The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-08-18
rHN BIG GUN.



Pounds of Metal Nine Mica
test of the ten-inch disappearing pneu-
mntic gun carriage was inade 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 wore 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 breech-loade- Of high
power, is twenty-nine feet in length,
weighs thirty tons and fires projectile
weighing 5T5 pounds The gun is con-
nected with the carriage by two power
fal arms, and when raised TO firing
position is at a height OF eight feet
above the carriage TO load and mako
ready TOR firing requires only Ave min
utica II is all done by compressed air
manipulated BY one man. Tho projec-
tile was placed on loading trny, and
by the turning Of q small wheel tho
tray was raised to the brooch OF the gun
and the protectile was rammed home by
q telescopic rammer. Two saole OF
powder followed the projec.ile into tho
breech
The sacks contained 1sO pounds The
elevation was three degrees The t.,na
required TO bring the gun Gown 70 the
bu ffers was one minute and fifteen Sec
onds The second shot was flrod st
three minutes of 12 o'clock at on ele-a.
ton Of twenty degrees. Tho protective
contained 40 pounds OF powder, q ser-
vice charge suoh as Is used in tirno Of
wa&
At an elevation Of twenty degrees
the pro3ectile splashed the SEQ nine
miles away. When the gun recoiled
1t came within two inches of tho buf-
ferA and, In less than ten seconds,
had sunk gently on the buffers into
loading position II Is with a 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 boading posi-
ton was two minutes and forty avo
seconds.
The fourth shot was at an elevation
OF five degrees and the recoil was seven
inches above the buffer Time required
10 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 height OF
twelve inches Time required to get
the gun into loading position, one min.
! shot was fred at an elevation Of three
degrees with 210 pounds OF powder.
Eighth shot, two hundred and twenty
pounds OF powder, al an elevation OF
ten degrees. Ninth 1eO pounds o.
powder at twenty degrees Tenth 10(
pounds Of powder at an elevation o.
twenty degrees The time for the
elevation OF the gun from zero to twenty
degrees was thirty-one seconds; timt
for depression from twenty degrees II
zero, thiTty-eight seconds, time occu
pied to traverse 120 degrees, fifty-foul
seconds When the gun is in O firms
position it is about fifteen feet from thu
ground. Much delay was occasionet
by passing vessels, and as Capt Heath
did not want to sink any more schooners
firing was done only when the coas
was clear.
The protectiles used were about thret
and one-half feet long and were Of cast
iron. There will be two more oficia
tests Of the carriage, The test was, IL
the language of the contract with sucl
charges as may be suited to test tn
working and adjustment of tn,
several parts of the carriage Tn,
next test, whfch will be on Tuesday
will be with ten rounder. full servic.
charges at such elevations as may b
determined by the board