Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-30
UNCLE SANS NEW GUN.

Tho Experts Declare, After Seeing Three
Shots Fired, That 1t Is the Best Weapon
in the world-Processes OF Manufac-
ture Described.
B1RDsBoRo, PA, July 29.-The tests of
the powder chamber of the new fve-inch
Brown segmental wire gun now under con-
struction for the United States Government
by the Pennsylvania Diamond Drill and
Manufacturing Company, at Birdsboro, Pa,
were continued before a large number of
American and foreign experts The results
obtained were eminently satisfactory, and
dispel all doubts as to the final success of
this new system of gun construction.
Three shots were fred. For the first 21I
pounds of Dupont's sphero-hexagonal DOW
der were used and main pressure of 40, 176
pounds to the square inch obtained. The
second was fred with a charge of three
pounds of powder, and the pressure gauges
registered a main powder pressure OF 30, 80
pounds to the square inch. The pow der
charge of the third shot was 81
pounds, and the powder pressure pro-
duced exceeded the measurement of the
gauges, which only run up to &c, 900 pounds;
but it must have been at least in the neigh
borhood of 6S, 900 pounds to the square inch,
ane the powder pressure against the breech
plugs was !, 300, 900 pounds.
The test cylinder consists of twelve seq
ments of very high-class American steel,
having tensile strength of 165, 900 pounds
per square inch and an elastic limit of 105,
900 pounds per square inch, with an elonga-
tion limit of IA per cent in two inches The
dimensions of the cylinder were: Length, 16
inches; diameter of bore, inches; diameter
of segmental tube, including lining, IL
inches, and diameter of wire jacket, 1874
inches. The segments were compressed
0.O19 of an inch by 80 layers of wire wound
round them with a tension of 130, 600 pounds.
Before the firing the test cylinder was
placed in steel casing representing the
trunnion jacket of the 5-inch gun. 1t held
a fixed breech plug at the bottom, filling
one end of the cylinder, while a second
similar plug closed the other end. Two
pressure gauges were inserted into the in
side of the lower plug and a small vent hole
gave access to the powder charge, which was
exploded by an electric primer.
When the third shot was fired an enor-
nous smoke aud fire spout leaped with a
ghastly kissing sound 20 feet into the air,
ings in its neighborhood for several seconds
from the view Of the bystanders. For a
few moments a feeling of astonish-
ment seemed to have invaded the
minds of those present, and several of
those who were not experts believed that
nothing could be left Of the cylinder; but
when the smoke had cleared away every
body rushed toward it, to see whether the
heavy powder charge had done its destruc-
i've work. 1t had not. The cylinder had
not been moved a quarter of an inch from
its place, and showed no alterations whatever
after the plug had been unscrewed and the
inside of the powder chamber examined.
After the test the party of experts wit
messed the winding of the new gun, which
is now in the lathe covered with % layers
of wire. There are only ten more layers to
be put on, and then the gun will be put into
the jacket, The process of winding is
highly interesting, and the ma
chinery used was specially invented
for the purpose. Like the gun,
it is the invention of John Hamilton Brown,
who has during his long career earned SO
many laurels in the field of mechanical en-
gineering. The wire has tensile strength
of 25O, 900 pounds to the square inch and an
elastic limit of 200 pounds per square inch.
1t is wound round the core of the gun under
q tension of 13o, 900 pounds to the square
inch