Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-16
FIRED ONE SHELL.
A Target 200 Feet High Escaped Un-
touched Owing to a Mistake In Orders

touched Owing to a Mistake In Orders
Among the passengers who arrived in
New York late Monday night from the West
Indies was Mr. Frank Creelman. says the
New York Herald. Mr.. Creelman sailed
from New York in the Brazilian cruiser
| Nictheroy. His duty on board the cruiser
was to show the crew Of the pneumatic
aerial torpedo thrower-or dynamite gun. as
| 1t is popularity called-how to work the piece
and to teach the officer having charge OF
the gun all that could be conveyed concern
| ing its obstruction and manipulation.
Mr.. Creelman gave a Herald reporter a
sketch of life aboard the new war ship un-
der its present semi-naval commission. AS
soon as the Nictheroy was fairly at sea
| the work of stationing her crew for action
began.
Her officers were assigned to duty as fol-
lows: Capt. Baker in command on the
bridge. The lighting command was given
UP wholly to Lieut.. Commander Hill. whose
station was also on the bridge. In case OF
| venturing into Brazilian harbors the Nicthe-
roy will be piloted by Capt Baker whose
knowledge of South American waters is I'M
| usually accurate.
| Lieut.. Craven was the ordnace officer.
| having a general charge Of and responsible
ity for the ships battery. He was at first
/ assigned to the direct command OF the two
| finch rapid fire 33-pounder Hotchkiss guns
| forward, but later he took charge of the
| rapid-fre 55-pounder aft and the adjoining
| pieces of the secondary battery-6-pounders
| and 1-pounders.
| Lieut.. Brinley commanded the forward
division, which contained the pneumatic
| gun and the two 80 FOUNDER Hotchkiss guns.
| To Lieut.. Lowe was given charse Oh 'he
ammunition supply division.
The secondary battery of 6-pounders and
| i-pounders on the berth deck, and the broad
| side Howell torpedo tubes were assigned to
Lieut. Conway, and the guns in the second
| airy battery on the pilot house and midship
house were controlled by Lieut.. Sparling.
Getting Ready for Work.
For several days after leaving New York
| each officer was busy shaking down his
men into their places and learning which
were the most experienced and best drilled
memo -wars-men among them. 1t was
necessary also to do a good deal of work
| on the guns themselvs, they had been
| put aboard ship SO hastily that much re-
manned to be done to make them eflcient
| for service. The 5o-pounder, 1t was FOUND,
was not supplied with sight, and Mr..
Creelman inprovised one out or piece OF
wood. which served its purpose very sat
lsfactorily until the America arrived from
New York and turned over tne Hlssihs
sight to the Nictheroy.
The pneumatic gun was fitted with a
| telescope sight similar to the device invent
ed by Lieut. b. A. Fiske. United states
Navy This sight consists of a telescope at
tached to the port trunnion. Having once
| set the telescope at sucn an angle with the
axis of the gun as corresponds to the eieva-
| ton that will give a certain range the Of
fcer aiming the piece merely has to keep
the gun trained on the object aimed at and
| FIRE when the telescope crosshairs are on the
object.
How the Gun il Sighted.
| Range tables have been determined by
practice or each size of projectile. The dis
lance to which a projectile will be thrown
by the pneumatic torpedo thrower has been
| calculated at Is. % and 35 degrees Of ele-
walton for varying amounts Of air pressure
| admitted from the reservoir into the gun
chamber back of the shell. At Is degrees
the range with the standard 2OO-pound pro-
jectile varies between 1850 and $500 yards,
| according to the air pressure used.
| In firing the Nictheroy's gun Lieut. Brin-
ley had an experienced gunner, formerly in
| the British navy to manage the elevation.
With range table In hand the gunner
! noted the elevation necessary to give a
range equal to the reported distance of the
| object to be hit. AS the ship approa oh ed
| the object or receded from 1t the elevation
Brinley had to do was to keep the gun
properly trained on the target and pull the
| firing lanyard when it bore.
| Target Practice for Two Days.
! The Nictheroy went to sea from St. Thorn
as on two separate days for target practice
On the first day she visited Sail Rock and
made good practice with her powder guns
The 55-pounder was fired with a common
shell. and 1t was seen that the rock scatter
ed where the shell struck. Three shots were
fred from the port 33-pounder and severa
from each of the smaller guns. The prac.
tice was very good, and Sail Rock was con
siderably knocked TO pieces.
| Sail Rock, as its name indicates, resembles
a ship under full sail 1t appears to be-
about four hundred feet long and two hun
dren feet high. On the second day of target
practice the pneumatic gun was first trained
on Sail Rock with dummy prejectile-that
Is, torpedo containing no charge, but
made exactly to resemble genuine loaded
shell.
There was a moderate breeze blowing al
an angle OF about 90 degrees across the linz