The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-08-20
THE BIG GUN.
Tt Weighs In the Neighborhood of Thirty
Tons and Fires Nearly Six Hundred
Pounds of Metal Nine Miles,


II Weighs In the NeighBorhood of Thirty
Tons and Fires Nearly Six Hundred
Pounds of Metal Nine Miles.
New YORK, Aug. 15.-Thc first official
test of the ten-inch disappearing pneu-
matte gun carriage was made at the
United States ordnance proving
grounds at Sandy Hook.
The tests were made under the super
vision of the board of ordnance and
Notifications. They were directed by
Capt Frank Heath, in charge of the
proving grounds, assisted by Lieut..
Wheeler, of the ordnance department
At exactly 1880 the first shot was fred.
The gun is q brcech-loader of high
power, is twenty-nine feet in length,
weighs thirty tons and fires projectile
weighing 575 pounds. The gun is con-
nected with the carriage by two power
full arms, and when raised TO firing
position is at n height of eight feet
above tine carriage. To load and make
ready for firing requires only five min
utes. 1t is all done by compressed air
manipulated by one man. The projec-
tile was placed on a loading tray, and
by the turning of small wheel the
tray was raised to the breech of the gun
and the projectile was rammed home by
telescope rammer. Two sacks of
powder followed the projectile into the
breech.
The sacks contained $50 pounds. The
elevation was three degrees. The time
required to bring the gun down to the
buffers was one minute and fifteen Sec
onds. The second shot was fred at
three minutes of 12 o'clock at an eleva-
ton of twenty degrees. The protective
contained $50 pounds of powder, SER
vice charge such as is used in time of
war.
At an elevation of twenty degrees
the projectile splashed the sea nine
miles away. When the gun recoiled
1T came within two inches of the buff
fers, and, in less than ten seconds,
loading position. 1t is with charge
like this that the carriage is supposed
to work perfectly. This was the high
est elevation fred from any carriage
with the new high-power gun in this
country. The third shot was fred at
an elevation of three degrees, and the
projectile contained 100 pounds of pow
der. The recoil brought the gun within
eighteen inches of the buffers, and the
time required to get it in Loading posi-
ton was two minutes and forty-hvc
seconds
The fourth shot was at an elevation
of five degrees and the recoil was seven
inches above the buffer. Time required
to bring the gun into position, one
minute. The sixth shot was fired at an
elevation of fifteen degrees. The
charge was thirty pounds, and the
gun recoiled within three inches of the
buffers and rebounded to a height of
twelve inches. Time required to get
the gun into loading position, one min
ute and fifteen seconds. The seventh
shot was fired at an elevation of three
degrees with 210 pounds of powder.
Eighth shot, two hundred and twenty
pounds of powder, at an elevation of
ten degrees. Ninth. $50 pounds of
powder at twenty degrees. Tenth. 100
pounds of powder at an elevation of
twenty degrees. The time for the
elevation of the gun from zero to twenty
degrees was thirty-one seconds: time
for depression from twenty degrees to
zero, thirty-eight seconds; time occu-
pied to traverse 100 degrees, fifty-four
seconds. When the gun is in firing
position it is about fifteen feet from the
ground. Much delay was occasioned
by passing vessels, and as Capt. Heath
did not want to sink any more schooners,
firing was done only when the coast
was clear.
The projectiles used were about three
and one-half feet long and were of cast
iron. There will be two more official
tests of the carriage The test was, in
the language of the contract, with such
charges as may be suited to test the
working and adjustment of the
several parts of the carriage. The
next test, which will be on Tuesday,
will be with ten rounder, full service
charges at such elevations as may be
determined by the board