Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-09
THE wORLD.s BIG GUNS.
The Biggest II no Tons and Belongs
to Italy.

From the London Times
Sir Frederick Bramwel recently In the Town
Hall, Birmingham, delivered his inaugural ad-
dress as president oil the Birmingham and Mid
land Institute, his subject being 'Our Big
Guns" Having dwell at length and with great
minuteness on the technical branches of his
subject-the construction of guns, the form and
velocity OF shot, and the relative values OF
steel ana other metals-he referred to
tue great increase in the size OF the
guns which has taken place within the
Last few years, aud asked now 1t had arisen
The answer, tie said, was from the struggle be-
tween tne gums aud the arnior plates-the at
TACK ana tue defense It from tile con-
TN ued ef'rts Ut the attack and of the defense
that tue dimensions OF our big guns had gone
on increasing and increasing, until their weight
had reached liz tons, tneir length Al ,eet, the
weight OF their projectiies I,SUO pounds ami
ina, L 1t, Q. their powder charge $50 pounds Sir
Ffeueflck then proceeued: "You are probably
saying To yourselves that no proper prog ress Is
Made In English guns; that they are Oehind
those VI other nations- Let Us see now the iacts
are.
..In 1874 the 12-inch 3s-ton muzzls.loading
Filed gun, having u shot travei OF fourteen
c.tiioer, com pose OF a steel tube WITH wrousl Ut
iron coils around part oi il, was Lne foremost
piece OIL ordnance We Possessed. The proiectile
"a ihis gun weighed 700 pounds, its extre. ne
ieistn Was three ciIiuers, its veiocity leav-
ing lie muzZe was la 10 Ieet per second, and
It's luZZ'e energy Was 1850 tOol-tODS. Let us
Jake our present gun Oi he same caliber. IL
Is ~ incnes bore; Weighs As TONS; Is breach
.os,01-is; Is rificd with multiple grooves taking
Il .o,dsihg ring and not gas checK; 1t Is
m de entirely OF steel, and has d shot travel Of
Il LON calioers. The projectiie OF this gun
weisus TIA pounds; 1t has an extreme length
vi t"ree caliDers; It's velocity on leaving tue
ihuzLie Is ,SoO eet per second, and It's muZzle
energy Is $4,000 ioO,-tOns. You will see hat
III tuese few years we have converted IN izz.e
uoue 81 WITH Tue saline prefecture, and that we
uise ali Dut douuied Tie muZLle energy, al
though the addition to the weight Tue gun
noe, NOT amount 10 more than 70 per cent. /
can TINS progress, anu very goud progress.
'Agal., AS rer,a rus dimensions weapons,
Whereas in 1874 the ;5o-ton muzzle loader was
thc aigeSt I ui We mad ever miue, We are now
making 11u-uon guns, entirely vi steel and
breecn-io,oing, having shot travel o. rs cali.
muzzie velocity OF z, loo ieeL per second, ana u
uuzzie energy Oi 5o,U4U ioUI-Lons. l'all tuaL
,uosIaniiai progress. Win respect to prugress
la constructions. l may remind You that We are
con .inGIng our experiments with Steel rlUpOn
guns. I.u may, however, say: 1t does not sulIice
~ nave our present. guns com. Jared with our
lorinrr gus, ulLnOuS.I, no uOuUt, tuat is one
est VI Progress; they should be compared with
the present guns vi other naLiUns.' the iactS Us
regard, France, SO lar q, l NnOw them, are tuaL
tneir largest steel guns are OF 20 tons weis ut
ahu q. 1O12 Incnes UOre, hing IL PROJECT ,e
weighing L. ~ pounds, with II muzze velocity
VI 1,I3S iecL per second, slviug energy
o6.Ouu foot-tons. 1ne gun is ureecn ios,uIng
anu Is rl1eu ON tue Increasing TWIST system,
as the English guns are. As regards Ger
many, / 40 not believe that the Germdus
dave III their service amy guns larger Lnan
IA Indeed they be So large ;is) the steel guns
L nave mentioned uS USiOuSInS To France,
although uOliDL the great Germ. IN gunna6er
Is prepared 10 nIalluiiicl ure tor L.iein, he
doue Ior Tie Italians, guns up 10 l1S tons. The
i.scts as resarus Lazy are tnat, eXcept two 49,
On guns just iIleIi .IOneu her OLuer OIg guns II
100 anu LOO tons nave Deeu Manufactured In
.nls country.
~ itn aspect to the 119-ton guns l am in-
Ioriheu tneir baill,tIcs are as iOliows: Weight
"a Charge, ~ pouuu,; weight Oi snOl, 3I4
p"uu0>; nuZzie veioclty, l,772 ieet per secouu;
..na muLLie energy, oO,3k4 IUot-tons IL may
De Interesting to compare the baiustics OF the
loo-ton guns, wuIcn are: Wei III vi c.Iurge,
9uO pouuus; weigh, of shoi, 900 POUNDS;
muZzie Velocity, Z,Ol9 feet per second; AMI
.nuzLie energy, 56,o41 IOOt-iOus. l tniun gu
Viii agree am Ju,.,ned i'll saylug that the po-
>itiou vi Italy re-aiuS DlS guns Is no more
thsin on u par with our own. Now. l think tue
.ore,OIns Statements, should satisfy YOU We are
not tagging behind Other natiuIis bu. are well
~ the lfout, wniIe wiLn re,aru tU wire-suu eX-
periuleutS 1 beiIevs We have dOue, and are
dninS, more than has been attempted by any
other nat1On."
AZ c''nciuu. ng, Sir F. Bramweil alluded to the
Gust Vi testing guns anu prOJectiies, and Ou-
served. until ndtiJus Ceased Ia cJvet, d couatry
Ike Ensiau with Its great seabuard, its
uieS am las enurulOuS commerce, must b. pre-
pared, as III. filling tue dictates Uruin.,ry pru-
Ience. 10 spenu ANNUALLY very lar.e sums; yet,
stiter all, not very large, wnen cJnsluercu
premiums OF insurance. IApptduSe,