The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1892-05-12
A MIGHTY GUN.
It's Charge Nearly a Thousand
Pounds of Powder.
Awful Effect Produced by the Discharge
Of This Terrible Engine OF War
How It Is Loaded and Fired
The Missile Employed.

-Tne missile Empioyeu.
There are nine 110-ton guns in the
British navy. These gigantic weapons
are in the Victoria, the Benlow and the
Sansparcil. The 11O-ton gun is fired
with slow-burning cocoa powder
cocoa" because of its brown color.
This powder, says the Pail Mall Gazette.
is shaped in hexagonal prisms, this be-
ing the most convenient form for close
packing. Each prism Is pierced with a
hols in the center, so as to give ready
access to the fame and secure an
equable ignition Ten Thousand of
these prisms are needed to make up a
full charge fof this monster gun. The
powder along with the shell comes up
from the magazine below in hoist.
and having been placed on the spout
tray, is rammed into the gun by hy-
draulic rammer, the shell of course hav-
ing been first driven forward into its
place by the same instrument. In near
ly all naval guns the powder charge is
made up into four cartridges, the object
being to get each cartridge down to
weight that a man may lift. But on
account of it's extraordinary weight
nine hundred and sixty pounds-the
charge for the 110-ton gun is divided
into eight cartridges. The gun having
been loaded and sighted by the captain
of the turret from his coming tower is
fired by him by electricity. The gun
can be loaded and fred within two and
half minutes.
The projectile fired from the gun
when attacking ships or forts weighs
1900 pounds, and it goes out with
velocity of 2,1O5 feet per second.
and has a destructive energy equal
to 55,3O5 foot-tons. If the gun were
to be used against body Of
men or a fotilla of boats, shrap-
mel shell would be used-that is, the
long drum-lilxe cylinder Of steel stand
ing close to the carriage would be shot
from the gun, and its contents-2,30 300
four-ounce bullets-woulds scatter death
amongst the foe.
The bullets are put in layers, though
not with mathematical exactness-they
are merely shaken together. Melted
resin is poured in among them in order
to fill up the interstices; else, when the
heavy shock of the explosion came they
would be all fattened against each
other. Directly the shrapnel case
bursts, the bullets go flying on, Vile
the spin of the shell, communicated by
the rifling of the gun, spreads them out
by centrifugal force over a large area.
But the gun will most likely be used for
attacking armored ships and forts; in
this case the steel shell, with a strong,
sharp point, will be used. These shells
are first forged, then bored, and finally
tempered. While they should be tough
in the body they must be hard at the
striking point The hardness of the
point increases the penetrative power OF
the shell, while the toughness of the
body prevents it swelling as it is en-
tering the plate and so increasing the
difficulties of penetration. A good
shell carries itself into the interior OF
the ship before it explodes. The
shell is constructed to carry such az
amount Of powder as will cause it to
explode and add its pieces to the de
structive splinters from the broken
plate The shell used in this gun, as
stated, weighs 1900 pounds. The terrible
havoc which such shell will play wher
fred with full chargefron this gun l.
most wildly illustrated on the wal
closet to the model. There is given {
sketch of the course of a shell from thu
110-ton gun of the Sanspareil at tria
at Shoeburyness in March last. Th'
shell tore its way at the rate of 2,07'
feet per second through twenty inche
of compound armor specially manu-
factured, inches of iron fastened in
hoov1, xuro,, ,rrl+ +s;ro,, f.op,a. faof n
oak baulks; 5 feet of granite blocks; 1
feet of concrete, and Q feet of bri *
altogether, "A feet inches of wal
unique in history, surely, for comfoina
ton of width and variety and strengtl
of material! For firing a full charg
with armor-piercing shot from the III
ton gun, the country pays for the pow
der, ESQ; for the shell and fuses, e12O-
total, eooe; not TO mention much NOR
serious item II the gun were continua
ly being fred with a full charge, tn
damage from the erosion caused by tn
powder gases, which causes it to los
its accuracy, and necessitates its bein
refined, at great expense and at the COS
of long delay. But it is right TO say til
gun Is seldom fred with its full charg,
Provision, in the shape Of sights an
range tables, is provided, with all OF
heaviest guns for three charges, nam
ly, the half charge, the three-quartel
charge, and full charge. 1t is laid dow
in the regulations that for peace pra'
tice the first is to be used, besides an o
casional round Of the second to test tn
proper working of the mounting; Il
full charge being reserved for speci'
cases during war, when the position
the ship requires extraordinary exc
tions to cripple her enemy. 1t is gene
ally considered, says Capt. Noble !
Modern Naval ARTILLERY" that the Ii
of the 67-ton guns may be taken at /
rounds and the 1lo-ton guns at sevent
five rounds, both with full charges.
Japanese Tea Mt the Fair.
Japanese tea men propose making I
interesting exhibition Of tea at Il
worlds fair, including the cercmoni