Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-08-13
UNCLE SANS NEW GUN,
WAS BEGUN IN FRANCE AND
FINISHED AT WATERVLIET
4 Breech- Loading Rifle that Weighs
Fifty Two Tons-TransportedB by
boat to sandy Hook
Cost of Firing


respected. says the New York Sun.
1t weighs iifty-two tons and is more
than 50 feet long. 1t has u butt of
about the size of a hogshead. and car
ries l,OOO-pound ball. 1t requires
44O pounds Of powder to the load. The
initial velocity OF its projectile is ex-
pected to be | $40 feet second. The
muzzle pressure is. therefore. approxi-
mately rs, 600 foot tons. At the
muzzle the projectile would penetrate
three feet into wrought iron; at u dis
lance OF one mile twenty-eight inches
into iron plate: at a distance of two
miles twenty inches into iron plate
Every charge Of powder costs $llS 80,
and every prOjectile abou, $40. SO the
total expenses of shot from the big
gun, exclusive of the considerable
wear on its own body. is about 1850
As some 800 shots must be made be-
fore the guns range penetrating pow
er. and durability can be ascertained
the mere testing of it will cost the war
department almost 500, 600.
Eight other guns of the same size
and style as the new 12-inch gun have
| v.
with the coming guns for the navy the
gun at Sandy Hook is six tons heavier
has the same length Il power chamber
$50 inches in length and l4.2 in di-
ameter as against 50. 8 inches in length
and IA. 5 in diameter. The number of
grooves is seventy-two for the land
gun and forty eight for the navy gun.
The powder charge of the navy
piece is, 425 pounds and with this Il
projectilc of $50 pounds will be thrown
2 900 feet second. The muzzle
energy of the navy gun will be 80. 500
tons.
The big gun has q rather long his
tory. 1t was begun about three years
ago. and accordingly the two largest
forgings, the tube and jacket. were
procured of Schneider Il Co. in France;
but hereafter the army, like the navy,
will be able to secure from the Ameri-
can steel works all the forgings for
any desired calibres
In the construction of this gun the
forgings were rough bored and rough
finished before being sent to Waterv-
liet. There were fine bored to the
right calibre, and the jacket was
shrunk on the tube by the process of
heating and cooling. Then the hoops
were shrunk on. and the gun was ritled
and completed in all respects.
The monster was hoated on a barge
from Troy to Brooklyn. The floating
derrick Reliance came alongside the
barge there and took the gun on board.
Last Tuesday the derrick and its big
customer We're taken to the Hook.
The government dock there is too weak
to hold the fifty-two tons of cannon,
and so the big gun had to be dashed to
q cradle and hoisted across two scows.
. At high water these scOws were
beached a trestle work roadway was
built out to them, and the gun and
cradle were drawn ashore on rollers
with the aid of block and fall, the
latter being attached to capstan in
position on the beach alongside the
pier. Altogether probably two weeks
will eventually have been required for
getting the gun from the Reliance to its
carriage and ready for the testing.
The 12-inch gun, however, is sup
posed to be far from the biggest thing
which the Watervilet works can pro-
duce. The next step there may be the
turning out of even a 16-inch gun.
This monster will have a length of
about 40! feet and weight of 1875
tons. 1t will use charge of about
1000 pounds of powder, with a pro-
Jectile weighing over a ton. and hav-
ing muzZle penetration in iron of
about three feet. with a maximum
range of about fifteen miles. This is
4 the largest gun contemplated for our
forts. since no more powerful one is
carried on war ships.
But the l2-inch guns will form the
great majority in our seacoast defence.
Indeed, only forty-four of the 16-inch
are included in the plans of the forth
ticatiOn board, and thirty-six of these
are for New York. San Francisco and
Boston. They are to be mounted in
pairs, in turrets commanding the prin-
cipal water approaches, and the ex-
pense of these turrets will prevent
many of them from being constructed.
But OF the l2-inch guns hundreds will
be required. and. indeed, much
greater number of them than of all
other calibres put together. 1t is this
fact which makes the completion of
the present gun II matter of special
interest. What our navy department
thinks of the effectiveness of the l2-
inch gun is shown by the fact that two
of that calibre are to be mounted on
the Monterey in place OF the 16-inch
at first contemplated. while the 13.inch
is the largest to be carried on the new
battleships Massachusetts, Indiana and
Oregon.
The 12-inch gun will be supplement.
ted for coast defence by 12-inch NOR
tars. OF which several hundred will be
supplied. Indeed, it is now only q
question of short time when
some of the guns and mortars will be
put in position at the principal ports.
The pioneer gun just completed may
be retained Mt Sandy Hook after its
trial, since an important new fort is
now under construction there.