The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-02
MONSTER GUNS.
Complete Success Of the Recent Ex-
perimentS at WOOlwich.
THE ARTILLERY OF THE FUTURE.
Heavy PTOjcctilcS and IrOn-CladS -The Lesson
Of the Vanguard Disaster.
LoSpos. sent. %. 1875

nand II viii very soon be definitely settled whether
iron vessels be made invunerable TO heavy projec
tiles. The accident Of the Iron Duke running down
the Vanguard demonstrated in very practical way the
utility of the a weapon Of offence but it sadly
shook the theories advanced in regard to the strength
Of resistance of iron-clad's sides when the ques.
ton Of defence involved
The experiments at Woolwich yesterday snflced to
show that England is in possession OF the most power
full piece Of artillery in the world The great eghyone
ton gun, which for than fifteen months has been
constructing the Woowich Arsenal was tested in the
presence OF large number Of government officials
among whom General Campbell r. A.. Director
Of Artillery and Stores; Colonel Younghusband r. A..
Superintendent Royal Gun Factories; Major Maitland
r. A., Assistant superintendent Mr. II. s. Fraser
Deputy Assistant superintendent Colonel Field, Royal
Carriage Department. Major W. II Noble, r. A., Sec
rotary to tho Experimental Committee, and General
DAgullar Commandant of the Garrison.
ARTILLERY OF THE FUTURE.
The trials have been looked forward to with unusual
interest by many students of the art Of war; 1t
thought that this gun would indicate the style of the
artillery which must be used in the future. II may be
fairly stated that the achievements of the new piece of
ordnance exceeded anything that had been antci-
patcd From the beginning to the end the utmost in
terest was manifested by all present. and the beautifu
autumn day greatly added to the general pleasure Of
the OCCASION The huge gun woke the echoes of the
Kentish hills, and the huge volume of sound rever-
berated over the Thames and the marshes
toward Greenwich. Sailors the vessels anchored of
Gravesend mounted the yards to see the flame and
smoke Of the explosion.
"a r,Q GUy.n
The eghty-one ton gun, so called weighs at the
present time very nearly eighty-two tons but this
weight will ultimately be reduced to about eghty-one
which awaits it, The gun consists of an inner tube of
Firths Steel having bore "a feet In length, wtha
primary calibre of 1416 inches 1t is rled with IL
grooves of the usual Woolwch pattern-that is hav-
ing gaining twist from to l in So calibres The
bore will be increased to Is inches after ID has under
gone series of trials wiz. It's present diameter of Ii
inches. The steel tube will then have mean thick
of inches The cascade is Of Steel 26 inches in
length and POS inches in diameter, and is screwed
into the inner coil close home to the steel tube On the
outside of the breech end OF the steel tube is the inner
coil which is 105 inches thick, and outside this coil is
shrunk on the outer or trunnion coil which is 1876
inches thick and brings the outside diameter of the
gun at the breech end to six feet The trunnons
sixteen inches in diameter and ten inches in length
The front edge of the trunnion coil overaps another
coil known as the coil, which extends backward
over the inner coil. The diameter Of the
gun the point where. where the trqnniSn
point where the l coil terminates it is 1915 inches.
From that point the fourth coil extends forward for
external distance of So. AZ inches, where the outer
diameter is further reduced to 30 inches The fifth,
muzzle coil extends forward s77 inches the external
diameter at the muzzle being % inches and the ex-
IRENE length all being 20 feet inches Each of
the coils is arranged so as to overlap and underle or,
in other words TO lock into the coil Immediately pre-
ceding 1t, thus rendering the but-up structure as
homogeneous as possible
The gun is mounted for proof sleigh carriage
composed mainly OF iron-portons of the cheeks only
being of woodland carried two six-whceed boyle
trucks. The boges pivoted under the sleigh by
tire pins working in square iron blocks having springs
fore and aft Of each block These springs consist
of plates Of yulcanized ndiarubber alternating
with plates of steel; similar springs
placed underneath and fore and aft of the trunnlon
bearings The sleigh was designed by Mr. II. Butler Of
the Royal Carriage Department. and from its behavior
yesterday the department has reason to take credit for
it, seeing that the carriage was turned out in
markaby short time The carriage weighs about forty
tons and with its eighty-two burden is placed on
pair of rails, laid an incline about thirty five
wards long commencing at one in forty and terminal
ing in sleeper gradient THE incline rises the
rear of the gun, to check the recoil firing.
