The National tribune., 1891-10-01
GREAT GUNS.
What is BcIHg Done In the Construction OF Wal
Material.

]
others four great I2-inch guns. one Of which is
receiving the finishing touches Tho latter
with another nearly finished. viii constitute
tho armament of the forward turret Of the
great coast-defense vessel Monterey in process
If construction 80 the Union Iron Works of
san Francisco. The other two will probably
20 TO the double-turreted monitor Puritan, or
TO the battleship Texas building st the Navy
yard, Norfolk, Va. There are also number
Of l0-iuch guns in process Of construction.
One Of two Of these for the after turrct
Of the Monterey was tested on the 22d ult.
at the Naval Ordnance Proving Ground ut
/ Indian Head, about IS miles down the POtO-
mac. The gun was on its mount, or carriage
! which is the FIRST for a lO-inch gun made ac-
cOrdng 10 designs prepared by the Bureau Of
Ordnance OF the Navy Department This
mount is considered great improvement on
the lO-inch mounts Of the MiSntonomoh. IL
worked well and with slight notifications
viii be ready FOR service The gun was fitted
with the D4shiel brCcch mechanism for large
guns, an improvement Of the Canet system.
Others OF the lO-inch guns are for the aTmored
| cruiser Maine nearly completed at the New
York NaVy-yard, aud the doublo-tuuoted
monitors.
One Of the most interesting Of all is n 40
caliber, 6-inch gun one of a pair 10 be mounted
fore and aft on the triple-screw fieT, now OIL
cially known as Cruiser No. -, but unoilicially
dubbed The Pirate" and which many citi-
gems Of Michigan are DESTROYS Of having named
Grand Rapids Its mate is ut Indian Head,
whore, at its official trial on the 22d nit. it
gave the extraordinary initial velocity Of , $50
feet per second without exceeding the rogula-
ton pressure Of - tons in the powder-chamber
| The new Navy smokeless powder, 10 is thought
will enable the gun to give an initial velocity
Of over 2.3O0 feet.
On the same day at the Same place the new
| f-inch rapid-hriug gun for the Navy, fitted
I D, a., T.aB 4.
a test for rapidity of fire. The service charge
OF brown powder was used, and the gun fired
m salEos of five rounds each. The first five
shots were fired i'm 26 seconds the second five
in p seconds. and the third five in Il seconds
This record is about 40 per cent. better than
the best made abroad with gun Of the same
caliber. The Dashel breech mechanism
worked in an entirely satisfactory manner
In the erecting-shop Of the Washington fac
tory the turrct mounts Of the two y inch guns
OF the Monterey are being erected. together
with the machinery for turning the tuTrets aud
handling the guns.
There is also being erected new rining-ma-
chino for guns Of large caliber. II will be
capable OF riing guns Of all sizes up TO l6-
inch calibcr llO-ton monsters, and will reach
nearly across tho north guu-shop. Parts Of il
arc already in position.
The foundations are being put IN FOR num-
bCroi large lathes, which will soon bedclivcred
by Philadelphia contractor. These lathes are
superior 70 any iu use. They are fitted 10 work
two turning tools on the outside Of q gun and
a boring tool inside az tho same time. This is
done hy having special belt 10 drive the bor-
lugi00l, SO arranged that 10 can he turned 10
the same time the gun Is turned. thus giving
cutting speed 10 The tool inside without turn
ing the qua too fast for the outside tools.
When Congress, little less than 10 years
ago, came 10 realizing sense Of the depl0rahlo
condition Of tho material for our couutry's de-
Tense, and by small appropriations gave some
encouragement for the cstah ishment of the
plant required Tor the manufacture Of modern
ordnance % Uas pred ictCG that our private steel
manufacturers would within a few years be
prepared 20 meet any demand made upon them
How the prediction mas been verified j. shown
by the prumptncss with which several response
bic firms have bad for all important Naval and
Army contracts authorized by Congress. and by
the taithiuincss with which they are com plying
with their obligations.
Five years ago IL was not believed possible
that ia So short a time a private establishment
could be established second 10 none i'm the
world IN its capacity for manufacturing the
most powerful guns and the most efficient
shaiiing and armor for ships Through the
development 81 the Bethlehem Iron Works, Of
South Bethlehem, Pa, v it'll casting capacity
for ingots Of 100 tons, fluid compression plant.
steam hammer Of l2J tons Ealing weight,
!
ever constructed, aud tools Of the most approved
and advanced type for shaping aud finish
ing with number OF similar establishments,
notably that Of Carnegie, Phipps & Co., Of
lIusbnrs, Pa, The country is now nearer being
IN an independent position as regards the sup
ply Of war material than ever before.
The Bethlehem Company has already man
uiactured al the heavy shsitingOf the cruisers
Philadelphia, san Francisco, aud Newark, 10.
gether with forgings for 4.inch, G-inch. s.inch,
lO-inch ard u Inch breech- loading rifles and Is
now engaged upon the shafling Of the armorcd
cruiser Maine and all tho battlrships aud latest
heavy cruisers, and Sinch, 10 inch, I2-inch
and - inch brccch- loading rifles for The Army
and Navy, and Of the armor Of the double.
turroted monitors Puritan AmDhitTite Monad-
mock and Terror, tho battleship Texas aud
sm0red cruiser Maine
liscontracts with the Navy Department aggre-
gate over 1000 tons Of steel, about 1000 tons
being gun lOrgings and 5000 tons arnor plate
aud shaiting. Tho tests prescribed are severe
IN tho extreme, but the company is meeting
every requirement, the gun iorgings being of
superior quality and equal 10 the best in the
world.
The company has delivered up 10 this time.
under IT'S contract with the Navy Department
81 iOIElngs for 6-iuch guns lnll OF this caIiber
that have been ordered, - Of the p s.nch
iOrgincs, about dozen OF the - lO.inch. and
: Of the l2-nch. 10 is now engaged upon
the u lS-inch i0rgings for the three hattleships
tho largest ali-siccl guns yet authorized by
our Navy Department These forgings are
brought 10 the Washington Gun Factory, where
/ they are put together and the guns finished
NO deliveries have yet been made Of armor-
! pale. except an experimental ll-inch plate
! bat there arc several hundred tons about ready
1 for shipment for tho armOred cruiser Maine
ana coast-dcieEse vessel Monterey. The plates
embrace some Of the largest manufactured in
any country. They vary i'm size about as fol-
! lows: 20 feet by feet by II inches thick. la
/ feet by feet by IL inches thick: ia feet by
/ 81 feet by inches thick An experimental
! plate feet by q feet by III inches thick. the
! hrst Of this thickness made By tho Bethlehem
/ Company, was tried last January aud showed
! very high ballistic resistance Three shots
were fired nj il with tho Same G.inch gun that
was employed ia the celebrated comparatiye
/ test Of nickel, all-stecl, and compound armor
! had at Annapolis the preceding September.
/ The bethlehem plate compared favorably with
| the best Of these A full account of the trial
! Of this plate, by Lieut.. Jaques appears i'm the
4 Proceedings Of the Iron aud Steel Institute
/ just issued I'm pamphlet form.
Whatever Improvements may be made. our
guns aud ships are superior 10 those Of their
! class possessed by other nations. The Army
/ has lately completed at the Watervliet Arsenal
| y. T., very superior large-caliber gun. which
has been aud is being tested at Sandy Hook.
The last Congress authorized the construc-
ton OF 100 large guns for coast defense and IL