Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-09
OUR NEW NAVY.
Making Great Guns-Rifles that will Do
Execution Nine Miles.
FRAN the Baltimore Sun.

gF"hH me SdtttHtOFc sun.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6.-The navy yard
situated at the capital Of the nation do S
not offer picture OF activity just now.
The ordnance department. however, is
actively engaged in manufacturing breech
loading guns entirely of steel. may give
an insight into the construction of these
great death-dealing Instruments. A long
cylindrical tube is first cast, which Is
bored the callbre required and the out
side smoothly turned on mammoth
lathes. A jacket IS then shrunk, cover
ing One-haif the tube. beginning at the
breech. over this jacket and part of the
"chase" eight more bands or Jackets are
shrunk on by the same proce 6, each
being several inches shorter than the pre-
ceeding one. The tensile strength of the
steel used is from 1900 TO 100, 900 pounds
10 the square inch, and the elastic limit
IN all cases is One-half OF the tensile
strength. Five sizes of these guns are
now being made, namely, 8, g. 5, 10 and
Pinch calibre. The 10 and l2-Inch guns
Will have more than eight bands, but W IA
he without trunnions, as they are inten-
ded for monitors, TO be placed in turrets.
The S-inch rifles are intended for the Bos-
ton and Chicago class 0! vessels now
building. They will be mounted ON
y
RACES, TO be placed in barbette or station.
airy turrels. The 6-inch rifles are intended
for broadside batteries, and viii be
mounted on br0adside, trayersing short
recOil carriages.
The weight and length Of this new ord.
nance, when finished, will be as follows
fwelve-lnch guns. 81 feet long, weight
%. 900 pounds: lO-inch guns, - feet long,
weight $4,000 pounds; S-inch guns, - feet
long. weight 1900 pounds; 6.lnch guns,
IS feet long, weight II 900 pounds; 5-inch
guns, 1877 feet loug. weight $500 pounds.
The charges Of powder and weight of pro-
jectile are not yet known, but the larger
guns are expected to do execution at a
distance Of about nine miles. A smell
fired from one OF the new 6-lnch guns at
the proving grounds at Annapolis at 100
YARDS range penetrated - inches of iron.
20 inches OF oak, and feet OF earth.
The carriages for these guns are manu-.
featured of malleable iron and compost
ton metal. 1t was found that il steel was
used the shock OF a shell from a machine
gun would shatter the plates into pieces.
The recOl OF the rifles is arrested by a
cylinder filed with water secured TO the
slide and connected to the carriage by a
rod and piston.
The slides are placed on circular
tracks, and system of cog gearing il
used for laterel training. The S-inch
rife is now being mounted on The latest
carriage IN tie experimental battery.
probably 10 illustrate the com nleteness Of
the machinery to the next naval commit.
tee sent from Congress to pass opinion on
the advance made In our naval ord
nance.
A class OF seamen are here taking I'm.
structions in ordnance and famillarizug
themselves with the new guns, 80 as 70
90 AS instructors IN the vessels ON which
they Will be first used. The class are
quartered on the old sloop .oi-war Dale.
formerly practice-ship ut the Naval
Academy, but recently sent here for re-.
eeiyInR-ship. A gangway has been cut
through 10 her gun-deck and the spRr-deck
is 20 be rooted over. which will make her
comfortable the coming winter.
Piles, hstule, rupture and