The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-27
TESTING OUR BIGGEST GUN.
rrr1yr-IyCn Steel RIFLE TRIED
AGAIN. At SANDY HOOK

=, rect n Second, However, Over tho
y..ut st tho Last Test-The Gun Dis
,,.,rr,a, OF the Tweive-inch Mortar.
Tho new l2.lnch built-up steel rihe was ired
,.,r tim.s Yesterday afternoon ut SANDY HOOK.
=, "a the second severe test oil the gun una
~ crs, nublic one. A larae party OF army
.scsr, from Fort Wadsworth. Fort hamiiton'
o On, Goy.rnor's Island went over to SEQ the
experiments rs ,ap'' iie"'" "'"''''' WI 'N'
p.le steamer Ordnance.
", %s, nh,er vcse'rlay was 10 test the quality
=, Imsrican.made powder. The first test
VI .,ol U,,l, ago was for he satne purpose.
,.-ss n failure, tie powder falling far below
-. ,o,uireraents. Yesterdays test resulted
u. hs nowdsrs failing again and the gun being
..,,norarily disabled. Tho trouble with the
.,vd.r i, that il does not give sufficient Ne-
80. hnt this is a fault which can be reme-
a.J American powder manufacturers are
s.hnj foreign ones because they have never
~ r.nuI,ed to furnish powder for such big
.,n, nc the new steel rifles. iesterdnyh test.
sow.y,r shows that they will lie equal to tho
.m.r,.ncy, and will undoubtedly be able to
mrpish the proper article soon.
Nh. povler which is being tried comes from
N. mill OF Dupont. 1t is slow brown powder.
Nh. ars, sample fall 1873 feet q second short OF
N. velocity requirement.. The powder maker
ni,ed another lot at once. Eighteen hundred
noupds OF it wore sent to Sandy Hook 10 be
tst.d 1t arrived Oh Monday and was burned
IN tho big gun Yesterday. 1t was an improve
mani Of seventy three feet per second over the
first lot, Dupont will go on making new 10.
and will continue doin. so till lie succeeds. He
must furnish an article that. with full charge
or 40 pounds will give n velocity OF 1913 feet
lira n ~ Na 4 m n
Duront, each unsuccessful iost costing him
Fiji Tlra NV. was begun Mt . o'clock yes!erlny nm
dor n e suietvi i IL OF Lieut.. w.. W. Gibson
t pr Of officer OF tho station. The big gun.
moun,e or u hteei cnrrinse which stands on
aconclsts ionndHi9r. ieceipe6 i.o9J-pnuhu
btssfl nIne Get. Two Tags OF powder, e.rii
weighin-: $50 pounds werr then placed 10 tho
gun. and Tho breeeh plug was screwed IN .'xh q.
Confessed in prisms. with hole in tbs cen-
band and Covered With a canvas bag. The
diameter OF hose lowder bags Is lust u I'll,
smaller than the di,meier OF the muzzle., Tho
first uhai &c OF 800 pounds. which opened yes
terdsys firing. consisted OF 3.2G0 prlsms In
two bngs.
electric wires we atIach led to two Tiny wires.
which were connected with small ilre-spltting
CAP In the Drvech uf t!'e un and which pro-
thing was reaiytor Sergenn. Johnson down in
ID. tomb proof to touch the electric button.
The noR nyie1 Wsrs hey
their fingers in the!r ears. They didn't nave to
w." Lieut. 'p"S Gibson gave Sergeant johnson the
signal to discharge this piece. Instantly, IL
tongue OF fire belchen from the mouth 81 the
gmn and the earth trsnhled. Huge bnlls OF OF
r ss the projectile Clouds Of smoke loHsre
ru st0 n. sand butt. Z" the SO
away. The pr"Irctile ploughed it's way through
III IL s6e
twowire frames Is feet apart Tuese frames arc
connected by electricity with the Office. where
velocity is The .. oI"ctile, in passing through
the wire screens hieais the circuit. nnd two
en '0s .s. roG u re in sRsr
tho velocity OF the pro ecti!e.
Whom he breech plug WAS unscrewed After
the discharge the pressure gauges. two small
sSpper pnss were removed and measured nnay a.
1Iey hu 9t 9oo
is,il e Was as feet FER re sseo In The rst
nt.wi,n the same ebarge COO pounds pres
Tho powder lett thick yellow deposit in tho
chamber of tho gun. THAI puzzled tho officers
Twas due e some inGrSdsnt Of the oWder
washed out it was I"udel again: This time
!hs charge OF howder was increased d., Nifty
w.. HsI M. in the gun. the i%uzsie q the gun
W, depressed TOO much for tho frst shot.
which caused the pro,ec,iie 70 strike the
ground about 100 feet short OF tho target and
then plough it's way to Tho sand butts. 1t WAS
raised trine for The second shot and the pro.
he =" he
magns 8 wrong and to register too low: AZ,
feet, per second was. obtained against !, 5Sl y
week or 80 ago. The pressure Was s 1850
pounds. On the previous test the 35O-pound
l,rUa al n M
This gun was loaded tho third time with a
ioo.pound charge OF powter. or 4.373 prisms.
mans who Q system. One old army officer who
stood on he top OF u stone wall said It shock cd
him oil over, The prolecils struck prede.
tia, vel Getty Of $50 teot hal been obla ned.
5000 pounds to thu square, inch. 1870 pounds
less tha n NJ the former trial.
IT had been apparent after the first shot that
me powder would never do. but 1t WAS decided
70 FIRE tho gun tll the charge limit, OF 44u
!pS Su"d. was reached. There vas only on, enc
oni s and Cart Heath Geeids4 TO re me
ea'rlae. till i i lon Iong muazIs pointed almost
due south, A haze hung over the water. hui i
n ase fRouEs ss ss osesn
ers were standing of I" the nortnward, 4 small
he srae% o. s"H I'm m ssth
ss.lh we're all set and several peopre could be
vas rammed IN behind the l.O0O-pound ir q
Rloleetilr. aud the Iarty got on sand hill;
Capt. Heath looked over the gun barrel
ttsroueh pair OF powerful glasses to be sure
nnat nothing was In the way TIE gun was ADJ
!used so that tho proIectile would strike the
Sa,er about half milo from land, Every
pody had his eyes fixed Cd the sail
eGAt to SOC how tho occupants would
take tho exhibition. A. sea gull was soar
Mg quarter Of a mile away. apparently
Mths track of the shot: There were Q iew
seconds Of suspense and thsn came tho dis
fnArgs. The report seemed to come in relays
Hae heavy thunder Once. twice. thloe time-
came tha awful roar before the proJecti q
struck the water. With the first one tho seu
3ull. which hung suspended on Its wings
SropDsd as II 1t had been hi'. Down 1t came
nose to the water. apparently helpless. 1t re-.
Wings
When almost abreast OF tho little sloop. but
svsral hundred yards TO tho right. the pro.
;setLe struck tho sea. 1t cansed water spou,
s@shoot up fully fifty feet FROM the shore the
sclmn Of water looked to be twenty five
that could DO heard plainly on shore. lInlI
ttIb.elrom the snot whore the prolectiio entsrel
X waller II came ou' again. sgipping alon.
~ III ,shriace An sending showers OF spray II
"iairections Then 1t disappeared.
tbmssntlme there appeared to be q panic or
sue sio"p. lie boat swung completely roun,
sssm mo wheel had been abandoned and al
Hfyoard appeared to be In bunch on the deck
NOR course,