The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-09-10

A Huge Gum.
The largest gun in the world, says the
Raihoay Nescs, for throwing dynamite
projectiles has been made in the shops Of
Ribon & March, l44 First street, Jersey
City. The tube or barrel is sixty feet
long, bore eight inches, and brass-lined
throughout. The gun, with its ponder
GUS frame and carriage, weighs forty
three tons. The barrel is of heavy
wrought iron pipe, in four sections of
fifteen feet each, bolted by means Of coup
lings, forming a collar around the tube.
and bolted with steel bolts. The bore ia
smooth and the brass lining is an eighth
of an inch thick. The gun rests on
truss made of I-beams and heavy steel
plates revolving in the truunoin bearings
at the breech. The truss is heavily
braced. The gun is fred by compressed
air. The air chambers, which act as res
ervoirs, are cylinders sixteen feet long
and eleven inches in diameter. There
are eight of these reservoirs resting on a
frame, four on each side of the gun.
The air cylinders connect with the main
castings by means of brass nozzies The
barrel is bolted to the reservoirs and up
right castings, which are carried on a
frame of twelve inch channel irons.
These in turn are fastened to rollers
which can be trained laterally in any di-
rection. The barrel can be elevated to
an angle OF sixty degrees above the
horizon. A cylinder placed in the frame,
charged with compressed air, elevates
the tube to any angle from the plane of
the horizon to sixty degrees above it.
The truss is also elevated by compressed
air by simply turning one handwhecl.
The gun is charged with cartridges
FIVE feet long, eight inches in diameter,
and containing one hundred and eighty
pounds of dynamite. Brass shells con
tanning the dynamite are inserted in a
cast iron cone, forming the projectile,
which explodes wherever it strikes. The
proiectiles are hoisted with a crane and
inserted in the breech, which closes with
a selEacting apparatus. This consists of
q large brass nut which screws into the
breech and is covered with cup valve,
thereby making the magazine chamber
perfectly air tight The gunner stands
on the platform, and with a small lever
and handwheel elevates or trains the
gun. Upon pulling another lever, which
operates a series of valves, the brazen-
throated giant is instantaneously dis
charged. There is no recoil and no re-
port. The moment the projectile leaves
the barrel, the series of valves admitting
the air pressure close, shutting off all
further escape of air. After the first
bomb is thrown, five more can be dis
charged without additional supply from
the air compressor. The telescope sight
| is fastened to the ends of the trunnions
| OF the breech, so that perfect aim is OBJ
tanned in line with the center of the bar
| rel. The frame rests on carriage with
| four wheels. The forward wheels revolve
around a king bolt on a bed-plate; the
hind wheels on a curved rail. The gun
was made for the Pneumatic Dynamite
Gun Company of New York. 1t has
been tested in every part to pressure
Of $500 pounds to square inch, and
will stand a much higher pressure. Work
on the formidable dynamite gun was be
gun last October The entire work was
under the supervision Of foreman Will
liam McIlvrid, of Ribon & March's shop.
1t is a high honor to this firm to pluck
the laurels from Krupp, the ordnance
king of the world, with the largest gun
ever made.
The gun will be removed to Fort La
fayette in day or two, for target prac
tice with dynamite cartridges. 1t is in
tended for coast and harbor defence, but
can be used on war ships.