The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-23

her torpedo when she is 800 yards away. If
her speed is 20 knots it will take her 1 min
ute and 20 seconds to cover this distance OF
800 yards. This, then. is the time the guns
have 10 act, and if they can discharge 80
shots per minute, the torpedo boat in ques-
ton will have to run through torrent OF
$50 steel she'll before she can reach the posi-
ton of discharge. The accuracy with
which rapid-fre guns are sighted, and the
high 'velocites land consequently fiat
trajectories) of the projec,iles. almost pre-
| clude the possibility of the torpedo boat
escaping severe if not fatal punishment,
and turn the scale Of chance largely in favor
OF the gun
1t is probable that the day is not far dis
tant when all guns of 6-inch caliber and
less will be rapid-iring, and that these will
constitute the whole armament of many
unarmored cruisers. The forerunner of
this type of vessels is the PIemonte, OF $500
tons, built at the Elswick works for the
Italian government. She is armed with
6-inch rapid-fire guns, 6 T. 72-inch rapid-fire
guns, 10 6-pound Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns.
8 1-pound rapid-dre guns, 10-milhmeter
Maxim guns, and 3-torpedo tubes. Her
speed is 81 knots. To emphasize the de-
structive power of this remarkable vessel,
Lord Armstrong. in speech delivered in
September last at Elswick, said that 1.-THE
Piemonte is capable of discharging against
an adversary in a given time twice the
weight of snot and she'll that could be fired
by the largest vessel now afloat, not exclud
ing the leviathan battle ships of five or six
times her siZe.n
Speaking of the new Elswick quick firing
gun with which tho Piemonte is armed, he
said: Tho advantage of being able to fire
rapidly at critical moments is obvious TO
all. In the first place, the increased rapid
ity of fire of each gun is tantamount to in
creasing the number OF guns without neces-
stating a corresponding increase in the
number of gunnets or in the collective
weight of shields required to protect them.
In the second place: we obtain the great ad-
vantage of being able to repeat success
full shot before the enemy can materially
change his position, which would render
necessary fresh adjustment of the gun.
With improved descriptions Of
powder now coming into use velocities have
been obtained so great that the 4.72-iDcn
gun, weighing only 2 tons hundred weight,
is capable of piercing 10.5 inches of wrought
iron, while the 6-inchg quo, weighing 3 tons
Is hundred weight, nanpierce 10 inches of the
same material. In some trials carried out
last year with one 4.724iach gun by the I'D
miralty ten rounds were actually fired in
All seconds, whereas an ordinary breech-
loading gun of the same caliber, firing in
competition, took five minutes and seven
seconds to fire the same number of rounds"
Nothing illustrates more forcibly the
fluctuation Of opinion in regard to armor
and ships caused by quick-flre than the
fact that England is about to build four
armored battle ships of over Il, 600 tons,
the side armor to be IS inches thick, and
the armament, besides the main battery of
elton guns, to consist of 10 6-inch rapid
fire guns and eighteen other rapid-fire
guns.