Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-25

From the New York World 22d
Inc congressional committee appointed oy tue
forty-eighth Congress to obtain informasioo
concerning the manufacture OF ordnance ana
armor plate in this country went to the proving
ground at Sandy Hook yesterday 70 learn what
success mad attended the ordnance corps Oh the
army In Its experiments with the twelveincn,
nny-four-ton gun that was eleven months In
building at the South Boston iron WORKS In
ADDITION to Messrs. Samuel ]. Randall, Frank
hiscock' William Walter Phelps, H. b. heeo
ana Charles +. Crisp, who represented the com
mmittee, were Col. T. G. Baylor, Major George W.
nance corps, with their assistants, Capt: Charles
Mhipple and Lieut.. Netcalfe; Lieut.. Zalinsky,
tirad as,aery Of dynamite fame; Col Ga n re
iron works.
The gun tina. was the center of attraction is
states It is Constructed Of r castiron, measures
loader. weighs s. tons, cost sas, oSo, was eleven
pounds of powder and an sSo-pound projectile,
contains French interrupted screw or French
Ct sc and
led s64 for the shell and $50 for the powder. or
Vestment and the labor that handles her. The
powder used is q slow burning powder called
the the, cocoa owing to its close resemblance 70
Inat articie This powder was invented Dy
Selnan nve years ago, who impaired the secret
or It's manufacture to his government, which
basan Of
Cn!teo states ordnance officers bought few
grains few years ago and In experimenting
seven shells weighing 500 pounds each lay be-
!a me great piece yesterday waiting 70 pc
CURED the muscles Of two men to lift through
the gaping breech Of the gun, formed the first
charge. Under the direction of Col. Baylor the
distinguished representatives of the govern,
ment were conducted TO the parapet of the old
stone fort at the Hook.
us there any danger of her burstinge" asked
at the gun which, about 300 yards distant, was
being sighted by Capt sinclair.
OF the ordnance corps who stood near, land II
you see him jump hang on to his coat tails
nd moment nor later there was fash crash ,9st,
through the air at the velocity Of !, 1873 feet .
second and dropped few seconds batter far out
at sea, throwing up water five feet high.
The huge gun recoiled only six feet one inch,
with a motion that swan might have envied
and then stood still, as if proud of her achieve.
ment. A sigh of relief and an expression of
thankfuness went forth from the laymen pres
ent, while the ordnance officers looked delight
forth from the bOmb-prOOfs, to which they had
hurried Two OF them carried o long swabber
covered with grease, another had unlocked the
fermeture and was removing the pressure
gauges from the breech, two more were hoist
ing another SOO-pound shot in position, two
others were carrying the canvas sacks watch
contained the cocoa powder for the second
charge. Again all was ready; again slight de-
lay occurred owing 10 vessels coming within
the line OF range, and again there was flash
and crash and the experiment with the great
gun was over and the proectile dropped lar out
at sea. The pressure pounds per square inch at
the base of toe bore was 29, 900, against 80, 700
Tor the first round.
Two rounds of mortar firing which followed,
with shell weighing 61O pounds and charge
OF 20 pounds OF powder, aroused the admira-
ton OF the committee. An examination of
the building where the Hotckiss magazine
guns and Calling guns were stored closed the
commissions laDors or the day