The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-11-24
VOLUME 4.
4 Seyenteen-Hundred-POund Shot
Hurled Seven Miles.
fFrom the London Daily News

Guns, great and small, are fred every
day over the sands from the solitary and
remote corner of Essex, and the inhabi-
tants Of its little town and garrison are
so accustomed to loud and sudden noises
as to scarcely notice sounds which would
torture the unframed ear; but to-day
has been a day of dread, and its popula-
ton, to the last man, woman and child,
has been all day in a state of nervous
excitement and apprehension as to the
possibilities attending the discharge OF
such an unwonted monster as the eigh-
ty-one.ton gun, with its $40 pounds OF
powder, and its three-quarters-of-a-ton
shot.
The trials were to have begun at ten
o'clock, but il was two hours later before
the order was given to make ready. Ihe
loading apparatus worked admirably
under the control Of about a dozen artil-
lery-men, and the time required to run
the shot and cartridge down from the
magazine, and to ram both home down
the muzzle Of the gun, was barely i've
minutes. The loading carriage and
derrick were then drawn under the chase
or barrel of the gun, the hre-buffers of
the gun carriage having been removed
in order to gain more space, the electric
tube was inserted, and the bugle sound
ed to prepare for action. The extreme
ly cautious betook themselves to safe
distances, every one gave the gun a wide
berth, and mos. r. he spectators saLed
out seaward, in the hope Of catching
sight of the wonderful projectile in its
fight. The gun, through an a4terna-
tion in the programme, was laid at an
angle of seven degrees, by which the
nuzzls was to some extent elevated and
about 5000 yards away a range party,
consisting Of half dozen gunners in a
| wagon and two mounted Sergeants in
charge, we're posted to keep observations,
and signal bv flags to the firing point
An Admiralty tug was said to be engag
ID in warning intrnders from the dan
.erous ground, but che was not to be
liscerned among the many vessels which
rrowded the horison, and contributed
.omething Of hazard TO the days expert
ments. There was no target to take ain
It, but a straight range had been pegged
out four miles, and the trampinR OF
horsemen had made the path of the
shot very legible for some distance. The
ougle sounded the order Fire" an oth
Ger in the instrument room touched :
stud, the crash came, and then the l,7O(
pound shot was clearly seen cleaving it
way through the air to an altitude o
apparently several hundred yards; theI
descending and diminishing until los
to view, until, after what seemed lonI
interval, il struck the earth, throwing
I'D q volcano of mud and water, ant
bounding up again, to fall and bury it
self with another splash far beyond. !
was afterward reported that the sho
made its first contact distance of 4,6S
yards, and that the ricochet carried
: about as far again. The next considera
ton was the gun, and how had the car
rage withstood the unaccustomed strai
, consequent on the higher elevation
Both gun and carriage were in perfee
: condition, and then came a question a
. to what had been the consequences of th
= atmospheric disturbance. An Office
went round to take an inventory of tn
p damages, and the soldiers wives cam
about him with dismal records Of brol
g en- windows and shattered ceilings.
p Most Of the cottages along the sea-fror
% had one or two broken panes of glas
D several had their rooms Uttered wit
plaster from the walls and ceilings, an
one or two had their window-sash
T. blown completely out; but the most r
u markable effects were manifested at
: greater distance. The plate glass wi
~ dow Of Mr.. Cause, grocer, opposite M
'e Kirkwood's canteen, fully 500 var
'e from the gun, was utterly destroyed, al
10 the glass, a quarter Of an inch thic
ef scattered about the road. The barrac
u gate was burst open and its lock broke
ne several sashes had vanished, and the
ep were broken windows in every sire
re- Each subsequent round added somethi
w. to the damage, but the greatest misch
eF was necessarily done at the first
rf charge. Four other rounds were fred
10 the same elevation, namely, seven {
10 grees, and each shot fell within {
!" feet of the same disance, two appeari
Ia TO bury themselves at once, and ,
Nv other two bounding after No. into
E" German Ocean. The gun was then
pressed to an angle of only one degr
and two shoes were then sent skimmi
over the water making "dncks .
~ irakes" several times before they dis
\. peared. The second was observed spla
ing up foam at distance of11 500 va
na and nearly seven miles from the sh,
and as the twist" in the projectile q
- tia constant tendency TO the right
.... seemed to get unpleasantly near to sc
a. -hadowy- looking steamers in the h
-, distance. 1t was consequently somew
of a relief to portion OF the specta
-, when the order wac given to cease FIR
in for the day.
inc The gun, carriage and all the arrai
nm ments for the firing stood the test, "
and the only defect being slight bepresi
,nle in the recoil line after the fourth rot
the but this proved of no disadvantage.
Discovery Of an Ancient Indian
VI lage.
the
tru. The Phoebe, Nevada, Record says
man parties in from that region report
this existence of an ancient Indian yil
ID at Paragoonah, U. T., distance al
| O00 ;laa f,or, ho-o IT, La,,o.