Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-16
GREAT GUNS OF GREAT NAvIEs.
Costly Weapons That Can Be Fired
Only seventy-Ffve Times.

Costly Weapons That Can Be Fired
Only seventy-Five Times.
Two of the mammoth 11O-ton guns, up
| on which the British admiralty has 20
| proudly commented as the modern naval
artillery" and which cost about 100000
each, went down into seventy fathoms of
water with the battle ship Victoria. and in
| connection with this fact there must have
been awakened much interest among read
ers as to whether such heavy war weapons,
heavier than any yet made for the United
States navy. and heavier than will probably
be built, are a wise addition to a modern
war vessel
And yet this big gun is not a new thing,
as 1t practically dates back twelve years.
About forty Of these big guns have been
built. and some of them were sent to Italy.
1t Is easy to comprehend among navy off,
GERS that such guns are an expensive lux
u-y, not only in the actual cost of the gun
and its ammunition. but also in the size of
the ships required to carry them. But
what will be Of most interest to lay people
Is the quantity and cost of ammunition and
the life Of the gun itself. The best ordnance
experts calculate the life of the 11O-ton gun
to be seventy-five rounds with full charges.
The 11O-ton gun, and. indeed, all large guns,
are fred with slow burning coacoa powder,
brown color Of the powder. 1t is shaped in
hexagonal prisms, this being the most con-
venient form OF packing, and 10000 of these
prisms are needed to make a full charge for
this monster gun. Each prism is pierced
with hole In the center to give ready &C.
cess to the fame and insure an eQuable ig-
milton.
For nearly all naval guns the powder
charge Is made up Of four cartridges but
owing to the extraordinary weight of the
IiO-ton gun charges COG pounds) II is di-
vided into eight cartridges, each Weighing
10 pounds. To load the gun 1t is necessary
TO bring II to its extreme elevation-that is
the muzzle is pointed upward as far as 1t
can be on the mount and these operations
follow: l, Unlock and unscrew the breech
block: 2, withdraw the breech block: 8
traverse breech block to one side: 4. place
the loading tray In the gun; 5. swab out the
gun; T. pam home. or put into place. the
pro5ectile; Z, place the first charge; s. place
and ram home the second half cha-ge: ~
withdraW the loading tray; ~. replace the
breech screw; IL. screw up and lock the
breech screw.
The gun is then ready to be sighted by
the captain of the tu-ret from his conning
tower. It is fired by electricity. The gun
can be loaded and fired within two and
half minutes. The projectile used in the
gun, when ships or forts are attacked
weighs 500 pounds, or nearly 200 pounds
less than a ton. and it leaves the muzzle
with velocity of z, los feet a second and
mas a destructive energy equal to 55,3
toot-tons. When tested before mounting on
the Sanspareil three years ago the shot tore
ITS way through specially manufactured
steel armor twenty inches thick and yet
the armor belt of the Victoria ranged from
sixteen to eighteen inches in thickness only.
In addition to the twenty inches thickness
OF steel the shot went through eight inches
OF iron fastened in a heavy wrought-iron
frame, twenty feet of oak baulks six feet
OF granite blocks. eleven feet of concrete
and six feet OF brick. In other words, II
through fOrty-fOnr nd irJ Saa
OF wall unique In history for combination
or width and variety and strength of mate
riais The cost Of one firing of this gun
was 500 for the powder and 5000 for the
pro1ectfle and fuses, and after seventy-fiye
rounds there would be the cost Of the gun to
add, namely. 100000
In firing the gun against a body of men
or hotilla Of boats II is intended to use
shrapnel. d-um-like cylinder of steel, in
closing 900 four-ounce bullets. AS soon
as the shrapnel bursts the bullets go fiying
on. the spinning of the shell caused by the
rined grooves Of the gun spreading them
out over a large area. When a shell is
used 1t is charged with powder. which
causes II to explode and scatter its pieces
with great destruction.