Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-20
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH,

have had if it hadn't exploded.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH.I
WASHINGTON, February 19.-The e1-
animation of the open-hearth steel cast gun
made at the works of the Standard Com
pany at Thurlow, near Chester, Pa, is still
in progress at the proving grounds at
Annapolis, under the superintendent Of
Lieutenant Commander Dayton, and the
farther the search proceeds the more it be-
comes evident that the naval authorities
cannot accept the gun. The Ordnance
Bureau is to-day in receipt Of several bore
impressions from the Lieutenant, which
exhibit more serious flaws in the interior
walls of the weapon than there were at any
previous time suspected.
Though the authorities at the bureau will
express no opinion, the inference is that in
the proving of the gun the explosion and
the friction of the projectile broke away thin
partitions of metal which concealed these
flaws when the gun was in process of smooth
boring and rihing, and natural conjecture
is that the entire casting is full of these
cracks and holes.
HOW THE TEST IS MADE.
The bore impressions are taken on India
rubber. An instrument is used which
nearly fits the bore, but with one small Sec
tion at one side wedge-shaped, that it may
be slid back along the larger seetion-thus
leaving, when IN that position, increased
space between the instrument and the wall
of the gun at that side. A broad piece of
India rubber, softened with hot water, is
placed on this wedge-like section,
and it is then, by means of long
handles, slid into its proper position,
closing the bore and pressing the rubber
with great force into the grooves, against
the interior walls of the gun, and, of course.
into any holes or flaws that may be there.
The result is an infallible imprint of the
interior of the weapon, which cannot be
disputed by the most skeptical in regard to
the purposes of the Navy Department in IFS
treatment of the steel cast guns.
The impressions forwarded by Mr.. Day
ton to-day, though they are taken from
very small portion of the interior of the
gun, exhibit an almost startling array of
flaws, principally in the form of elbow
holes" some of them an inch long and half
an inch deep. Other places show rough
surface, indicating the presence of innumer-
able smaller holes. which have been broken
into by the force of the explosion and the
friction of the she'll.
WHERE THE WONDER LIES.
If these impressions are an example of the
condition of the casting throughout, as it
seems fair to assume, the wonder is that the
gun endured the strain of single fire, and
the fact that it did endure it in this imper-
feet condition excites the query as to the
strength of perfect casting, which may
possibly be much greater than that of
6uilt-up gun, as was asserted by Superin-
tendent Baldt, of the Standard works, would
be the case with an open-hearth gun, per-
fectly cast and properly tempered.
The present question, however, is, Will
this gun be accepted? If not, the result of
all this bother will be rather discouraging
to manufacturers. and they may not care to
60 into further costly experiments if gun
which stood the test of the ten rounds is
thrown aside because of a slightly unusual
expansion and the presence of lot of little |
holes. But the specifications are rigid, and |
it is not to be supposed that the ordnance
bureau and the Secretary of the Navy will |
abate one iot of them for the purpose Of en-
the manufacture or further e1 |
pertinent with guns of which every man in |
the navy is afraid.
STRICT SPECIFICATIONS.
The first paragraph of the specifications |
,tipulates that ''the castings from which |
;hese guns are made must be composed of |
steel of domestic manufacture, made from
he best quality of raw material, uniform in
quality throughout the mass, and free from
'lag, seams. cracks, cavities, flaws, blow
holes, unsoundness, foreign substances and
Ill other defects affecting their resistance
value" In the twenty-frst paragraph it is
stated that critical inspection will be made
after the test, and the piece must not exhib-
t any defects or weakness"
The 'criticaI test," it is safe to say, will
lot be less critical than it ought to be, and
t has shown. so far as it has been carried
~ means of the electric light and the star
,auge, that there is an expansion in parts
If the powder chamber from eight to pine
of an inch, and in only slightly
esser degree in parts of the piece near the
nuzzle. This is nearly one hundredth part
If an inch, and, as only four-hundredths of
IN inch is allowed for the "grip" of the
hell, it will be easily recognized how seri-
us this expansion is. In other words, a
,rojectile in passing out of q gun is sup
,osed to be compressed two-hundredths of
N inch on each side, to give it grip on the
ifles and receive its rotary motion, and Just
IS that grip is lessened the projectile loses
N force.
ONLY ONE
This expansion, in connection with the
exhibit Of flaws, which seem
low to exceed anything suspected or found
N the Pittsburg gun. will almost certainly
ecide the navy authorities to reject the
,un without an if or a but, and then all ex-
'erimenting will be at an end until Con-
ress provides an appropriation for further
ests, or until manu- tacturers, led on by this
ear approach to success, are willing to
onduct experiments at their own expense.
OF course not a word is dropped to indi-
ate the verdict of the department until the
eport is all in and the evidence can be
7e1ghed as a whole, but it may as we'll be
ct down now as an accomplished fact that
he Standard gun will no more be accented
han If it had blown to pieces like its Pitts
urg twin. The s., 300, which a successful
rowing would have put in the pocket of
ne Standary Company, will remain in the ]
reasurY, alongside of the $1,000 Mr.. I
idiHSWoIIu WOulu nave cdpIuIcu IL tuc | Z
'essemer gun had withstood the test.
Il do not say that the Standard gun will !
OF be accepted" said high authority of
ne Navy Department to-day, in converse
on with the correspondent of THE DIS ,
ATCH, but will say that built-up gun,
howing similar defects, would be promptly
lrown back on the hands of the manufac- :
lrers as good for nothing but to inferred
| the cemetery for old iron. But it is not
lought or desired at the Department that
lis should be the epd of experiments with
lie cast gun. On the contrary many ex-
erts in ordnance have been led by the