The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-07-07
OUR CENTENNIAL LETTER
PUILADEI,PHI

PHILADELPHIA; June %, 1876.
The great Krupp gun, the largest
and finest in the world, is now in
position in Machinery Hall, mount
ed upon its carriage and in full
working order. 1t is twenty-seven
feet long, made of steel, reinforced
around it's breech by four steel
bands, is breech loader, and has a
rified bore of 16 inches. The gun
alone weighs "a tons, carriage 40
tons, and the balls 999 pounds. The
mechanism of the carriage is more
complete than any l have ever be-
fore seen, but so perfect that but six
men are required to work the gun,
including the two who swab 1t out.
AT a distance of 10 miles it sent a
ball through six inch target, and
will carry 15 miles very easily. The
shape and finish of the gun is as ell
egant as that of any little field
piece. Our % inch Rodman gun
bears about the same relation to
this monster that q revolver does to
a musket.
In the Government building is q
miniature representation of the bor-
ing of He'll Gate. New York. The
great mass of rock that is to be
blown up is not in the middle of the
river, as is generally supposed, but
runs out from the shore, and in low
tides is left almost entirely bare.
The main shaft is right on the edge
of the shore, and from this one ra-
diate many smaller ones, in all
directions, out under the river bed.
The model is so constructed as to
show the whole formation of the
country around, and being made in
two parts, the upper part can be
raised upward so as to show all the
excavations that have been made to
receive the explosive material with
which the blast will be made in
very few days. This exhibit is one
of the most interesting in this build
ing.
Just outside of the Government
building is a small house upon
which are two fog alarms, one of
which is operated by a caloric en-
CINE and can be heard 80 miles
away at sea, while the other is
twice as powerful and is operated
by steam alone, direct from the
boiler. In operating the one by
means of air, the furnace door of
the engine is closed, and all the air
that is used then passes up through
the fire so as to heat it, and which
is then forced by means of two al
ternately acting compressors into a
large tank, or receiver, from which
the air is passed through the small
apparatus, or engine which causes
the sound. Unless the air is heat
ed the syren will not sing,-and af-
ter having heard the creature once,
the one who would wish to hear it
again should be sent to the insane
asylum. Anything more horrible
or unhealthy, have never heard.
One can only stop their ears and
regret that they dare not get shot
gun and use it ON the creatures en-
gineer. Thus far the steam one has
not been finished, and I devoutIy
hope that it never will.
In the room devoted to the Nor
way paintings in Memorial Hall, is
s miniature representation Of indie
pendence Hall, of Philadelphia,
made of metal, and weighs about
1000 pounds. The scale is x ofan
inch to foot, and if so perfect that
if Independence Hall should eve. be
destroyed, it could be perfectly re-
produced from this model. In the
front hall Is tie old cracked liberty
bell, upon the walls are copies of all
the pictures and maps, and in the
rooms are the furniture, looking
glasses, mats. and carpets lust as
they exist at the present time.