Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-11-27

Commodore I'opr. chief of the bureau
of ordnance asks for appropriations ag-
gregntiug 80 4Sg,324 for the expenses of
his bureau next year, but the request
appears to be very moderate in view Of
tile achievements Of the present year
and the promises for the future. The re-
port is yoluminous but almost every
line Is interesting to the people who
care to know just how the American
navy compares with the nayies of for
eign nations, and To satisfy themselves
OF the fact that native skill and invent
iyehoss have placed this country In adj
vance of all others ia the comparatively
new $50 far as the United States Is
cOncerned field of lrInur construction
and great gan making
The report first treats the subject Of
brUcch-lOuding rifles, and tells how the
tendency TO leugthcn the guns has iu-
vOlHcd heavier cDnstrut ton to make
them stiff enough for the new Smokclcss
powders, TO arm the vessels of the new
navy 3Sl guns, varying in calibre from
four inches TO thirteen inches, will be
required, and Of these 23T have already
been completed and ll6 are a1oat A
marked step In advance has been made
In improving the breech mechanism of
the twelve inch guns so that they may
be worked easily mud rapidly by hand,
thus reducing the chance of disublemcnt
of the gun by chance shot which would
cut of the supply of electric hydraulic
or other power which formerly operated
the breeCh mechanism.
The bureau is now building nickel
steel gun on new designs invented by
VIM. Sellers, which will doubtless IN
augurate the entire use of nickel steel
for naval gun construction. 1t is stronger
aud better than ordinary gun steels, aud
viii permit Of the reconstruction Of the
gun whenever the tube becomes worn.
The use in guns up 10 six inches in cali
Der of fixed metallic ammunition, which
Ia nothing more or less than gigantic
metallic curtridge, has resulted so salts
iuctorilY that II Is said to be merely IA
question of time before the idea would
be applied TO the larger culoei...
rupid-hre mechanism as applied to i've
inch guns enabled five shots to he fired
from one gun In nineteen seconds, but
the result of the application of this
mechanism to the four-lnch gun was fol-
lowed by results still more remarkable,
for il has been possible to fire five shots
Ia fourteen seconds. which means, ac-
cording 10 the report, that within range
of 5000 yards this gun will maintain five
shells in tue air ut the same moment of
time, tile last leaving the muzLle before
the first has reached the target.
Improvements are noted In the quality
Of domestic brown powder supplied dur
ing the year. and It is stated that the
bureau has taken steps TO establish the
manufacture of brown powder on the
Pacific coast, supplying the California
powder company Of Santa Cruz, Cal,
with testing implements and guns. and
securing for it the use OF Dupont for
mulas
Marked progress was made In the de-
vclopmcnt Of the navy smolieless powder
during the year 1t is now made in large
quantities, IL much safer than other pow-
drrs, tx Unaffected by climatic conditions.
aud is superior in u marked degree 10
the hest European smokclcss powders.
Tests with the high explosive emmeusite
have been mndc with great success. and
shells filed with this mntcrial have heen
fired at the high velocity of two thous-
aud feet per second from ritlcd guns.
and exploded upon impact with the water
at six thousand yards range. ENDeri-
mcnts with another American explosive
have shown TINT common shells filled
with this material can he fired throuph
six me-iuch iron plates and burst do
tentatively at will beyond thom. These
experiments are regarded as settling tie
long discussion with regard to tho rela
tive merits Of firing high explosives from
air guns or from powder guns.