Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-07-13
GUNS AT THE FAIR.
Objects Of Special Interest to
the Visitors.
BIG KRUPP GUN DISAPPOINTING

When You See 1t You DO Not See What
You Expected, but Still 1t Is the Largest
Pieco of Ordnance in the World and
Fires n Shell Weighing More Than "a
Ton-Othor Guns.
WORLDS FAIR, July A. [Special.1 -
On this day we can find nothing better to
write about than the big guns of the fair.
A vast crowd is on the exposition grounds
today, and when the tickets of admission
nre counted up at midnight probably the
total attendance for the day will be found
to exceed anything in the history of inter
national expeditions. It is great day,
sure enough; day to be remembered by
all who IRE fortunate enough to partici-
pate in this unparalleled celebration i'll
this unprecedented spot. To many thou
sands of visitors the big guns have been
objects of special interest today. 1t is in
America day of guns, of gunpowder, of
noise, of martial spirit. Every Fourth of
July we feel as if we could lick all creation,
and every other day of the year we are
quite sure we don't want to lick anyone or
ANYTHING except Columbian postage
stamps. and that is task enough for the
majority of us.
When it comes to big guns we are not as
far behind the world as some people think
we are. OF course the biggest guns here
Rre those shown by Herr krupp, the IA
nous German iron founder. You have
read so much in the papers about his
mammoth gun, and, no doubt, have seen
so many pictures of it, that don't feel
rallied upon to give YOU a very careful de
scription of the monster. To tell the
truth, it is rot as big as | thought it was,
md when you come to the fair dare say
you will experience a distinct sense of dis
appointment in the magnitude of this ia
nous shooting iron. Thisis largely due to
the fact that the gun is mounted. If it
were lying on the ground, where you could
stand beside it and note that its thickness
MT its thickest part is a foot greater than
YOUR hight, you would be less disappointed
IN its size Mounted on its great carriage
the big gun is high in the air. 1t STANDS
In the center of huge structure, and is
surrounded by other great guns, enormous
castings and forgings, steamer shafts and
screws, steam hammers, etc. The effect
of these surroundings is to dwarf even
the greatest piece Of ordnance in the
world.
The truth of course is that this gun is
monstroua. Just comprehend the signifi-
canoe of these figures. if you cam Greatest
thickness. Is feet 8 inches; length, ~ feet;
bore, 16s inches; weight, 10000 pounds.
l<rupp had some big guns. at the Philadel-
phia exposition, and thol q. they were not
nearly as large as this monster they were
more sensational. In trying to discover the
reason for this lspent good halfhOur, and
finally it dawncd on my brain that the
difference was in the bore. The krupp
gun of 1876 had but little more than one
half the weight of this piece but its bore
was so wide boy could walk straight into
Its muzzla. That gun had much less
strength than this, and that meant less
power 1t could not throw such heavy
projcctile nor could it throw it SO far.
Thus even the dullest layman may note
that the effectiveness of ordnance does not
depend upon bore a l0-inch bore, sup
ported by vast strength in barrel, may
have double or treble the effectiveness of a
bore Of three feet in lighter and weaker
gun that is not able to sustain the shock
of g powerful discharge Of explosives.
This biggest OF all guns is marvel of
strength. The shell fired from it is about
90 inches long and weighs little more
than a ton. 1t is of forged steel, with n
sharp conical emu, and it is lifted to place
by means Of a steam derrick. The gun
will throw this one-tOn shell a distance OF
sixteen miles, with great accuracy and
effectiveness at a distance of twelve miles
Imagine the mighty play of forces re
uuired to hurl such mass of steel through
sixteen miles of space
Considering the cost of firing this mon
ster one is surprised to learn that Herr
krupp has amused himself by firing it NJ
fewer than forty times. Every discharge
cost him a thousand dollars, and forty
iirings cost One-haf as much as the orig
inal cost of the gun itself. The machiner,
for manipulation of the piece is of cours
on a large scale. Nothing else would do
1t is like n fortress in itself-a fortres
with a steam plant and a machine shop il
st. The gun rests upon a carriage which
runs upon q track and along which it ma,
be moved backward and forward. Tn
point of contact is about two-thirds of tn
way from the muzzle to the breech, AM
the piece is balanced on a pair of trun
Mons or projecting arms each two fee
long and two feet thick. Hydraulic ma
chinery disturbs this balance at the vii
of the gunner and moves the mu2zle up O
down in range-findin9
There was a rumor some time ago tina
Herr Krupp intended presenting this giau
gun to the city of Chicago, and on tn
supposition that the rumor was we'll base
some patriot has suggested that the piec
should today fire n salute to the free an
independent states of the American unioi
1t is scarcely necessary for me to add thu
the big gun is silent today, and that til
rumor concerning the generous intention
of it's owner was not well founded. Whe
asked the superintendent of the buildin
if his master were going tC present ii
great gun to Chicago he replied viii
characteristic vigor:
"Naw-pouf-niXl We are not giviI
guns away this year"
While Herr Krupp makes the create
guns in the world, so far as size is co
cerned, it is disputed that he makes Il
best guns. The constant tendency
modern gun-building is not toward gre
size, but to lightness and ease of manip
lation and, above all, rapid fire. Only