New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-26
WITH SMoKELESS POWDER
SUCCESSFUL TESTS AT SANDY HOOK.


ING RESULTS WITH AN EIGHrINcH RIFLED
GUN-GooD WORK WITH THE FIRST
TwELvE-INcH RIFLE MADE
IN AMERICA
The Squadron OF Evolution and the Naval
Reserve have occupied the minds of Americans,
and particularly New-Yorlers, 80 much lately
that the shore defences have not had much
attention paid to them as the last two days tests
| at Sandy Hook deserved. That wave-Swept
tongue OF land is so far away from the city that
the thunder of its great guns Is never heard here.
and few of the pleasure-seekers who go TO the
Hook ever feel like wading through the sand to
the extreme point where the Army ordnance prov
| ing grounds are The place where the results
of the tests are computed is little office full OF
air-pumps, fine scales and other scientific instru-
ments of bewilderDg shapes. Only by looking
out of the windows at the mass OF guns, mortarss
shells and carriages can the visitor assure him
| self of the fact that he is, indeed, among hcavy
artillery and artillery officers. The modern artl-
lery officer is scientist, who must be able TO
use mathematics, physics and chemistry IN hgur-
| ing out the complicated problems now involved oy
every shot fired from big gun.
The test Of the new tweve-inch gun on Friday ana
the test yesterday of the first lot Of German smoke
less powder used in large guns in this country
have had such brilliant and even unhoped-for re-
| suits that it seems probable that new era In
| American heavy ordnance will date from the last
two days. q
The result of the twelve-inch gun trial was ex-
| celIent.N But Yesterdays tests with smokeess
powder were such surprise to all that they de-
serve first place. Since smokeless powder came
into use in Europe, American ordnance officers
have followed the tests there with interest
| 90 frrfnN
| il in great guns here, instead Of
the brown prismatic powder which is in use
at present Three months ago 900 pounds Of
the German smo<eless powder were secured by
the officers at Sandy Hook, but none was tried
until yesterday.
| The powder comes in black cubes, three-eighth
inches on each edge. 1t is extremely light and
may be cut like rubber, which 1t resembles 80
| closely that no one would imagine it could
possibly he gunpowder, and strong gunpowder,
too. When pared into thin pieces it is translu-
cent, and has a slight rosin-lilSe tint when held
! to the light. One great advantage of this
| powder is that it may be put into the gun by
merely filling the bag used in loading, without
| laying each cube carefully alongside the other.
| When using the brown prismatic powder much
time is wasted because the hexasonal prisms
must be carefully laid alongside Of one
another and built up in a cylinder Up
to the present time American powder
manufacturers have maintained that they
could not make the snokeless powder. Perhaps
this proof of its superiority may help them to
! change that opinion. However, while the officers
at Sandy Hook feel greatly pleased with the new
| powder, they do not wish to commit themselves
yet by unqualified recommendation Of it, There
| are many points which can be brought out only
after using it long time, such its ability to re-
main perfect after years exposure to damp, its
uniformity Of excellence, its quality of always CIV
| ing the same results under the same conditions
| etc.
| For the test yesterday the s-inch steel brcech
| loading rifle was used. Three rounds were fred
each round with an increased amount of powder.
In each round the regulation 3o0.pound projectile
was used The first shot was fired with thirty
pounds of smolseless powder. The velocity attained
was 400 feet a second and the pressure was less
than $4,000 pounds a square inch. The second
shot was fired with fOrty-ive pounds of powder.
The velocity attained with that shot was 1890
feet a second, the pressure being 10000 pounds
square inch. Fifty pounds of powder were
used for the third and last round With this
the shot attained velocity of 2,l62 feet a
second, and "a pressure of $4,000 pounds to the
square inch was developed. The energy of the
shot at the muzzle was 0,720 foot-tons
10 comprehend 1ully lne greaO lDlpOruduCe oi
these three Shots it must be remembered that
in order to obtain q velocity of only ,035 feet
second, with the same gun, l3O pounds of the ordi
nary brown priSmatic powder must be used and
then a pressure of 3 900 pounds square inch Is
developed. This is almost the pressure developed
by the fifty pounds of smolIeess powder, ana
the latter charge gives the prOjectile 2,l62 feet
a second velocity This shows that compara-
lively small charge of smckeess powder VIII
give results equal to or greater than the presene
hcige charges of prisrnatlc powder. WIN
25O-pound projectile such is used in the
Navy, this gun would give a velocity of 2,343
feet a second with fifty pounds Of smokeless
powder. rle reason why the heavier proJectlle
is used is that it retains its energy for much
LONGER time than the lighter prOJectlle. Wlen
the gun was fired a small ball of smoke shot
from the hIzzle and dissolved almost at once.
that part OF the test being therefore also highly
satisfactory.
The new tweve-inch gun may fairly be called an
American gun, though the tube, jacket. and two OF
the forgings came from France, owing 10 the tact
that when the building of this gun was started III
was impossible to get such large steel forelngs In
this country. The borings were made ana the
Jacket was shrunk on here. At the present time,
the Bethlehem Iron Company can make such fors-
ings SO the next gun Will probably be MADE mere
altogether. The new gun weighs h1ty-two tons,
and is about thirty-siX feet long. The contract
requirements Of this gun are that 1t shall be ape
to Withstand full charge of 44O pounds OF Orown
prismatic powder, with ,00Op0und prolectiie,
which must attain a velocity of 1850 feet 2
second with pressure not TO exceed
3s 900 pounds. With an s50-pound pro lectile
the standard powder is expected to give
velocity of over 1000 feet a second. Inc test
consisted of four rounds which were hred on
Friday and one round yesterday. The powder
proved unsatisfactory and therefore the largest
amount used was 375 pounds. But as ma Nlmtm
nrcsSure of -. 900 pounds was developed whioh
thr gnn withstood perfectly, the test may be con-
silcred as proving that the new toy is great
success The official figures were gwen TO
Tribunc reportcr Yesterday. They are as follows,
the powder being the regulation brown prismatic
throughout;
WEIGHT WEIGHT Velocity Pressure