New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-05-22
RON DOGS OF WAR.
The Rapid Fire Gun Novel Idea
of the Present Admins
tratiOn.

WASHINGTON. May 17.-The first novel idea
IN naval construction and armament devel-
oped by the new administration is the use OF
rapid ire guns in the main batteries of cruis-
ers. The last administration gave little at
tentlon relatively to the armament of naval
vessels. Ittook naval ordnance as it found
1t, and equipped it's ships, with big built up
guns of the Arupp pattern. Mr.. Whitney
judged rightly that the ships were moe
important than the guns mounted on them,
aud devoted all his energies to securing the
best models and the highest possible devel-
opment of power His success in this re-
specJis roughly Ineasured,py the fact that
the Charleston, just launched in San Fran
CISCO, has double the engine power of the
Roach ships of the same class, with a pro-
porolonate increase of speed. The engineer
ing bureau won its laurels under Whitney.
Inc ordnance service gained less distinction.
1t begins TO be admitted that mistake
was made in loading down the new ships of
the cruiser type with such a weight of
metal. The English government, from
which we have copied rather too much. dis
covered the same error in some of its latest
constructions. A six-;nch-built up gun
weighs over four tons, and every two inches
added to the bore more than doubles the
weight These monsters are all very well
Tor armored battle ships, but they make
light steel cruiser rather top heavy Some
significant changes have been quietly
made in the armament of the newest yes
Geis Some of the Yorktown's six-ineh guns
aEe to be replaced with tive-inch. and the
Two uen-inch monsters designed for the
Chareston's battery are to give place to
eight-inch guns. The most noteworthy ma
val new departure, however is the deter
mination to arm the three 2,OOO-ton cruisers
just designed with as heavy rapld-fire guns
as can be built, and to disp ense entirely with
the breech- loading rifles
The raDld-tre gun is an American inven-
ton, though it is in nse in all the navies of
the world for secondary batteries 1t is
patent concern, and has never been made by
the navy department., though it may be
taken up, it the experiments now contem-
plated are successful The original patents
should run out soon, as the guns have
been made for some fifteen years.
Until recently, however, the guns
have only been made in small
calibers Up to 1883, when the work on our
new navy was begun, the largest rapid-fire
was six FOUNDER of about two-inch bore.
The nine FOUNDER was soon developed. and
within the last year or two one gun has been
built and successfully operated CARRYING
thirty -three-pound shell of nearly four inches
caliber. This has a range of five miles,
penetrates eight inches of wrought iron at
100 yards, and can be accurately aimed and
fired ten times a minute. It promises to
revolutionize naval gunnery by providing a
light and effective arm for small cruisers
There is talk at the navy department. of
six-inch rapid-fire guns on the
new 2, 600 ton cruisers, but this arm is vet
to be designed, and there are serious diff
culties in its construction.
The rapid-fre gun differs from the Krupp
model mainly in it's dimensions and in the
character of its ammunition, which is fixed re-
sembling an enormous copper shell revolver
cartridge. The breech piece is detachable and
is moved by hand lever. The entire arm is
moved, loaded aud directed by hand, Yari-
Gus levers and automatic devices giving
speed and facility, three gunners being the
force necessary. Hence the limitation OF it's
size The cartridge for the thirty three
pound gun weighs fs5y-seven pounds
md sands nearly as high as
q man. The makers think, ii
the guns Were built much larger, both arm
and ammunition would be manageable
except by the Acknowledgements devices en-
ployed in the guns of the Krupp model.
which would involve loss of time in firing.
There is a challenge to American ingenuity
in this difficulty. If it is once successfully |
overcome, the United States wit have pre-
sented another new arm to the world. The
department. seems bent upon trying the ex-
pertinent. +. A. earle.
Cabinet WhirI.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, May IL
Both the cabinet and the supreme court are
threatened with reconstruction. It has been
for some time that the president