The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-05-26


4 telegram from Annapolis. Nd,
kfvos very favornhle account Of the
new briggs Schneider rapid-Gring six-
| FOUNDER eun. Nineteen shots were
Arsd IN ons minule, and sixty rounds
| were dFed h four minutes and twenty
seconds.
Il would seem from this that there
/ II hitle room left for future inventors
! II devising means for rapid and hard
hitting. II lighting on land vas done
| q formerly. solid masses Of infantry
opposing and co]liding with solid
masses Of infantry, such guns ns this
six-powSIer. and the various machine
guns like the Calling and
Hotchkizs would, II given q
| chance. perform some neat ex-
] ploitx Ia annihilation. but armies do
| not light In that way now. and
| the same may be said Of navies.
Two thirk-khcllcd turtles could
never make very inter
esting prize fight. because the
| vulnerable parts arc seldom made wish
| Bile, and two iron or steel-ciad vessels
/ Of equal strength can make very little
/ impression on each other. Al least
/ that h ) fair infercnce. Two such
products Of modern naval construc-
lion hare. - 3 mettcr at fact. not yet
come together. The great test has
yet 81 b. made ~ 10 the real value OF
| modern naval aTmaments. The only
real iron-ciad hattie which has pc-
| cursSd since the iron ship era Gem
meaJAN1. was that In the Chilli Peru
Wan war of ls70, and that was an
| equal, II ii questionable II modern
Runnery II able 20 plant shots a. ae-
curateN a. did the old time round
shot fighters. The rapid firing
fRuns are reported hy army
and navy officers Co BE lack
INK In the essential Of accuracy.
The very fact that they are fired with
such rapidity precludee the belief that
the range Is always obtained. Nor
are some III the big guns now con-
L stxucted at any superior value. AZ
the siege Of Alexandria q few
years aso. the sultanss 2ssnn
guns could raj DESTROY ordi-
nary EKspt5on masonry foftiiica-
tions, aud Soften guns had 10 be used.
/ When the range Is accurately obtained
II il pexxihIe 60 do effective work. as
when the EnRii>h cut Egyptian rail,
way trains. moving over two mites OF.
| Ia two with bic projertiles. Gnnners.
however. mav shoot Wild, II they have
not found the range. even with riiled
ordnance. In the war Of 1872 the
cid smooth bores did frightful
work at sea. The ships came IN
within distances Of each other
varying from about half q mile
l - six feet. and the refund pro-
leetiiex. having high yslocities at
those distances. went straight 10
the easy Hat mark and shattered
something every time. The irht be.
tween the Peruvian steamer ffaas-
car and The british vessels 'sShAh"
and Amethyst" lasted three hours
under steam. with the best fisiei
ordnance worked by hrss-elass OH
GERS and men. The British ships
poured sixteen tons AZ shot inso the
Haa~cxr ard only killed enc man.
The shah" had twelve inch
guns. vet the fonrteen. and-a half
inch iron plate u the "Huassar
Was not pierced, The Huasesr
fought desperately, but hit nothing.
Naval Oh. ess estimate that = heavy
gun must he discharged CITY times Ia
biz once effectively probably tai. i a
sne msdeFAs~ estimate. The Huas-
car, whi<h escaped damage sEs is.s.
MAS captured the next year by the
tshls,sn iFusselaa Admiral Coxkrape.
after heinz perforated With shot ard
neAssS wrecked. io<lng nearly
her whole crew Ia this case
thc ChsIian vessei MAS mneh
the stronger. Her riaenasn sof
lat., tn ssexfssn ara tsT az<~st.