Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-02-27
BROWN GUN tt ST D
Experiments With q New
Type of Ordnance.
CONDUCTED AT BrRDsBoRo. PA
The Tests Pronounced by Experts Com.
pletely Successful

A CoElP1ete Gun Not Yet Finished, but a
Cylinder Representing the Powder
Chamber of Five-Inch Rifle Used
Registered Gauge of B2, $50 Pounds to
the Square Inch Obtained by Three and
One-Quarter Pounds of Powder.
BIRDsBoRo, Pa, Feb 27.-The system
of great gun construction known as the
Brown segmental tube wire-wound
method width, it is claimed, Is destined
to revolutionize the fabrication of heavy
ordnance, underwent a completely sue
cessful trial under Government auspices
at the works of the Pennsylvania Dia-
mond Drill and Manufacturing company
here.
The Brown gun consists of tube
formed of accurately adjusted segments
| of steel extending from breech toImuzzle,
wrapped with many layers of steel wire,
| applied under heavy pressure, and lined
with an inner tube to carry the rifling
| and endure the wear and tear of repeated
firing.
| A complete gun has not yet been fin
ished, but sample cylinder, represent
ing the powder-chamber of five-inch
gun, was subjected to trial last summer
at Fort Wadsworth.
Both ends of the cylinder were closed
With screw plugs. leaving small vent
for the escape of gas, and two shots were
| fired. The pressure registered was
enormous, and abundantly proved the
strength of the system, but at the second
discharge the screw plugs became
jammed, and after repeated failures to
release them, the trial was abandoned.
1t was then subsequently found, after
| hhop ha6 hnoV ont n n
het screw threads had been upset by the
escape of gas.
Since then Mr.. Brown has been busy
experimenting and preparing new CYL
inder for trial, under the supervision of
Lieut.. Whistler of the Fifth Artillery
specially detailed by the government for
the purpose.
Yesterday public trial was made of
the new cylinder in the presence of a
large number of members of the company
and ordnance experts. among whom were
Judge Henry A. Gildersleeve, the counsel
} for the company.
The party arrived at the works at noon
and preparations were Immediately made
for the firing tests. The cylinder to
: he tried represented as before the
powder chamber of a five-inch rif1ed gun
and consisted of twelve steel segments
three inches thick. covered with two
inches of wire wrapping in thirty-one
courses and lined with tube half ar
inch thick.
The external diameter of the cylinder
was a trifle under sixteen inches, and its
length about two feet. Profting by the
experience of last summer, Mr.. Brown
had encased the cylinder in cast steel
jacket. both ends of which were CLOSED
with screw plugs, the uppor one of which
was perforated by a vent one-eighth incl
in diameter.
Two crusher gauges were screwed into
the lower plug and preliminary shot Of
one pound OF coarse grained black cannon
powder was fired to warm up the piece
1t exploded without report, but with 1
fizz like a colossal squib.
Two pounds and a half of powder were
then placed in the tube, and Lieutenan
Whistler ordered the. crowd back while
he adjusted the electric primer
A touch of the firing key was accom-
panied by a sound that resembled the
sudden release of steam from a safety
valve, and jet of flame and smoke sho
up into the air for thirty feet.
The gauges registered a pressure o
35, 200 pounds to the square inch. TIL
next shot with two and three-quarte
pounds of powder gave AZ, 1877 pound
pressure.
Three pounds of powder gave AZ, ~
pounds, and three and one-fourth pound
= of powder gave the enormous pressure o
So, $50 pounds to the square inch. Thu
highest pressure used in modern guns
does not exceed IS, 900 pounds.
All the experts agreed that the tria
could not have been more successful, ant
all Joined in admiring the perfection
with which the segments of the cylinde
had been assembled, the lines of junctur
being invisible except in the stronges
light.
The company expects to have com
plete gun ready for trial before man
weeks.