The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-10-08

rpwsauAH loe.rsa Uun.
.,vssr al POUNDS or rowDERIr SkKps 2.vVS'
scuxp HALL yoRfy.rEvE FEET INTO AsASu'
hank.
frvru .she r.osdon standard, september 2se'l
disappointment which occurred ~
second attempt 10 dse The 1O0-ton gun some
DAYS ngo wke(ltd the interest Ia renewal
al tho experiments yesterday. Alter an 70,
spcclIon Of the gun, and preliminary .ris'
Oh the hydraulic machinery, tho port aoor
Of the loading turret, technically called tne
s cage" was opened, and the muzz'e OF TUE
gun depressed TO the loading position. Inc
proof shot Of 1900 pounds weight was p'sceu
In the Io&ding truck, and toe TWO cartr'uSes
rowder charge wss now increased to AL
nounds. and The powder was OF the cha'ac.
Ter professionally described ss "P ~
which consists Of cube-shared "pebbles"
II inches In diameter.
loading was the work OF very few min
utes. 1t was not performed as time test,
but IL has been found that the whole opera.
tiou OF loading, elevating, training, aiming,
and firing can be got through In less than
two minutes. OF tue 80 feet inches, which
e. the depth OF the bore. the charge occu-
pycs nearly o feet, and the mark on the by
dranlic piston showing that 1t bad gone
fairly home, the muzzIe was raised aud
trained to the left, the work OF very few
moments, seeing that the gun can be carried
completely round la eighteen seconds. With
the aid Of ladders, Captain Morley, X. A.,
the proof officer, and his assistants laid the
gun 40 as to direct the proiectile through
the two electric screens which stand before
the butts to measure the velocity, wire
from the instrumeut-room was connected
with the vent, and the warning bell was
sounded. Then 1t was found that Colonel
Ipeiis, X. E., who Is president pro TEN. OF
the committee. was TO occupy the turret
while the gun was fred, and, after handing
TO Lieutenant WiIlocks an ofticial-looking
paper. which BY grim Joke was said to be
bis will, he entered the exposed sice OF the
tnrret with o lighted lamp, and was fastened
in with chain and staple. Msi0r Ellis takes
his stand besides the gun on the open side
OF the emptdcemenf, aud Captain Lewis, X.
T.. posts himself In the recess on the other
eide, where are the levers which control
the machinery. All others withdraw to
such distances and refugees as prudence may
suggest, and, without any long interval OIL
suspense, the gun Is fired. AS the specta'
torS run forward they see Colonel Inglls
WhtklUK OIL VI Tue tuifCts TUG hOot W "hiSo
has burst open, breaking the iron staple.
He describes the conclusion, however, as
not distressing, and accounts for the door
opening by the outside vacuum created
by the expansion OF the powder gases,
which, be thinks, can hardly affect the per-
manent works, incIosed as they will be on
all sides with heavy masonry. As man
will always have to occupy the turret to
work the loading apparatus whenever
the gun Is In action, 1t was assuring to
have the opinion OF Colonel Inglis that he
should be quite comfortable under the err
eumstances. The officers who stood beside
the gun stated that the effect was much the
same as they might experience fifty yards
of, aud the impression upon the other OBJ
servers was that the report was not quite so
loud az they bad heard tho other day. This
; impression was soon confirmed in various
ways. The recoil with the increased charge
was but 2 feet inches, not much more
than bali the recoil OF the other day; the
shot, which then went 10 feet into the
sand-bank, was now found at depth OF
20 feet only; and, most conciusive OF.
all, the velocity, which with the 420-
pound charge was $40 feet per second.
now measured with the AL pounds OF pow.
der only 1,040 feet. Ii was clear that there
was "somethiug wrong somewhere" and
the natural conclusion was that the pro-
jectile bad slipped forward while the muz-
zlc was dc pressed. The gun was therefore
loaded again with the same charge OF AL
pounds, care being first taken to wash it
well out and search 1t with mirror for OBJ
stac.es, OF which none were found, aud all
being prepared 1t was once more fired. The
report was scnsibly heavier; the recoil was
f. feet y inches, the penetration OF the sand
butt was 40 feet, and finally Captain Morley
came from bis observatory with the report
of u velocity of 1856 feet per second. As
in this round the shot was proved to be in
its proper position by measuring-rod after
the gun was elevated-a precaution which
was not observed in The previous round
the suspicion that the shot had slipped for
ward gained strength, and 1t will probably
be requisite to employ wads in future ex-
periments.