Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-11-07

mar hSd every tune IL NtIuCh " q
puff ~ foam, diminishing in size, until il
euded its career in one long squirt on tie
surface.
Ntxt a shot was fred from a l0-inch
high powered gun, using 50 pounds of
German smokeless powder and cast iron
shot weighing 628 pounds. This was a
test of the powder, which resulted very
satisfactorily. The charge of ordinary
brown powder for this gun would be 255
pounds, which would give an initial ye-
loclty of 935 feet q second and chamber
pressure Of about 5000 pounds 10 the
square inch.
THE 10 INCH DOES GOOD WORD.
The gun was laid slightly depressed, so
as to cut the electric wires cf a chlrono'
graDh screen, and the shot therefore struck
only few hundred YARDS away in the
shallow water Of the beach There was
considerable quantity of smoke following
tue discharge, but it was Of light brown
color and was dissipated so quickly as to
obscure the view hardly at all.
The shot, having been interfered with
so soon after leaving the muzzle, wabbled
in the remainder OF its flight, and for a
mile or more before ir stIuck
again it made a nose just like train ot
cars.
The velocity secured by this powder was
found to bs | $50 feet second, while the
pressure in the chamber was only 81 500
pounds. Thus higher velocity and lower
pressure were obtained with eighty
pounds of the German smokeless than
with 265 pounds Of the ordinary powder.
SMASHING THE THREE-INCH PLATE.
The mortar was now trained on the three
inch steel plate to the right of the four
and and a half inch plate. The upper left
hand corner was the 1t selected for the
hit and the same kind # shot and amount
of powder as before were used. After the
4 mortar was fred there was a U shaped hole
seen in the upper right hand halt Of the
/ plate, and a great break extended to
/ the bottom, leaving the plate in two
pieces.
The shot went bounding down into the
woods, being detected over the sand hills
! just behind the plate. When it was re.
| covered it was found that its arlstoCratic.
/ ine pointed, pouIcal nose had been snub.
| bed clear over en- one side, so that there
was a slight bulge outside the former lines
Of the cone.
1t was now one O'Clock and after lunch
con Mt the officers mess hall th1 secretary
and his party visited the works being built
I by the engineer corps for placing two Il
/ inch guns and sixteen II inch mortars
( For strdgetIc reasons II is not desirable to
give any facts concerning the location Of
these batteries.
] THE ENGINEER CORP,s WORK
Lieutenant Taylor, who is in charge Of
these works, brought a small locomotive
and three fat cars to point on the rail.
way track near the mess hail, and the
party was given ride on railway that
never issued bond or poured drop OF
water into its stock 1t was rough in its
construction and very primitive in its
equipment, but it carried the passenger,
with all the safety that could be asked and
as much speed rs was good for them.
The work on the emplacement for two
4 l2inch guns is In a forward condition, II
is composed Of concrete, mixed with large
b0uldefs. or rather fragments of limestone
blasted out OF the Harlem channel, Pro
gress is made nj the rate OF 100 cubic
yards Of concrete a day, and about s 00l
cubic yards have been laid this summer
Although the work for the two guns i,
about $50 ieet long by $50 deep, it viii
present a very small elevation from taC
sea and il underbrnsh can be induced t.
grow it will be wholly hidden.
EXPENSIVE PROTECTION.
The cost will be IN the uelghb1rhcod o.
$3.50 600 for each gun, including the lift
by which the gun will be lowered out o.
sight while loading, bat not including the
cost of the gun itself ana its Carriage
There will be another empiacement SINH
lar to this one for two other II inch guns
The Continental iron works, which bavt
contracted 10 mauu actur' the lifts, hay,
notified the department that they are read!
t. send ten men TO begin work
The site of the mortar batteries was alst
the scene of rapid and effective work Six
teen of these guns are placed in close prox
unity to each other, and they can all b,
aimed and fired at once by one person
The wonderful accuracy Of mortars make
group of sixteen as effective against
ship as a shotgun at a prairie chicken.
On leaving the railway Secretary ProCto
thanked Lieutenant Taylor for his rail wa,
trip. and limited that though the roal
hadn't paror cars and vestibuled slcepers
still it would serve.
THE DOG AGAIN SHOWS MS WISDOM
return was then made to tine expert
mental battery, as 1t was intended to fir
another shot from the mortar at the tire
inch plate. When the gun was ready
was discovered that the Cog had not retire,
TO cover. As tdis WIS a sure sign that al
was not IN readiness snUthar look arOunl
was taken, and II was found that a sChaon
or was It fnding Ia such q direction tina