New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-19
THE 1o.INCr. b. L. STEEL RIFLE

range Of six-ncn gun Is six miles OF tehlncn gun
ten miles, etc. ~
The total length cf each gun is as follows; Four
inch lG4 inches; 1vc-inch, 1S2 inches siA-Dch %
callbrcs 22G Inches; eightinch, 80 cshDres' oVf.'
inches ten.lnch 50 calibrcs 90 inches twelve men,
os c,bres Al inches The term calitses' does not
mean the total length of gun, but the length OF
the rj1ed bore ard powder chamber in all the guns
eycept the small Iapldhring guns, the FILLED grooves
are mutlplcs Of four ten-inch gun has ten times
four grooves. O six-inch gun six times four etc.
Every gun IS sent TO the proving ground, where 1t
Is thoroughly tested before it is issued for use INC
statutory tests required by law is ten rounds fired
as capidly as practicable from guD OF each type'
None Of the ns has yet failed under the tests applied
nor has nnv defect or evidence OF weakness been as
covered In any of them Down to date new guns nave
bc4h completed and issued 10 vessels as follows: rive
inch two SIX inch ninety elslt; eightinch, tourueeh'
ten.inch two OF tic ninety eight siN-nch guns FOUR
which were issued 10 the Charleston have since been
replaced by two elght.inch guns; and two ten-nch
,lns for the Milan ononol which have been completed
and tested but not yet issued and mounted, are not
included Az Of these gins except :our cght-inch
and t[cnfv three sixnch were made In tho Naval Gun
Factory at Washington and all Of them except elghv
eight inch and three teninch guns are made OF Amer
lean steel.
II Is expected that before July l. 1901, twcntyfour
more sIxnch guns, four eglst-inch guns, and
for service Besides these there in the gun factory
in various STAGES Of manufacture thrty-one fournch
guns twenty-four ve-nch guns, SIX siX-inch guns,
three eght-inch guns, two ten-incl gins and three
t,gelve-inch Guns one OF tie last named being well
advanced towad completion.
Tie present annual capacity Of the Naval Gun
Fact ~ is rated as follows: Forty nve-inch or f0c-
inch sixty sxinch ten esht-iuch. six tcn-inch and
three twevAnch guns with the present machinery
and appliances the average .1e required to build a
: gun Of each callbrc is follows: FOurmch. hfty
days; Gvcinch, fifty days; sxincA, sixty Gays eight
inch ninety days ten-inch l2O days twelveinch, $50
days.
Including the Guns which have been completed and
issued or which are nOV Lniding forcnes have been
furnished or are under contract to be supplied which,
II Is expected viii place on hoard the vessels of the
Vni,ea stltes Navy by December 81, 1893. total
armament in main batteries as follows: Four-Inch
INNS sxty-tiree: fvench, ftyf0ur; SIX inch, 1oO
eight INCH forty-nne: tcn-nch twenty-five; twelve
inch eight thlrteeniHch, twelve.
TIE number of gun carriages Tins far made ard COM
pleted IN The gun factory is as follows: Fourinch,
ore Ave-inch two: slxnch ninety eight; eightinch.
fonrteeh ten nch four In addition, thcic arc sew
era o. each kind under wGy. and the mounts for the
nrst pair Of twelve-inch guns as well advanced.
large number Of mounts for sixpOund three pound and
one.peund rapd-iiring guns have also been manu-
facturcd
TIE cost Of gun forgings Of domestic steel has de
creased considerably and there has boon st greater
decrease I'm the cost Of mapufacturc Of both guns and
gun carriages az the Naval Gun Factory within thC
last two or three years. The dx-inch gun. wiicl
cost 90 400 20 manufacture under contract with
private firms four or hve years ago cost 20 Gao al
| the Naval Gun Factory in 1885, and only 81 goa IN
1900 while the average time 81 nnnuflcturc in ten
| hour days in 1888 was ll5 days, and In 1890 only
.lxty DAYS the eight inch gun the cost fell frou
- 800 urder contract 10 s5,lG3 in the gun factory
| In I-ts and s2.772 in 1870. while the time Of mara,
| facturc reduced from e25 DAYS In 1883 b. 12(
DAYS in 800. Tie ten-inch gun. which cost SO. 49,
Ia build Ia the GIN factcry IN 1855 cost only 81, 5Og
| In $780, and the time was reduced from 2iO dhys e
| lGl dfya. There has been great decrease also II
the cost Of manufacture % carriages. Tho cos
VI the Es,t ten -Xlach cer.ia.eS AVERAGED $3.50 ~