The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-11-26
MUKDhAiN'1 TT rs.
STEEL CANNONS WHOoE USE is TO
RIDDLE TORPEDO BOATS.
The Part They Will Play in the American
Navy.


by Admiral Simpson of the American
navy that deals with the construction
Of the steel guns that are to be used to
arm the new war ships that Secretary
Whitney is going to build. incidentally
the modern machine gun, or quick-fring
gun, is mentioned as a numbering
gum" although the article is chiefly
devoted to the method of constructing
big breech-loaders. A naval officer
who talked about these numbering
guns " recently, said:
lone has only to stop to think
moment to appreciate the tremendous
advance made in the construction of
guns during the present century.
Every one is familiar with the fact that
a very large number of the privateers
that did their country such great ser
vice in the last war with England were
armed with six-pounders- cannon that
threw ball of cast iron weighing six
pounds. These guns were mounted in
broadside. much us the nine-inch guns
on the big wooden frigates that form
mounted, and it required about five
men to serve them we'll They were
fired perhaps once in five minutes. AL
though the principle weapon of the
little war ships of seventy-tive years
ago, the six-pounder is now one of the
little guns to be used as the flint-lock
muskets were used in those days, to
repel attacks from small boats and
pick men off of exposed parts of an
enemy's ship. This latter service gives
them the names of numbering guns.
The six-pounder of 1912 was usually
brass piece, and the charge of powder
was so small that the balls failed often
to penetrate the thick plank of an
enemy's ship. 1t is fact, that, until
within forty years. thick timber in the
top sides of ship WAS a sufficient pro.
lection even against the cannon balls
of larger degree. But now the quick
firing six-pounder has become an awful
weapon of destruction. Its barrel is
made of steel. Instead of being fired
by touching flaming match to the
printing in the vent OF the gun, as it's
ancient nameSake was. it is fired and
loaded as we'll by the motion of lever
In place of the loose bag of powder and
the round iron ball that loaded the an.
Gent one. a metallic cartridge that is
made up of powder illuminate and a
long steel bolt is used The cartridges
are placed in a magiZine connected
with the gun, and the motion of the
lever throws out the empty shell after
the discharge, inserts fresh cartridge,
and fires it. The speed attained at a
recent trial of the Norlenfelt six
FOUNDER at hartford. England, was six
rounds in II seconds. 1t could be
easily and accurately fired twenty times
in minute
But the speed a.LaIueu. lmporuanC
as it is, is not the only advantage of
these six-pounder quick firing guns.
At the hartford trial mentioned the
gun was tested to show it's power.
Five iron plates, each an inch thick.
were used over an appropriate hacking
of wood to form target, yet the steel
bolts which this gun threw with such
marvellous rapidity passed clear
through the five inches of iron plates.
the gun being fired at distance of
sixty yards from the target. That is
the sort of weapon that the thin rae
ing shells called torpedo boats have
got to face. The little steamer may
fly at speed of twenty-five miles an
hour but unless she can get unob-
served within very short distance of
the big man-Of-war she seeks to DESTROY
the captains of the top ca the masts.
which are erected in all ship. will get the
range of her with the lghtning six
Founders, and before she can travel three
times her length will rive Slch. a shower
of steel bolts clear through hull. boiler
and everything about her that not a
soul nor a fragment will be left above
water to tell whence she came or mark
where she went down. Not even the
best of torpedo boats. except through
the accident of fog or in the smoke or
battle between larger ships can hope to
reach an enemy to do him hurt.
Zone glory of naval warfare has de-
parted forever-the glory of LAYING a
ship yardarm to yardalm beside the
enemy, and to the mad music of the
ratchet with sword and pike sWarming
over the rail and sweeping the enemy
from his own deck. 1t can't he done
now because sailormen don't fight on
open decks.
A curious test was made with one of
the ten-barrel Nordenfelt guns not long
ago in India. Two companies of
wooden soldiers were set up on a rifle
range. A company of fifty men. armed
with 1.-THE best modern rifles, fired at one
of tit8companies of wooden targets at