Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1876-11-02
RRITAIN,S BIG GUN.
A Cannon that Carries n 1.7OO-POund
PrOjectilc.
from the London Daily News.


SuoEBURYNEss, september a. Guns, great
and small, are fired every day over the sands
from this solitary and remote corner OF
Essex. and the Inhabitants Of this little town
and garrison are so accustomed to loud and
sudden noises as scarcely to notice sounds
which would torture the unframed ear; but
to-day has been day of dread, and its popu-
lation, to the last man, woman and child, has
been all day in state Of nervous excitement
and apprehension as to the possibilities at
tending the discharge of such all unWonted
monster as the S1-ton gun, with ITS 3'o
pounds Of powder and its three-quarters OF
ton of shot. There was really some ground
for this alarm, because the gun does not
stand with the rest Of the guns at this school
gunnery, but is placed on the beach close to
the barracks and its contiguous thorough
fares, and barely fifty yards in front OF
rather extensive block Of soldiers cottages,
and no one could say what effect the concus-
sion might have upon adjacent buildings,
while some of the more timid began to specu-
late even on the contingency of the gun burst
ing and scattering its fragments like hail upon
the devoted colony. The breaking OF Win
dows and crockery had been foregone con-
clus:on, and yesterday a sergeants party went
around proclaiming with the sound OF the
trumpet at the street corners that from ~
o'clock until to-day, tomorrow, and on
Friday, people who were wise would leave
their windows and doors open, as some sort
of precaution against the expected disturb
ance Of the atmosphere by violent explosions.
The inhabitants were given to understand,
likewise, that if, notwithstanding their eau
ton and care, damage should be done, it
would be made good out Of the public funds,
but these warnings and promises did not tend
to allay the popular disquiet and apprehen-
sion It certainly appeared as if all the in
habitants were out of doors, some OF the
shOp-keepers, as an extra prccautlon, shut up
their shops entirely, and everybody seemed
to be drawn to the spot where the terrible
, Inc Iflnao Vow WV. r.e-.. - 70
o'clock, but it was two hours later before the
order was given to make ready. The loading
apparatus worked admirably under the con-
troll of about a dozen artillerymen, 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
five minutes. The loading carriage and der
rick were then drawn under the chase, or
barrel of the gun, the fire. buffers Of the gun
carriage having been removed in order to
gain more space, the electric tube was in
serted, and the bugle sounded to prepare for
action. The extremely cautious betook them
selves to safe distances, every one gave the
gun wide birth, and most of the spectators
gazcd out seaward, in the hope Of catching
sight of the wonderful projectile in its flight.
The gun, through an alteration IN the pro-
gramme, was laid at an angle Of seven de-
grees, by which the muzzle was to some ex-
tent elevated, and about 5000 yards away
range party, consisting of half dozen gun
ners in wagon and two mounted servants
in charge, were posted to keep observations,
and signal by flag to the firing point.
There was no target to take aim at, but a
straight range had been pegged out for
about four miles, and the tramping of horse
men had made the path of the shot very leg
ible for some distance. The bugle sounded
the order to 8 Fire" an officer in the instru-
ment room touched stud, the crash came,
and then the 1,700O-pound shot was clearly
seen cleaving its way through the air to an
altitude Of apparently several hundred yards,
then descending and diminishing until lost to
view, until, after what seemed long inter-
val, it struck the earth, throwing up a volcano
Of mud and water, and bounding on again,
to fall and bury itself with another splash
far beyond. 1t was afterwards reported that
shot made its first contact at q distance of
1857 yards, and that the ricochet carried it
about as far again. The next consideration
was the gun, and how had the carriage with
stood the unaccustomed strain consequent on
the higher elevation.
Both gun and carriage were in perfect con-
dition; and then came question as to what
had been the consequences of the atmos-
pheric disturbance. An officer went round
to take an inventory of the damages, and
the soldiers wives came about him with dis
NAL records of broken windows and shat
tered ceilings. Most of the cottages along
the sea front had one or two pains OF broken
glass, several had their rooms Uttered with
plaster from the walls and ceilings, and one
or two had their window-sashes blown CON-
pletely out; but the most remarkable
effects were manifested at greater distance.
The plate-glass window Of Mr.. Cause, grocer
opposite Mr. Kirkwood's canteen, fully 500
yards from the gun, was utterly destroyed,
and the glass, a quarter of an inch thick,
scattered about the road. A barrack gate was
burst open and its lock broken, several sashes
had vanished, and there were broken win
dows in every street. Every subsequent
round added something to the damage, but
the greatest mischief was necessarily done at
the first discharge.
Four other rounds were fired at the same
elevation, namely, seven degrees, and each
shot fell within few feet of the same dis
tance, two appearing to bury themselves at
once and the other two bounding after num-
Der one into the German ocean. The gun was
then depressed to an angle Of only one de-
gree, and two shots were sent skimming over
the water, +" making ducks and brakes sew
eral times before they disappeared. The
second was observed splashing up foam at q
distance of II, 500 yards, or nearly seven
miles from the shore, and as the 9 twist in
the projectile gave it a constant tendency to