The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-05-09
q. s. S. CHARLESTON.

SOm0 interesting I8rCICuISr0 ABOUT the
Cruiser which will soon Visit Homo
lulu-Her Omcers,
Following are the officers of the
United States cruiser Charleston
shortly expected at Honolulu:
Commodore and acting Rear Ad-
miral George Brown, commanding
Pacific squadron; Captain G.. G.
Remey, Chief of Staff and command
ing Charleston; Lieutenant G.. L.
Dyer, Flag Lieutenant; Ensign G.
p. Blow, Secretary to Admiral;
Lieutenant Commander q. G. Todd,
Executive Officer; Lieutenant w. l..
Field, Navigator; Lieutenants-N.
J. K. Patch, J. j. Hunker, E. F.
Quaitrough. James III. Glennon and
George NJ. Stoney; Ensigns-J. L.
Jayne, A. M. Beecher, ]. D. Melon
aid, Fl. p. Parmenter and Elliott
Snow; Medical Director George w.
Woods, Fleet Surgeon; Passed As
sistant Surgeon. F. M. F. Weber;
Assistant Surgeon, Geo. Roth
ganger; Paymaster Arthur Burtis,
Fleet Paymaster; Chief Engineer
David Smith, Fleet Engineer;
Passed Assistant Engineers. N.
Hollis, F. w. Bartlett; Assistant
Engineer, T. Jones; Chaplain, Rob
ert Hudson; Captain of Marines,
Captain w. s. Muse; Fleet Pay
Clerk, w. s. Bowley; Pay CLERK,
John Murphy; Gunner William
Walsh; Carpenter, o. 81. Hilton.
The Charleston's main battery con-
sists of ten 6-inch breech-loading
rifles throwing projectile of 100
pounds; two are mounted on the for
ward barbette, two in the after, the
other six being broadside guns, three
on a side, in projecting sponsors.
The extreme range of these guns is
six miles, but the elevation that can
be obtained on shipboard makes it
about four miles or q little over. The
secondary battery consists of four 6
Founders, rapid fire rifles, six Hotch-
kiss revolving cannon and four Cat
lings. There are ports for four
above-water torpedo guns or launch
ing tubes, with which the Charleston
will eventually be fitted, but which
have not as yet been forwarded from
the Atlantic States, where they were
constructed.
The 6-inch breech- loading rifle
cartridges are composed Of powder
whose grains look like iron nuts, and
are made up by piling the grains
one on top of the other so that the
hole in the center will be in the same
line all the way through, in order to
allow the flame to go from the
ignited grains at the base all the
way through the charge and start
the ignition at all points of the
cartridge at the same time. The
grains are built up on forms, a wire
running through the grains, keeping
them in place. A bag is then drawn
over the grains and the wire re-
moved. The bag is strengthened by
means of Hercules braid :" If it
were not the weight would burst the
cloth. This bag is enveloped in q
copper cylinder and Dramatically
sealed. The cylinder has q lid on
each end and q ball to carry it by.
When the cylinder comes on deck
from the magazine the lid Of the tie
end Of the bag is removed and the
case inserted in the gun; the other
end is then pulled off and the ram
mer shoves the charge home and out
of the cylinder. The weight Of the
cartridge is fifty pounds, and it con-
sists Of about 600 grains of powder.
The grain is Of an octagonal form,
Il inches in length and 1 inch in di-
ameter, and in its rusty brown color
and shape, with the hole through the
center, looks more like an iron nut
than grain Of powder.