The firing point is 200 feet from the butt, which is
posed OF bank of sand about 60 feet thick, with
IS feet of earth backing to the The
powder used the occasion 1s-inch
pebble powder but it does not follow that this powder
will eventually be adopted for this gun 1t is quite
possible that different powder will be adopted Tor
each calibre in the service
THE FIRST ROUND
was fired at twenty minutes past eleven A. ", with a
powder charge OF 10 pounds and fiat headed projcc-
tile weighing ,25S pounds, plus the gas check which
weighed fifteen pounds. The gas check is a gun metal
disk with thickened rim, and II is screwed the
base of the shot the explosion Of the powder causing il
expand and lit INTO the grooves Of the gum and thus
to prevent the erosion which commonly occurs In rled
guns from the action OF the in the grooves. The
gun was fired by electricity the report OF the discharge
being less heavy than generally expected. on
aiming the gun after firing 1t found to have had
recoil Of thirty feet up the incline. The maximum
play of the trunnion and boge springs had
been three tenths of inch vertically and
one and quarter inches horizontally The muzzle
velocity feorrectedL taken by Major Noble was
1893 feet per second the pressure in the powder
chamber, recorded by the crusher gauge being 242
per square inch and that at the base OF the pro-
ecte recorded by another crusher gauge, 10 tons
per square inch. The proectle ploughed deep fur
row Ia the sand and was recovered near the surface
ortynve feet from the face the bank The gas check
had taken well to the grooves but crunplcd back
by the resistance OF the sand Upon the discharge OF
the gun large and very perfect smoke ring lett the
directly after the prOiectile and shot up nearly
vertically into the air retaining its form and continuing
its rapid fight for about minute causing sustained
noise very similar to that o. small shell passing
through the air In attempting to withdraw the crusher
gauge from the powder chamber, delay occa-
sonedby the extracting rod coming apart in the gun.
Eventually laborer OF medium size who assist
ing 10 work the gun, and whose name is Kiddlc volun
teered to crawl into the gun and attach rope TO the
gauge extractor. This he succeeded in dong but not
until he had been in the gan five times owing TO the
rope slipping 1t Is 10 his credit that he accom-.
pllshed 1t, for the gases remaining in the bore
told visiby upon his eyes and disturbed his
breathing for awhile. The crusher gauge having
powder charge of 1870 pounds and 4 proec-
tile weighing $50 pounds. The gun is loaded IRON
travelling crane the powder being raised TO the muzzle
In a copper cradle and rammed home with a loading
rod wenty-seven feet long and formed Of three-inch
diameter steel Shaiting, with gun metal head The
shot is also raised by the crane and each proiectle
took about dozen men to push 1t well homo to the
powder.
THE SECOND ROUND
fired at thrtyh minutes after twelve, and the
suit recoil OF thirtytwo feet up the incline and
maximum vertical play OF the springs three tunths
Of an inch, with a maximum horizontal travel OF
and three-quarter inches. The muzzle velocity was
423 feet per second the pressure in the powder cham
Der - tons per square inch and that the shot 1872
tons per square inch The shot had penetrated forty
feet into the sand and was found at depth Of six feet
from the surface
fired at thirty five minutes past one--aver-
age about hour each thus far-with a
proectle weighing 1858 pounds aud 30 pounds
OF powder. The rccoi thirty SIX feet tho
maximum vertical play Of springs 31Ohs Of inch and
the maximum horizontal travel i inches The muzzle
velocity AIS feet the pressure in the powder
chamber being "a tons per inch and that the base
the shot 1913 tons The shot penetrated the sand for
distance Of 40 feet and at depth Of feet from