The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-02-27
BROWN GUN TESTED
E1 periments With a New
Type of Ordnance.
CONDUCTED AT BIRDsBoRo, PA
The Tess Pronounced by Experts Com
pletely Successful

A Complete Gun Not Yet Finished, but
Cylinder Representing the Powder
Chamber of Five-Inch Rifle Used
Registered Gauge of 5e, $50 Pounds to
the square Inch Obtained by Three and
One-Quarter Pounds Of Powder.
BIRDsBoRo, Pa, Feb. 27-The system
of great gun construction known rs the
Brown segmental tube wirewound
method whith, it is claimed, is destined
to revolutionize the fabrication of heavy
ordnance, underwent a completely sue
cessful trial under Government auspices
at the works of the Pennsylvania Dia-
mond Drill and Manufacturing company
here.
The Brown gun consists of a tube
formed of accurately adjusted segments
of steel extending from breech to!muzzle,
wrapped with many layers of steel wire,
applied under heavy pressure and lined
with an inner tube to carry the rifling
and endure the wear and tear of repeated
firing.
A complete gun has not yet been fin
ished, but a sample cylinder, represent
ing the powder-chamber of a five-inch
gun, was subjected to trial last summer
at Fort Wadsworth.
Both ends of the cylinder were closed
with screw plugs, leaving a small vent
for the escape of gas, and two shots were
fired. The pressure registered was
enormous, and abundantly proved the
strength of the system, but at the second
discharge the screw plugs became
jammed and after repeated failures to
release them, the trial was abandoned
1t was then subsequently found, after
the plugs had been cut out, that some of
het screw threads had been upset by the
escape of gas.
Since then Mr.. Brown has been busy
experimenting and preparing new cyl
inder for trial, under the supervision of
Lieut.. Whistler of the Fifth Artillery,
specially detailed by the government for
the purpose
Yesty.l..g a public trial was made Of
the new c,I.n-rr in the presence of a
large mum ,er ot members of the company
and ordnance experts. among whom were
Judge hcury A. Gildersleeve, the counsel
for the company.
The party arrived at the works at noon
and preparations We're Immediately made
for the firing tests. The cylinder to
be tried represented as before the
powder chamber of a five-inch rified gun
and consisted of twelve steel segments
three inches thick, covered with two
inches of wire wrapping in thirty-one
courses and lined with tube half an
inch thick.
The external diameter of the cylinder
was triAe under sixteen inches, and its
length about two feet. Profiting by the
experience of last summer, Mr. Brown
had encased the cylinder in cast steel
jacket. both ends of which were closed
with screw plugs, the uppor one of which
was perforated by vent one-eighth incl
| in diameter.
Two crusher gauges were screwed into
| the lower plug and preliminary shot of
one pound of coarse grained black cannon
| powder was fired to warm up the piece.
1t exploded without report, but with a
flzz like colossal squib.
Two pounds and a half of powder were
! then placed in the tube, and Lieutenant
| Whistler ordered the crowd back while
he adjusted the electric primer.
A touch of the firing key was accom-
| panied by a sound that resembled the
sudden release of steam from a safety
valve, and jet of flame and smoke shot
up into the air for thirty feet.
| The gauges registered pressure OF
| 80, 200 pounds to the square inch. The
next shot with two and three-quarter
pounds of powder gave 1887 pounds
| pressure.
Three pounds of powder gave AZ, 72G
| pounds, and three and one-fourth pound S
of powder gave the enormous pressure of
| 90, $50 pounds to the square inch. The
highest pressure used in modern guns
does not exceed 80, 600 pounds.
All the experts agreed that the trial
could not have been more successful, and
all joined in admiring the perfection
with which the segments of the cylinder
had been assembled, the lines of juncture
being invisible except in the strongest
! light.
The company expects to have com
! plete gun ready for trial before many
| weeks.