The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-02-14
BREECh-LOADERS.

Tie Commonly Received Notion that They
Are IA Modern Invention Not Borne Out
sy the Facts.
There is common notion that breech-
loadiL is modern idea, but this is not
true, for some of the earliest cannon
made were loaded at the breech. The
load was placed in the barrel, then
plug was driven in very tightly by
means of wedge, and the whole strain
of the explosion came on the carriage.
Had the powder been of the quality now
used it is certain that these cannon
could nave been fired but once; but the
reported effectiveness of the weapons is
a certain testimonial to the poor quality
Of the explosive. Many of these breech-
leaders were on carriages made movable
3y means of wheels, though sometimes
ron balls were used so that the guns
could be turned in any direction. A
singular Italian gun of the fourteenth
century seems to be the direct ancestor
of She Gatling gun, being composed OF
a number of barrels, each a separate
cannon mounted on the same carriage,
this consisting of frame on two large
wheels, and capable of being turned in
any direction. 1t was, in short, bat
terry of dozen field pieces in one, and
for the age must have been a terrible
weapon. In the larger cannon of the
fourteenth century the pOwder-chamber
was made smaller than the bore, and as
these guns were often of great size,
they were not unfrequently quite
as dangerous to their friends as
to their foes. Bursting at the
powder-chamber was common
occurrence, and King James ~. of
Scotland, according to history, was
killed by an accnient of this kind. Dur
ing the wars of Francis |. of France and
Charles V. the artillery of the French
army consisted of nine pieces, all
mounted on carriages, the largest can
non being nine feet ten inches long,
weighing $500 pounds, carrying ball
weighing thirty-three pounds, and
drawn by twenty-one horses. The
t.3nor OF inventing the shell belongs to
he Netherlanders, who greatly i'm
proved this branch of military force
during the fifteenth and sixteenth cen
turtles. At first the shells were of the
nature of hand grenade, number of
them were inclosed in a case of some
inhammable material, which was
ignited before the gun was loaded, and
when the charge was fired the inham-
mable cover set fire to the powder con-
tanned in the shell. Then came the
bomb, or mortar shell, filled with
powder with fuse attached, which was
ignited before firing. These were eX-
tremely dangerous from the fact that if
the charge failed to explode, the shell
was reasonably certain to 90 off before
it could be taken from the gun. The
Germans, therefore, met the difficulty
by inventing a shell with single igni-
ton, or one in which the fire from the
powder Of the gun also set fire to the
fuse of the shell. The manufacture of
shells soon improved very greatly, and
they were made in two or three sections
and bolted together. The development
in the manufacture of cannon was very
great in the early history of artillery,
and cannon were made in many differ
ent shapes One is found with three
barrels welded together, another with
nine barrels in huge mass of metal
the whole forming nine-barreled
mortar. In none was the range of any
great distance, close quarters being re
quired to render any of them effective,
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