The New York herald., 1876-11-10
The Monster Cannon and Half-Ton Pro-
jectiles at the Worlds Fair.
Filteen-Mile Ranges and Fabulous
Charges.
IRRESISTIBLE FORCE OF ARTILLERY
The Heaviest Plating Of lron-Clad Ships Rid
died by Bolts Of Sieel.
HUGE ENGINES OF WAR

! PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 0, 1876
/ Few objects In Machinery Hall and In the United
States Building have been viewed with greater in
terest than the immense and ponderous weapons OF
war that are there exhibited. Everybod has heard
or OF the great Krupp gun, whose mighty power
was mainly instrumental IN laying the lovely Paris.
that gaycst and fascinating of European capitals
q. tho ieet OF Frederick William whose ancestor bore
the modest title Of Elector OF Brandcnburg. The
great twenty-neh Rodman gun, exhibited BY the
United States Ordnance Department, aud the huge
sections of plating for iron-clad ships Of war;
we're also things OF which the reading public had
/ faint knowledge. and therefore they commanded much
/ attention.
1t instructive to look back for the comparatively
short period OF twenty years and contemplate the
astounding improvements which since thcn have been
mado in the manufacture OF weapons OF war At that
time there not rined cannon IN cxiscnc Q, the
| small bore percussion musket was yet in the hands
OF tho troops belonging TO all nations. and the I'M
proved Mimic ball rlned smallarm was be-
| ing tried in the British ana French armies by
| way of experiment. There then wiseacres
among tho martinetish officers OF both armies who
secuted the idea OF admitting tho new-iangled system
into scrvlcc yet still tho idea of red forced
self favorably into mems minds, and soon became BY
its resistess merits accomplished fact Tho Ger
man needle gun was the nrst which
any Power had formally adopted, and the decisive
victory OF Sadowa taught the world that hcnceforth
riHed arms must be placed in the soldiers hands II,
then said experimental ar,ilersts, such excellent re-
suits be had from rlned small arms, why cannot
the system be applied to great gunsi 1t applied,
and very successfully, too. Mr. William Armstrong
produced
BRRHcH LOADING CANNON
which went great way to revoluonize the different
artillery systems Europe Nearly all the Powers
themselves to work. and nearly all Of them introduced
distinct systom; many OF them showing q surprising
amount OF mechanical ingenuity and skill, but few
standing the severe tests active service and much
firing
Among tho great guns which have been successfu
the Krupp h-loadng cannon takes, perhaps the
first place. certainly, as 1t now appears exhibition
at Machinery Hall, IL 10 difficult 70 imagine ef
complete piece OF artillery There
eral calibres OF tho gum IRON the fourtcsn-nch ths
largest madc) TO tho and quarter inch mountain
piece. TO be In Machinery Hail. mounted and
ready for service Tho gun has claimed since It's
invention large share soi attention from
professional rtillersts aud others sthst u Is
presumed no apology need be made for
giving here soms idea to the general reader Of the
sort OF thing which may be called Mr.. Kfupp's
pocket pistol II will servo also to illustrate the
great OF attack still superior
those OF Defence for ship would float that could
be built with armOr sufficiently strong to resist tho
largest caiibre of this notable cannon.
Tho largest Krupp gun has . callbre diameter
OF bore) OF IA inches, 35o5 centime,res;
length, 22L fect from the plane or the
muxzle to that OF the brooch; weight, including
brooch block, IFS 900 pounds weight Of forged iron
carriage. 37k tons; weight OF empty slsel proects
i'm round numbers) 1,o20 pounds; weight Of driving
charge $50 pounds prismatc powder, and the almost
incredible range according to the inventors own
ngures is Is miles, or 25, 400 yardsl We not
told what elevation must DO given tho of the
bore obtain this astounding-lf trueresut; but
the carriage which the piece is now mounted ad-
mits of bat 10 degrees o elevation above the hori-
zontal, the estimated range with this elevation is
SIMPLY Impossible. II may be wellto remember that
tho length Of tho gun In calbres is ls.a The siege
carriage which 10 mounted places the the
trunnIons 1t elevation fraction feet
inches, SO as to admit Of rng over parapet six feet
In height hydraulic rccoil check composed OF two
cylinders, placed each side OF tho rear
transom, to stop the rctrogrcssve Of
tho piece alter firing, when, by simple movement Of
lever staG, the gun again into position at
the loot OF the parapct There strong placed
at the right side OF the piece by means oil which the
mammoth proJectes are holsted up to tho OF the
plano Of the breech and on level With Il: from which
position they are slid forward TO their place in the
chamber. when few turns Of lever spoke slides tho
breech block into position. The carriage is fixed to
pivot and trucks over thTcescparate segmcnis
OF circles LAID with tracks Al the OF tho
The Of olass 10 the aun
The whole vast machine Is so constructed that a lew
men can manage w'h VI facility, Tns ne sights are a.,
tho runnons. at either side OF tho gum the forward
sights are placed, and the resr sights with tangent
scale attached let into the body Of metal
inches from tho brcech and parallel to the front sights
The line OF vision Is through delicatciy adjusted
peep-sieh supplied with vcrnicr to allow for lateral
denecton. The riding Of the barrel has eighty grooves
the twist beng uniorm The
INITIAL VELOCITY OF THE PRoJEcTILE
Is about $50 feet second tho power OF the piece
may be imagined wnen is stated tha,tho penetratlve
orce OF the proecuc calculated being sufficient
| per.orate u solid 2linch plate OF iron at
distance OF ,96S yrrds Now the plating the most
ness and therefore, would bc altogether inadequate
resist the shock OF the Krupp gun. The proiectio
would pass through ships side plated with ll-inch
arnor with the same faciiity that in former times
6Spounder spherical shot would riddle wooden ship.
The inventor claims Tor this monster gun a super.
orly over the much talked of Woo,wich infant Of
81 tons. He mikes the following comparison
OF their respective merits:-weisht OF tho English
OF projcctlle The Woowch gum sill kilogram mes,
anu OF Krupps 52o charge OF cubicai powder for the
British piece, loi3 kilosrammes, and for that OF
Krupp 1876 OF prlsmatic powder Tho initial velocity
credited TO the British gun rs 40 metres per second,
Of the projecte thrown from the former is d, 45o
against 6.625 OF the latter 1t thus appears that
the Krupp gun has superiority OF one and half per
cent in the total force OF projectile the Eng
sh and that while the latter weighs no lcss than
2s 500 klorrsmmes more than ia rival the (;erman
cannon carries lar heavier charge and gives much
greater initial velocity to the proiectie We arc not
told anything about the curvature Of trajectory OF
either piece but doubtless Il VIII be found that the
higher the velocity the greater will be the difference
between the actual trajectory and that laid down by
the parab0ltc theory. With regulation charge OF $50
pounds OF powder tho Krupp gun pierced sectional
targets representing sides OF the British nclads
Hercules devastation and lncxible At distance OF
], 800 metres The armor OF the Innexible, being the
heaviest trcd was unable AZ that great distance
sist the cyndrocon,cs projectlc against IL with
such tremendous force and the armor Of The otner
ships was perforated even at considerably greater dis
| tauccR
DEPgxcE.
While artilIcrlsts have been successfully employed
In contriving the means OF battering down every
| slacIe that might be opposed 10 their guns, marine
architects ana The abcst among the professional
chanca. engineers busily occupied In prcpar
ing the material Tor resisting the wondrous masses Of