Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-12-08

higher and more regular velocities
with lower and more uniform pressures.
A fourth success, very important for
us, is the development of a trustworthy
high explosive, to be used as the burst
ing charge of shells in powder guns.
Foreign nations have long possessed
such substances. The French melinite
is we'll known, and Austria and other
nations have their explosives. In the
United States emmensite has been
known several years, but not until the
last twelve months have official expert
ments adequately demonstrated that it
is at once safe to handle and tremend-
ously effective. As Commodore Foiger.
the Chief of the Bureau of Naval
Ordnance, puts it, these experiments
''settle the long discussion with regard
to tho relative merits of firing high ex-
plosives from air guns or from powder
guns" He also tells us to expect a
revolution in the armament of war
ships, whose main batteries will hence
forth contain two elements, one of them
being the present long guns for armor.
piercing projectiles, and the other,
short guns with very large bore for the
use of shells loaded with great quanti-
ties of emmensite and similar high ex-
plosives, for use against the unarmored
sides Of ships.
Still another advance attained dur
ing the past year has been in new gun
mounts for heavy calibres. The atten-
ton Of all nations has been directed Of
late to the substitution of hand for
hydraulic power in working guns. since
the latter is liable to be rendered useless
by hostile fire. The British Admiralty
has resolved to make all guns capable
of being worked by hand, even at the
of greatly reducing the maxi
mum calibres. During the past year,
in our own service, device has beeh
perfected for operating by hand the
breech closures of the 1O-inch and 12-
inch guns; and besides avoiding sole
reliance on hydraulic power. the ra-
pidity of FIRE has been nearly quadrup-
led.
In gun making an advance has been
made to the 13-inch calibre guns, the
first of which is nearly ready. Here.
also, another great step has been taken
whose full development will belong to
another year. in beginning the con-
struction of an 6-inch gun on a new
principle. 1t has only three chief parts
"a tube and an inner and an outer
jacket; and damaged tube may easily
be replaced by a new one, with an APP
paratus invented by Mr.. w. Sellers.
The material of which this gun is to
be made is nickel-steel. If it is sue
cessful we shall have both a new ma
terial and a new method of gun manu-
facture. Our rapid-fire pieces are SO
that the 4-inch can now dis
charge five rounds in fourteen seconds;
1t 5000 yards range, five shells from it
IAN be kept in the air together.
Here should also be mentioned the
procuring Of a non-corrodible steel
while in search of wire suitable for
,orpedo netting. A few experimental
gun barrels and a field piece will soon
be made of this steel. Its success will
nave results reaching far beyond naval
Uses into the broad domain OF steel
We must not forget the new vessel
by Commodore Folger, under
whom the foregoing results have been
developed. The test of the Ericsson
submarine gun, few months ago, hav-
ng shown that fairly accurate range
II at least 600 feet can be obtained, he
las submitted the design of a new ram.
With curved nickel-steel decks and sub
merged side armor. carrying a pair
# submarine guns, for the discharge OF
,rojectiIes containing 500 pounds of
Ugh explosives. while it also has
hort, above-water mortars of project
les containing 200 pounds. Such q
'essel, novel and effective, must attract