New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-17
THE SPONSEL GUNS SUCCESS
SIMPLICITY. STRENGTH AND RAPIDI1Y IT'S
CHARACTERISTICS.
rur pprFcu BLOCK CONTAINS ONLY NINETEEN
PARTs-THE BOARDS REPORT FAVoRABLn'
Inv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEI

THE BREFCH BLOCK CONTAINS ONLY NINETEEN
pARTs-TuE BOARDS REPORT FAVORABLE.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.'
Washington April 1.-THE Navy Department maze
pubc today the results OF saturdays oicia tfiaS Ut
Indian Head with the sponscl one-pounder rarll-hrc
cun The trial, were conducted by board OF officers
composcd OF Lieutenant y. +. Mason, Professor r. H.
,jrer and Ensign J. VI. Foyer. ordnance experts lh'
report Of the board l. considered an important anu
favorable one jusying the claims previously a"e %
to the simplicity. strength md rapdlty OF ms ne"
American invention I'm war material The trials OF Tie
board chiefly related TO the efficiency ana Vnhc Oh '
hrecch mechanism, In which the inventor CLAIMS W
hov. made n number OF important improvements
Before the firing began the brecch mechanism was
taken ont Of the gun and dsscmbed subsequently,
The pars were rca ,cmbrd the block put In position
and tho c,,n made ready for firing. The first opef"
o.cup,d thr ytvO nds, AID tie s,c0 one ''"''
ard four seconds. Ten rounds were then hfeu 10 w
scrve IN, general working OF the brcech mVfhaihs"'
cStr,cor, firing apparatus, etc. Ter ana al.er"a'u
five round, were fired rapidly n possible Inv NV
rounds were discharged in twelve seconds 'he h,''.
being an inexperienced man. Five rounds were hr'u
+, les, the guns safety devices. Ten dci"cnVe cart
r,ag.. With the primer thinncd down To Test the
firing pn were next tired. The leakage oi Ha' was
very great bu, the firing pin remained ib'''' "'''
bc,nc suongcd ont and The brccch nl''hhh''h ~
rlaccd without, cleaning. sixty rounds were hr'u III
three minutes and thirty SIX seconds, sigh' d'N' VI
about ten second, being unavoidablc'
with respect to The particular points 10 De 10
served tho board reports among other hlngS '""' W.
strength and endurance Of the brcech closure ana Us
,ar,s vcr, sufficient and that the breech m"chah'a"
WAS efficient. The action Of the eNtrac'"r' s''n'" U"
hc All Tint could be desired. the fact That t't' Ne'o
Two cNtractors which were Interchangeable plne ~"
advantageous feature Il the meclnnNm Inc "'rh''1
rarfs were all easily manipulated. being puI'hN "''
n,ount If and a.s.mbl without the u" Of tolls 'h
advantageous point IN The brecch mechanism was
,onna 70 De- ,hl' all i's parts are contained IN ih"
,, .cl, ilocl ana can IT.. taken out replaced nj the
same time.
The method of loading the gun is convenient ana
safe and IN. 10, Ming device for hoding up III" bech
block when closed Is efficient and strong. Ihre" men
can serve tn. g1in effectively and with practice thc
maximum ripldlty Of hr can BE- considerably IN
creased over TINT q! twenty five shots per minute
Due attention was paid to the heating of th" gun by
m Did firing but the board says that the heat To which
the gun was subjected showed 40 injurious effects
upon the bncch mechanism.
Arcr the trial were completed an examination OF
the bfcr,h block and lis fittings made ana all
parts fonnd In good condition and comparatively
cool M test, 81 the range or PENETRATION OF the gun
were madc but II was estimated 10y experts present
that the range was about three miles. with effective
penetration up TO - 40 yards.
In rNplaIrlng The gun after the trials. inventor.
harlcs ~ spon,cl oi Hartford, said that the brccch
block contained only nineteen parts. Including the
block itself These parts are the block cranh. hand
crank crank fastener. crank retainer. Hing PIN. tn-
bier, rock shaft, main spring. main spring luig"F,
c,irnctor cams. and cranI block. Mr. >ponNcl
efficiency Of the gun. which had been shown during
private and Official trials the great advantnsc 1t had
rs Manufacture possible at cost 20 per cent less
than that ol other rapid fire guns nov In use