Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-12-13
GIANT GUNS.

The South Boston Iron Company have
a contract from the government for
making four giant 12-inch breech-load-
ing rifles on the Krupp plan, each Of
which will cost about $62.5oO. weigh
SO tons, and measure at the bore 26 l-2
feet and at the breech 4 3-4 feet.
From these measurements it will be
seen that these guns will be the largest
ever made in this country. The bore
of each gun will be 26 feet long. feet
longer than that of any other piece of
ordnance owned by the United States.
The guns, while not absolutely heav-
ier than the obsolete 2O-inch, will be
about ten times more powerful, because
they will throw shot with 2 l-2 times
the velocity of the latter. The shot,
which will be elongated and cone-shap-
ed at one end, will weigh 750 pounds
each, the shells 600 pounds, loaded,
and the charge of shot $50 pounds.
Each gun will be 40 inches in its larg-
est part, and the breech-plug will weigh
about 8 tons.
The framework of the guns will be of
new design. which the government in
tends to keep secret until the nearest
point of perfection is attained.
These terrible engines of destruction
are intended to be fully equal to the
best made in other countries. so far as
endurance. power and accuracy are con-
cerned, previous trials of similar en-
gines of war having demonstrated that
such will be the fact, and that a veloci-
ty of 22O0 or 2400 feet per second will
be reached, or l-2 times the velocity
of sound. which travels at the rate Of
400 feet per second.
The time necessary for the compile
ton of these iron monsters will be some
20 months, and, as the work will have
to be prosecuted day and night. electric
lights will be brought into requisition.
These huge weapons can be used
aHoat or ashore, but will probably be
placed in some forti6cation in New
York harbor, as it is the most exposed
and least protected of any one on our
coast. Thirty guns of the same size,
1t appears by the official records, are
needed to-day in New York harbor
alone, and there are not guns enough
by one-tenth for the use of the navy,
and the chief engineer of the Ordnance
Department reports that the army has
but 100 heavy guns, while some 49,
900 are needed for the works at present
necessary to protect our harbors. There
are very few guns in Boston harbor, and
most of them are the old-fashioned Co
lumbiads, very few of 15-inch calibr,
being mounted. At the Charleston
Navy Yard there are three l2-inct
rifles, and several hundred other gun
, which are absolutely worthless, excep
for ships boats and small wooden yes
sells, which could do no terrible execu
, tion in conflict with iron-clads, but. Of
, the other hand, be annihilated in shor
| space of time.
England and Prussia have the larges
} guns. the former country having l00-to
, muzzle leaders, with IL l-2 inches bore
. four of which are on the iron-clad. Ir
g flexible, firing a shot of $500 pound
E weight, with $50 pounds of powder
: She has also four other ships armed j
s the same manner.
Prussia has some 4O-ton guns, wit
y IA l-2 inches bore but while smallt
!. in size. they exceed in power the Eli
glish weapons, the velocity of the sh'
q being much greater.
n England, probably, has the most po'
y erful instrumental guns. velocity
j. 5000 feet per second having been o
is tanned.