The morning call., 1893-03-11
THE BIG GUNS OF THE DAY.

The monster gun which has just been
received at Chicago for exhibition at the
Worlds Fair will not attract so much at
tentiou by reason of Its size as it will by
reason of lis range. 1t weighs 10000
pounds, or IS tons. A quarter Of a century
ago Krupp in Russia and Armstrong in
England cast guns of this size, and since
then British ships of war have been armed
with SO-ton guns, and in the italian navy
there are guns weighing 10 tons, or twice
as large as the gun just received at Chicago.
But the latter discounts all former guns in
the range of Its prujectlle. The krupp and
Armstrong guns rarely carried over four or
five miles. Latterly rifled guns have been
built which carry seven or eight miles; the
gun at Chicago is said to be capable of
throwing a 1000 pound ball to the enormous
distance of twelve miles. What is the
energy in foot-tOns of the ball at that dis
lance we are not informed, but a 1000 pound
ball moving even at a low velocity would
strike pretty hard.
1t was found at Alexandra that bom-
bardment was not effective at greater
distance than three to three and a half
miles. Projectiles were sent from the Eng
lish ships al q distance of FIVE miles; but at
such long range the aim was unreliable. At
the present time gunners reckon that they
can hit an object of the size Of small ship
at a distance OF five miles with reasonable
certainty and at a distance Of seven or eight
miles with considerable probability. At
twelve miles shots may be lodged in a city,
OF, with good aim, In a fort. Projectiles
have varied Ike guns. The guns of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries threw
balls several Hundred pounds in weight
The size of the prOjectile was reduced gradu-
ally on the theory that weight might be
diminished If velocity were correspondingly
increased and that the smaller the bore the
more easily the piece could be handled. But
at the time of the Crimean War and the War
OF the Rebellion heavy projectiles once
more came into fashion, and of late years
gunners incline 10 the belief that the most
effective ball is one which weighs about
half a ton. ii it is propelled by about n
quarter of a ton o. coarse powder. Such a
ball possesses not only the boring power Of
the prnjectile from a rife but also the
pounding power of heavy shot. This was
the conclusion to which Quincy A Gill
more's reasoning led after The bOmbardment
OF Pulaski.
Gnnnery is progressive science; it is
only occasionally that it reaches a finaiiy.
~ ul4 ltdCI q IilEiL WLGu II was QGllOl-
strated that fifty tons was about the limit
of seryiceable marine artillery; nor is there
much prospect that ships will hereafter be
built which can res st the wrenchng energy
of guns Of large ealiber. The bulk of the
cannon with which British ironclads are
armed could not be used in action; they
would tear to pieces the ships which fired
them. But it does not seem that there is
limit IN G. nf gltn r,-b iob
might be used in coast defense, nor to the
range which might be impaired to their
projeetiles This gun, which is now at
Chicago, if properly aimed and fired from
Point Lobos might sink a ship as she
crossed the bar.
There is no saying how much further an
other gun might throw ball charged with
dynamite. Ia the days when cannon were
aimed by the eye, fighting at such long
range was not effective in consequence of
the difficulty Of hitting the target; but now
that the aim of a piece OF artillery is regu-
lated by problem in comic sections, based
on observation with a sextant. distance
is no protection for a vessel which comes
within range
It's curious that the increase In the size
of heavy projectes should be simultaneous
with dimiDuton in the caliber of small
arms. Almost all the nations are arming
their infantry with rifles whose CALDER is
about three centimeleIs; they throw bolt
about the size of short lead-pencl.
Simultaneously the Indiana. which is the
crack ship of our navy, will throw a pro-
jectile twice as heavy as any that were used
in the War of the Rebellion, and far heavier
than any that were ever fred In naval war
fare. The reason is simple. The object OF
small-arm fire is to disable men; while the
purpose of heavy cannon Is to destroy forts
| or Sims.