Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-23
The Trouble with Great Guns.

The Trouble with Great Guns.
A short time ago a 3S-ton gun of the
English iron-clad Thunderer burst in its
turret, killing and wounded many per-
sons, and since then one of those guns
submitted to the test of firing with a
double charge at Woolwich has failed
TO survive the ordeal. 1t went to pieces,
and the consequence has been a very
voluminous discussion in the English
journals, both military and other
which the London Times is of the opin-
ion will lead to an entire reconsidera-
ton of the Woolwich system of manu-
featuring heavy guns.
That system, in brief, consists of
tube of steel, surrounded by long cylin-
ders made of coils Of wrought iron. It
secure sound welding under the con-
ditions of the manufacture, and that
hence the gun is liable to fly to pieces
without warning when it is subjected to
overstrain like that at Woolwich, and
that which caused the bursting in the
turret of the Thunderer, when a double
charge was unintentionally fired. OF
course gun is not designed to stand,
as rule, such charges; but itseems that
they are liable to be put in even in peace,
and in the confusion of action the chances
of such overlooking must be much more
numerous. just as the explosions
of the Thunderer's SS-ton guns
are making so much sensation
in England, we get reports of the burst
ing of the 100-ton gun-or certainly its
serious damage-in the Italian monitor,
the Duilio. That accident took place at
Spezia last week, and we have not suf-
ficient particulars of the catastrophe to
enable us to discuss its effects upon the
Armstrong system of heavy ordnance,
upon which the gun was constructed.
But the circumstance that only Z" ten
persons were slightly wounded, !" for that
is the language of the dispatch, leads
us to infer that there was no such burst
ing as that which occurred on the Thun-
derer, with so heavy a loss of life. We
are told, too, that the tests of the SINH.
lar guns in the other turret of the Duilio
are proceeding to the entire satisfaction
of the officers, and that the heaviest
charges are used.
The Armstrong system, which is pur-
sued at the great Elswick works in Eng!
land, is not radically different from the
Woolwich system, its main distinction
being in the use of fewer number Of
wrought-iron coils around the inner
steel barrel. If the Woolwich system,
therefore, must be altered or abandoned,
the Armstrong system is open to obiec-
tions also; and, indeed, there is no
rihed gun in existence in which complete
confidence can be placed.
Tho f,1,tb 10 botuaxynr. y11Tob Won NAV
improve heavy guns, there will always
be percentage of failures and acci-
dents with them; but considering the
small number of very great guns in ex-
istence, there has been of late so large
proportion of disasters that both those
who make them and those who serve
them have serious grounds for renewed
caution. The difficulties in the con-
struction of guns and the dangers at
tending their use increase in far
higher ratio than the diameter of the
bore.
Since the fight between the Monitor
and the Merrimac, eighteen years ago,
the powder charges of great guns have
grown from fifteen pounds to between
400 and 500 pounds, and the new guns
to be built at Elswick for the Italia and
Lepanto are to be used with q charge Of
powder of $50 poundsl At first the
powder charges of our 20-ton 15-inch
guns were 35 pounds. They were then
: put up to so pounds, and when they
were raised to 100 pounds of mammoth
! grain powder, after the war, the army
and navy men trembled with anxiety.
: But now the 3S-ton 12 1-2 inch Wool
wich rifles, of which the Thunderer'a
I guns were examples, use 100 pounds Of
powder, and the 35-ton 11-inch Arm
strong guns made at Elswick for the
Chinese Navy use the charge of 236
! pounds.
If it were not for the i'm,
: brovements in gunpowder made
( by the late General Rodmar
q Of our army, these great guns could moi
= be used at all. That distinguished Off
> Ger introduced the large grain, slow
burning powder, which reduces thu
!, strain on the gun. BY means of il the
: initial pressure is reduced, but highel
mean pressure is maintained during thi
passage of the shot through the bore o
the gun. While the propelling power j
t not lessened, the maximum pressure OF
+ the gun is vastly reduced.
o But even with the advantages Offered
j. by this mammoth grain powder, tn
d construction of modern heavy gun
Q one Of the most difficult of engineering
s feats, and there is constant discussion
s among ordnance men as to the sound
n ness Of every system of manufacture il
o use, and every detail under it. Th'
= late accidents with the 3S-ton and 100
J. ton guns have given new impetus Z
: the controversy, and may result in i'm
It portant changes in the manufacture.
}, There are but three or four manufac
e tories of such guns in the world. Th'
q only ones we can count up are the Els
3 wick works, the Government works a
a Woolwich, and the Krupp factories a
Vt Essen in Germany; and there is nj
o agreement among ordinance men as T.
@ which turn out the best weapons. Lat
is experience shows pretty conclusiyel.
|. that even the best are not free from dan
y gers TO those who use them.-Nea0 Yor
" Sam