
further step at once. Why not have a gun
with a bore Of p inehes-simply two feet2
The weight would be 275 tons, the charge
of powder would be 1900 pounds, the
weight Of the projectile nearly two
tons and a half, and the range eight
or nine miles! This is not a mere dream,
but perfectly practicable piece Of work.
The cost would probably be a triae less
than f100 per ton, or about f2j, 900 for the |
entire piece. The weight of proiectile Of !
such gun would be something more than
a 5,OOO-pounder. Perhaps when we
had made such a weapon we might think |
we had gone far enough. As for the armOr,
he projectile Of the 275-tOn gun would pos
iibly penetrate three feet with cores |
bonding packing. As we showed some |
line ago, DR.. Coils Browne has |
modelled ship which shall actually carry |
feet Of armOr. This aTmOr would also /
De presented az a slope, so that our 5000 |
FOUNDER would have its work TO do. As for |
.Ost, there is the consideration that one |
uch gun will give results such as no num- /
Der Of smaller guns could accomplish. The /
sheathed in part with 2 feet /
# aTmOF, will carry four S1-tOn guns, cost
ng $1,000 each. Her four guns, therefore,
will cost more than one 2T5-tOn gun. Yet /
low would such a vessel as the Infexible be /
lble to stand the attack Of so tremendous
. weapon? The 5,0O0-pound projectiles,
Unless striking with considerable obliquity, /
would readily smash through the thickest
,art Of the armor, and or 3 such visitors,
having bursting charge of 800 pounds Of
)Owder, might decide the fate Of the ship. /
surely the result would be cheap at the /
lrice.