Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1889-11-28
BREECH.LoADiAa MoRTARs.
Their superiority over Muzzie- Load

Their superiority Over Muzzie- Load.
ers fn Range and Accuracy.
A Washington letter says: The trials thus
far made at Sandy Hook with the new Finch
brscch-loading mortar have been satisfactory,
and indicate its superiority over the muzzle.
loader OF the same caiiher In range aud &C.
curacy as well as in other desirable qualities. AT
an elevation OF As degrees the shell, weighing
205 pounds, was propelled by a charge of sixty
Eve pounds a distance of more than five miles,
the initial velocity being 1,037 feet and the
pressure 2,TOo pounds.
1.-THE high Importance attached to these
heavy mortars for coast defence is indicated
In the annual report Of Gen. Duane, chief OF
engineers, who points out that all the prepara-
tions In which they form part can be carried
on at once leaving the disputed question of
kind Of armor required for land defenscs for
leisurely consideration"
Nine-tenths OF the armament recommended
for our scacoasts Is not to be mounted behind
iron projections, but In the rear of earlhcn
covers, surmounting and shielding The mason-
~, magazines, bomb proofs, and storerooms.
Partilarly is this true Of the rllled mortars,
which must hereafter play an important part
In the defense Of our channels and fair ways,
and there Is no reason why the erection of the
batteries required for them should be delayed
for single month"
The reliance upon the Pinch mortars IA
also indicated by the report of the for,iiea-
tiOns board, which proposed for New York
alone la Of them; for San Fran cisco, 1913; for
Boston, 132; for the lake ports, "a for Hamp-
ton roads. Baltimore, and PbiIadeInbia- ID,
each: for Portland aud Nurr,pausett han. AZ
each; for Kew West and Portland. Ore. ~
esch: for Charleston. Mobile. Savannah Cal
weston. and New Bedford. I6 each: for New
Haven. 8. Here is n total of 724 of The l2-incb
mortars to be provided, with their implace-
ments There would accordingly be plcnty of
work for wears to come I'm furnishing these hat
terIea alone. without regard TO tho heavy puns
needed The cost of the mortar Inducements
ID shown by the estimates of So 600 each made
for those required ut Peach Patch island
PHILADELPHIA.
A board of engineers which estimated tho
sost of the l9.inch mortars and Endorsements
for New York, PhiladelphIa. Boston. and BAL
timOre about three wears apo foupd II IN bo
BIZ OOO for each mortar and imnIocement
making an aggregate of S4.Gg2 OOD for the
four ports This estimate gave the Narrows
B mortars and the East RIVER defenses AZ. with
is each for Philadelphia and Baltimore. as in
the calculations of the Notifications board,
but assigned onlv 100 to Boston, instead of
1872. In round numbers. the full mortar pro-
lection Of these four ports would cost about
Is, 600, 900, while the entire mortar-ba ttery de-
lenses for the Atlantic the Pacific, the Culf
md the lakes would be a little over sl2,OOO.
700. Thus 1t will be seen how great a part OF
the total expenditures contaminated ia taken
mp with this mode OF defense alone. 1t is
further to be noted that in each case the NOR.
lar suggested is of the l2.inch calibcr, or In
,ther words, the Que now under test at Sandy
II0Qk. Hence, these current trials DO, sess !,
yrcnt ,leUce ~ imnortonce anil N ia furibsr