The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-03-19

SlOTC CylluUcIS vi Stcci, ~ ulSCiJ ""
justed that they will just slip on the gun
when expanded one-twentieth Of an inch
by heat, and upon cooling will shrink
firmly into place and bind the cannon
more tightly together to resist the sudden
expansion due to the ignition Of such
large amounts of powder. The lathes are
of various sizes, ranging from thirty to
scvcnty-two feet in length, aud are at
present engaged upon the eight inch and
ten inch guns, with the prospect of short
ly turning the twelve inch gun, the plans
of which have met with the approval of
the Naval Board. The ten inch guns are
over twenty-scven feet in length, firing a
projectilc weighing 500 pounds, using
charge of powder weighing about 25O
pounds with an effective range up to ten
miles. Better things, of course, are ex-
pectcd of the sixteen inch monster.
We paused by the side of tremen-
dous ten inch gun, slowly revolving and
losing, at each revolution, a part of its
epidermis-dropping it in unbroken
shavings of steel that curled round and
round and disappeared beneath. "Ten
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" he went on, ''this is
our own unlucky gun. We allow the
jackets to expand only four -hundredths
of an inch, which isn't great margin
about the thickness of a sheet of letter
paper-and when we stood thi, big fel-
low up on his business end and lowered
the hot jacket into place it stuck about
four inches from the end. 1t would
neither go 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,"
I asked Fremont when they were
going to begin to make the sixteen
inch guns ordered. cit is doubtful"
he said. "Somc ordnance officers don't
believe they ought to be made at all.
A twelve inch gun will pierce any
armor that floats. What, then, is the
need of a sixteen inch2 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, Coney Island and Dry Romer shoals.
We are making about fifty guns here
now, and shall increase the number
Quite a unique bit is the gigantic
steam crane, which, instead of swinging
round a 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 gun thirty feet long and
thirty tons calmly travel di-
rectly over mechanics who arc indifTcr-
emily busy below, is calculated to stir
the blood.
The new workshops are 4 marvel oil
and contain many labor saw
ing pieces of machinery, which arc indis-
pensable with the present rate of pro-
gress 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 and conveyed to
any part of the building, and is depos-
tied on its lathe ready for turning, all in
the space of very few minutes and with
the assistance of three workmen only.
An immense "shrink pitt 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 jackets of steel. The jacketing
of q 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
crane into position; another section is
slipped on, and another, till the required |
number are all in place, those on the out
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 car
riages, turrcts, projcctilcs, shields and
and all equipments, and the mountinga
Of Gatling guns and secondary batteries.
Just now is being turned out cannon
ten feet long that is shot from the shoul-
der like a rifle, twenty shots minute, and
admits of very rapid and accurate aim.
It is an instrument to create good deal |
Of amusement in the devils realm if news
Of it has got there.
1 asked General IIawlcy about the
sixteen inch gun. cit is very likely that
We shall make somc," he said, "though |
The life of one Of those giants is only !
onc hundred rounds or so. One might |
never be fired moro than half dozen times
luringa battle. 1t would be held fol
decisive moments, but whatever it hit
would have to get out of the way"