The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-01-01

range of seven miles 10 the first Craze OF
the shot. However, this was one OF the first
pair Of 1O-inch guns, which were only 30
calibers in length, or four feet two inches
shorter than the established type, and there
fore considerably less powerful.
The cost Of these guns has materially de-
creased with the improvement Of facilities
for making them. Some of the earlier guns,
which were made in The old shops, with in
sufficient facilities for handling them, tenn
porary appliances for the process of assem-
bling-that is, shrinking on the jackets and
rings-cost, finished, as high as a dollar
pound. But in the shops and with the
lOwer-priced raw material available through
the improved forging plant at Bethlehem,
this cost has been reduced az least half, so
that now it is very close TO the mark to say
that the expense is about 80 cents per pound,
and this will pretty nearly hold good as to
all weights and calibers, and that rule OF
cost viii apply also to the carriages and tur-
ret mounts, which are elaborate mechanisms
involving hydraulic gear for checking recoil
and for running the piece in battery ma
Chinery for eleyatiug and depressing, Tor
trayersing the gun on its pivot, and, in the
larger calibers, for handling the ammunition
and loading. Hence it may be said that the
cost Of the I3-inch gun, with its turret-
mount, will be from $4,000 10 Sll5,OG0;
and Of the 12-inch, with mount, from S92, 900
10 $4,000. This is of course only approx
mate, as neither Of those calibers has been
built, and il is possible that they will cost
relatively somewhat more than the smaller
| guns, in consequence CT the greater trouble
Of handling them in the shop and the greater
risk involved Of damage by accident 1t IS
! quite probable that experience will develop
a cost Of Sl25 600 for tho 13-inch and $780,
600 for the l2-inch gun, ready for action.
The l0-inch gun, with its turret mount,
including labor of installing the piece on
board ship, freight, etc, has thus far cost
about 100000, which, as the weight Of the
! gun and its mount is $1,000 pounds, is con-
siderably more than so cents per pound.
But il must be borne in mind that the frst
Of the l0-inch guns and their mounts were
built in the old shops under the uniayorable
conditions before described. The cost OF the
s-inch gun, mounted on board ship, is about
$4,000 to $4,000, and that Of the 6-inch
about $4,000 This, however, in the case
Of these two calibeTs, includes the expense
Of their Shield" which is a small half
turret Of steel two OF three inches thick,
which is designed TO protect the gunners
against machine-gun fire and the smaller
cannon known as rapid-fring guns"
Another item involved ia the subject Of
our new artillery is the cost of using it.
The projectiles for the 6 and S-inch guns
are principally cast-iron, and are not very
costly, except in the labor of turning them
TO an exact fit and providing them with the
soft copper hands which take the rilng
and give the pTojectile its twist" But the
10, ~ and 13-inch guns are intended for
piercing armor, and the projectiIes for that
purpose must be Of wrought steel, tempered
by elaborate and costly processes Under
these circumstances the armor-piercing pro-
jectiles for the u and l3-inch guns might
easily cost several hundred dollars. 1t has
been estimated that the cost Of firing the
13-inch gun with 675 pounds OF powder
and nickcl-steel armor-piercing projectile
might easily exceed 81 800 per round, with
the IL and l0-inch guns in proportion.
The heavy guns Of the Army for sea-c7ast
defense do not differ materially from those
Of the Navy, and hence one description may
apply to both. The caliber Of the Army
guns above the size Of feld-pieces and siege
guns, will be coincdent with those of the
Navy for convenience in intercLangiDg am
muntion, which is frequently desidera-
tum in active operations. The Army Is, r.
before remarked, considerably behind the
Navy in the matter Of heavy guns, though
the action Of the last Congress in providing
for 100 guns Of G, 10 and l2-inch calib,r FOR
the use of the Army, 10 be built by contract
was a long step toward the re-aImament OF
our coast deienses.
In respect 10 field artillery, the Army has
certainly displayed great elaboration
Though the FrancO-Prussian war settled all
questions as between breechloading and
muzzleloading 20 years ago, it is less than
1
thorities decided on a type Of breechloadinp
: feld-piece, and hardly three years since
they began 10 issue the new guns TO the
troops There arc two types Of the breech-
loading steel feld-rihe One, called the
"lght feld-gun,7 is 80 inches in caliber
and eight feet four inches long over all
The other, called the "high-powered field.
gun" is &c inches in caliber, and is TO be IL
feet two inches long. 1t is the present cal.
culation that the "light feld-gun will be
used TO arm borse-battcries with in time Of
war, and the "high-powered gum will be
the weapon of the ordinary field-batteries
attached TO infantry corps or divisions
Thus far only the smaller gun has been
issued 10 the light batteries, which are I
and X Of the LIST, A and Il Of the %, G and
+ Of the Sd, B and f Of the 4th, and D and
+ Of the 9Th regiments. An engraving show:
the new light held-piece," with it's carriage
J and outfit
II must be said that while the new types