The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-05-23
IRON DOGS OF WAR.
The Rapid Fire Gun a Novel Idea
of the Present Admins
tratiOn.

WASHINGTON. May 1.-THE first novel idea
in naval construction and armament devel-
Oped by the new administration is the use of
rapid fire guns in the main batteries of crnis-
ers. The last administration gave little at
tention relatively to the al mament OF naval
vessels. 1t took naval ordnance as it found
1t, and equipped its ships with big built up
guns of the Krupp pattern. Mr.. Whitney
judged rightly that the ships were mole
important than the guns mounted on them,
aid devoted all his energies to securing the
best models and the highest possible devel-
opment of power. His success in this re-
specr is roughly measured by 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 pro-
porIionate increase of speed. The engineer
ing bureau won its laurels under Whitney.
The ordnance service gained less distinction.
1t begins TO be admitted taat q mistake
was made in loading down the new ships of
the cruiser type with such 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 six-inch-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
for armored battle ships, but they make a
light steel cruiser rather top heavy. Some
significant changes have been quietly
made in the armament of the newest YES
sells. Some of the York own's siX-inch guns
are to be replaced with tive-:nch, and The
two ten-iuch 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, 2,000-ton cruisers
just designed with as heavy rapid fire guns
as can be built, and to dispe ense entirely with
the breech- loading rifles
The rapid-fre gun is an American inven-
ton, though il is in use in all the navies Of
the world for secondary batteries 1t is a
patent concern, and has never been made by
the navy department., though it may be
taken up, if 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 1888, when the work on our
new navy WAS begun, the largest rapid fire
was a six FOUNDER of about two-inch bore
The nine FOUNDER was soon developed, and
within the last year or two one gun has been
Iuil5 and successfully operated carrying a
thirty -uhree-pound shell of nearly four inches
caliber. This has Il range of five miles,
penetrateS eight inches of wrough ht iron at
100 yards, and can be accurately aimed and
fired ten times q minute 1t promises to
revolutiOnize naval gunnery by providing a
light and effective arm for small cruisers.
There is talk at the navy department of
mounting siX-inch rapid-ire guns on the
new . 900 ton cruisers, but this arm is yet
to be designed, and there are serious diff
culties in its construction.
The rapid-fire gun differs from the Krupp
model mainly in its Dimensions and in the
character ofits ammunition, which is fixed re
semblng an enormous copper she'll revolver
cartridge. The breech piece is detachable and
| is moved by hand lever The entire arm is
moved, loaded and directed by hand, vari-
Gus levers and automatic devices giving
| speed and facility, three euuners being the
force necessary. Hence the limitation of its
| size The cartridge for the thirty three
pound gun weighs fifty-seven pounds
| and sands nearly as high as
man. The makers think, il
the guns Were built much larger, both arm
and ammunition would be unmanageabe
except by the hydraulic-power devices en-
pIoyed in the guns of the Krurp model
| which would involve loss of time in firing.
| There is challenge to American ingenuity
in this difficulty. If it is once successfully
| overcome the United states will have pre-
sented another new arm to the world. The
department. seems bent upon trying the ex,
| pertinent. L. A. earle