The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-03
NATIONAL GUNMAKERS.
DETAILS IN T5E ARMAMENT OF
OUR NEW WAR S=IPs.

Our New BatC q Shlps W 18th an e.
fective Il ange of Eleven Miles-A
Lively Scene-The Armame nt of the
Z Miantonomah, tie Maine and the
Monterey.
WASHINGTON, May 2-If the material
lied spirit Of old Real Admiral Dahlgren.
who thirty years ago was with Gen. Rod
mau Of the army, a mighty power in the
science of ordnance, could revisit the scenes
of his old triumphs in the Washington
navy yard, be would see some strange
things. Thirty-ive years ago Capt Dahl
gren of the navy and Lieut. Gen. Rodman
of the army filled a large portion of the
worlds eve. Both were at work on monster
guns for their respective branches of their
country's service. Dahlgren had then per-
fected his 11-inch champagne bother
smooth bore for the navy. and Col. Rodman
had gone him an inch better aud had
mounted a l2-inch gun upon one of the for
tiff ,ations in New York harbor.
These were great ordnance triumphs, and
army and navy publications of the day
we're filled with elaborate and graphic de
scriptions Of the lawful destroyers." Even
foreign governments made note of the
enormous strides" in gun manufacture bv
"the inventive genius of America" aud
both Capt. Dahlgren and Col. Rodman
suddenly found themselves in possession of
world wide fame.
There was very little difference in their
respective guns. Both possessed the same
T-incipIe-enormous weight Of metal in the
breech. Col. Rodman's gun was shorter
than Dahlgren's, and it was a little heavier
in the breech. 1t was also shaped slightly
different, OF course, both inventors made
their guns of cast iron. One or two of
the pits are yet in existence in
the Washington navy yard, where,
under the personal and frequently
profane direction of Capt. Dahlgren, the
moulds of sand were formed and tie molten
lead poured in 1t did not take log to
make a gun in those days Two or three
weeks at the most was enough in which to
turn out monster Of the period. Those
nine and eleven-ineh Dahlgren's did splen-
did service during the war. With them,
weak and inefficient as they would now be
regarded, Farragut won all his splendid vic>
tories, and the navy generally covered itself
with glory.
But if the ghost of Admiral Dahlgren
was stalking about now, the mighty high
power steel rifles which are to arm the new
navy are not the only modern things that
would astonish him. He would find, for in
stance, the youngest chief of ordnance that
the navy ever had. How the old admiral
would wonder, aud perhaps swear, If he
were living, to find one of the youngest
commanders in the service at the
head OF the most important ord
nance plant, and the most i'm
portant establishment of its kind in the
world. Young Commander Folger was
given this position more than a year ago.
he has a commodore's rank and pay, and
he is the youngest officer that ever held that
rank in the United States navy. Commo-
dore Folger was let Enidshipman at the
naval academy when Lee surrendered and
Lincoln was assassinated, and was not given
an ensgn's rank until 1869. But be has a
genius for ordnance, like the great Dahlgren
had before him, and hence his phenomenal
rise in his profession.
The Washington gun foundry is the most
important establishment of its kind in che
world. 1t does not cover so much ground
as that of the Krupps in Germany, but it
has better and more improved machinery,
and turns out what is conceded to be the
best steel high power breach-load>
ing ordnance in existence. Again,
it is national institution, manufact-
uring gus for the United States
government alone, while Krupp's estab-
lishment is a private enterprise making
ordnance for anybody who will buy. Per
haps one Of the most interesting tributes
paid to this magnificent establishment was
Engllsl artillery, an expert who was sent
over here last year to look at what young
Commodore Folger was doing. In a long
report which he made occurs this gracious
extract
II spent the greater part Of last Novem-
Der In Washington, where / was formerly
attache to her majesty's legation. and while
there received a very kind invitation to
examine the new guns and the navy yard
knRW fhQt haT On
the same general principle as the modern
English and French guns, and expected to
condemn everything, but in the end could
only praise. The faulty proportions and
ab5minable workmanship of our
English guns is carefully avoided,
with the result that, unlike the
Elswich and Woolwich guns, the Washing
ton guns can be thoroughly relied on to do
what is professed for them. This is a large
statement, for the Elswich and Woolwich
guns cannot be relied upon to do more than
oO to 70 per cent. of what they are professed
10 do. The Washington gun factory is
perfect, the lathes superior to any IN the
country, and they work faster. The secret Of
the good workmanship lies in fastening the
responsibility for everything upon some
otnclal by name. Here in happy England
the system is that no man shall be RESPONSE
Die for anything. The country is SO soft.
so lndolent, so Ignorant, so rich and so
careless, that it is perfectly contented with
noatlng down the stream gaily to coming
disaster, when the awakening will be too
late; but wise old Uncle Sam insists upon
some one naval officer being responsible
by name for each individual thing. All
THESE officers being on the active list Of the
navy, their own lives may depend, the
next year, on the carefulness of their work
this year. 1t is then no wonder that not
one Of the Washington guns has ever
burst, or failed to do what it was intended
to do"
Everybody understands the general points
OF difference between the monster guns
OF Farraguts and Dahlgren's day, and the
splendid armament that is to adorn the new
saips. The old 15-inch Dahlgren, which
was then the apotheosis of marine artillery,
weighed about $4,000 pounds was
about fifteen feet long. took a charge
of eighty-five pounds of powder, and could
carry a AGROUND solid SHOT. with effective
force, distance of 1000 yards. The big
gest gun now being made at the WASH
ington yard is the Pinch, high-power
breech loading rife. 1t, like ali the new
guns, is built upon a forged steel tube
lacked and hoped with steel hoops or
bands Of varying widths, but uniform
thickness, until over the breecb there are
tnree thicknesses, over the main
body Of the gun, forward Of the
trunniores two, and over the remainder
OF the gun clear 70 the, muzzle once. Two
OF tnega 1O-fnrh a fha Ia has