The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-04
THE EIGHTY-oNE TON GUN.
SATISFACTORY RESULTS OF THE LATE ARTIrr~
IERY NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. FORCE or
f.TrNy

SATISFACTORY RESULTS OF THE LATE ARTIL~
IERY NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. FORCE or
THE NEW MONSTER GUN.
From the London Daily News Sept 90 1875
The satisfactory trial Of the great gun has than
realized the expectations formed respecting it tho
royal gun factories, where, however, ability to-
stand the proof TO which IL has been put the much
tests to which it will yet be subjected
never doubt Some authorities, not connected with
the department. had expressed confident opinion thai
the gun wrong in principle, that the maximum o
heavy metal had been exceeded and that the eghtyons
ton 'infantn would burst in front OF the proof butts
So little had these fears been regarded that application
had been made to the War ONCE for permission to
make four other eighty-one ton guns on pre-
cisely the same PLAN and the preliminary forg-
ing and other preparations for these are al
ready considerably advanced The bore Is at present
only fourteen and half inches in diameter and the
walls OF the gun consequently much thicker than
they will be when the tube is bored out to size Of six
inches while the strain upon the gun Will neces
sarly be increased by every addition to the powder
charge, which IL is proposed gradually to augment up
800 pounds. This IS
SIXTY POUNDS MORE TEAM HAS YET BEES PRED
but the strain has been carefully calculated and pro-
vlded for with a little margin OF endurance spare.
So well has experience qualified the officials calculate
results that the velocity attained by the untred
It's first round foreold to be 1890 feet per second,
and II proved to be 1893 feet The gun is not to be
fired any more its present state but IL has many
more trials in store Its whole lifetime viii indeed be
probably of trials for while its sister guns are
being manufactured service in the ronclad feet
this the original gun, will be devoted to experiments
for the good OF science Tomorrow will therefore be
brought up from the butts the royal gun factories
and number Of holes bored through the metal Of
breech into tho part Of the bore Into these holes
will be inserted
CRUSHER GAUGES,
an invention of Mr. Edmonds principal foreman by
which the pressure exercised by the explosion each
discharge is measured by the compression of small
copper cylinders Thus furnished and before there is
any enlargement of the bore, the gun viii be taken
back the butts and again tried to ascertain what
the amount Of strain upon the interior the gun
In comparison with the muzze velocity and the
Disqualification which will be of great value in de-
termning the quantity of powder TO DO used the
manufacture of future guns 1t by the Of these
crsher gauges and other apparatus that the large grain
gunpowder now used in firing heavy guns selected
committee, OF which Colonel Younghusband presi-
dent having found, by series Of experiments ex-
posive which, with much reduced strain upon the
gun, will give higher velocity than more vio-
lent gunpowder The next operation will be to enlarge
the bore OF the gun by regular gradations and II
confidently anticipated that when the full dimensions
and charge reached the gun will be equal TO the
penetration OF solid iron twenty four inches
thick a range of more than ten miles In the trial
yesterday the NTH round Of 30 pounds Of powder regis
tered velocity higher than that Of tho sixth round
with 240 pounds but this is believed to be an error
easily accounted for by accidental circumstances The
last shot has been dug OF the butt and the crusher
gauge in the base indicated pressure Of little over
twcnty-four the inch.