Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-04-25

when expanded one-twentieth of an inch
by heat, and upon cooling will shrink
firmly into place aud bind the cannon
more tightly together to resist the sudden
expansion due to the ignition of such
large amounts of powder. The lathcs are
oil various sizes, ranging from thirty to
eevcnty-two feet in length, aud arc ut
present engaged upon the eight inch and
ten inch guns, with the prospect of short
~ turning the twelve inch gun, the plans
of which have met with the approval of
the Naval Board The ten inch o,ns are
over twcnty-scven feet in length, firing n
projcctile weighing 500 pounds, using Il
charge of powder weighing about $50
pounds with an effective range up to ten
miles. Better things, of course, are ex-
pected of the sixteen inch monster.
We paused by the side of tre:nen-
dous ten inch gun, slowly revolving and
losing, ut each revolution, n part of its
epidermis-dropping it in unbrokcn
shavings of steel that curled round and
round and disappeared beneath. "ren
feet long" said Lieutenant Fremont,
'twcnty, thirty feet long, and one was
the other day brought up to my room,
sixty feet long-a splendid curl, in its
way quite bit of decoration.
"By the way ne went on, "tlis
our own unlucky gun. We allow the
jackets to expand only ur-hundrcdths
OF an inch, which isn't Il great margin
about the thickness of sheet of letter
paper--and when we stood this biz fell
low up on his business end and lowered
the hot jackct into place il stuck about
four inches from the end. II would
neither 20 on nor Off, so it was ruined,
and we had to cut the jacket Off, bit by
bit. Now we are preparing the tube for
another. Well, the odd part OF it is,
this gun is No. 49,"
L asked Fremont when they wcro
going TO begin to make the sixteen.
inch guns ordered. at is doubtful"
he said. "Somc ordnance officers don't
Relieve they ought to be made Mt all.
A twelve inch gun will pierce any
armor that floats. What, then, is the
need of II sixteen inchs They may be
useful on Notifications, and it is under
stood that the army will make some for
New York harbor, in turrets on Sandy
Hook, Concy Island and Dry Romer shoals.
We are making about fifty guns here
now, and shall increase the number"
Quite unique bit is the gigantic
steam crane, which, instead of swinging
round central focus, reaches from side
to side of the shop and travels hori-
zontally hundreds of feet, on tracks
thirty feet above the heads Of the men.
TO see II gun thirty feet long and
weighing thirtys tons calmly travel Gil
rcctly over mechanics who arc indiirer-
emily busy below, is calculated to stir
the blood.
The new workshops are marvel of
convenience and contain many labor saw
ing pieces of machinery, which are indis-
pensablc with the present rate of pro-
grcss of the work. All material is
brought directly into the rear of the
shop by the locomotives on special
track, and is lifted from the cars by the
ponderous steam crane aud conveyed to
any part of the building, and is dcpos
tied OH its lathe ready for turning, ali in
the space of a very few minutes and with
the assistance of three workmcn only.
An immense ''shrink pit" occupies the
center of the shops, and it is here that
the sixteen-inch gun and all others Of the
'built-up" class will receive their over
tapping buckets Of steel. The lacketinn
OF a gun is an exceedingly interesting
sight. 1t is supported in an upright po-
sition in the centre Of the pit, the Jacket,
heated to degree sufficient to expand it
to width slightly larger than the out
side diameter of the tube, is lowered
with the. utmost precision by the steam
1nfn nnstfinn.
slipped on, and another, till the required
number are all i'll place, those OH the ont
side overlapping the seams of the first
layer. After this process Is completed
the guns are returned and then sent to
the proving grounds at Annapolis, where
they undergo severe tests and expert
ments to determine their range. power of
penetration and charge required
The work here is not confined to the
heaviest ordnance, but includes ca
riages, turiets, proiectilcs. shields and
and all equipments, and the mountings
of Calling guns and secondary batteries.
lust now is being turned out cannon
ten feet long that is shot from the Shout
der like rifle, twenty shots minute, and
admits of very rapid and accurate aim.
1t is an instrument to create good deal
of amusement in the devils realm if news
of it has got there.
| asked General Hawlcy about the
sixteen inch gun. alt is very likely that
VIE shall make some" he said, ''though
the life of one of those giants is only
one hundred rounds or so. One might
never he fired more than half dozen times
duringa battle. 1t would be held for
decisive moments, but whatever it hit
would have to ret out of the way"
Why She Was Happy.
COL, Al