Milford chronicle., 1893-07-14
GUNS ATTHE FAIR.
Objects Of Special interest to
the Visitors.
sIa KRuPP eUN DIaAPPoINTge.


when You SEQ It You DO Not See What
You Expected, but stilI II Is the Largest
Piece Of Ordnance in the World and
Fires a Shell weighing More Than >
Ton-Other GUNS.
WORLDS FAIR, July A. [special.l =
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
.oday. and when the tickets Of admission
are counted up at midnight probably the
Total attendance for the day will be found
70 exceed anything in the history Of inter
natlonal expositions. 1t Is great day,
sure enough; a day to be remembered BY
all who are fortunate enough to partici-
pate in this unparalleled celebration in
his unprecedented spot. To many thou
lands Of visitors the big guns have been
objects Of special interest today. 1t is in
America day of guns, of gunpowder, OF
loise, of martial spirit Every Fourth OF
Tuly we feel as if we could lick all creation,
md every other day of the year we are
luite sure we don't want 70 lick anyone or
anything except Columbian postage
stamps, and that is task enough for the
majority Of Ms
When it comes to big guns we are not as
ar behind the world as some people think
we are. OF course the biggest guns here
.re those shown by Herr Krupp, the fa-
nous German iron founder You have
.ead so much in the papers about his
mammoth gun, and, no doubt, have seen
20 many pictures Of it, that don't feel
.alled upon TO give you very careful de-
icription Of the monster. To tell the
ruth, it is not as big as I thought it was,
and when you come to the fair dare say
you will experience distinct sense Of dis
appointment in the magnitude of this fa-
nous shooting iron. This is largely due TO
.he fact that the gun is mounted. If It
we're lying on the ground, where you could
stand beside It and note that its thickness
It its thickest part is foot greater than
rour hight, you would be less disappointed
a its size. Mounted on its great carriage
lie big gun Is high in the air. It stands
n the center of a huge structure, and is
mrr0unded by other great guns, enormous
hastings and forgings, steamer shafts and
screws, steam hammers, etc. The effect
II these surroundings Is to dwarf even
he greatest piece Of ordnance in the
world.
The truth Of course Is that this gun is
nonstrous. just comprehend the signif-
sance ofthese figures, if you can: Greatest
thickness, 8 feet inches; length, A feet;
sore, l6g6 inches; weight, 100000 pounds.
Krupp had some big guns at the Philadel-
)hia exposition, and though they were not
nv1ar Ia. THE than
more sensational. In trying to discover the
reason for this Ispent good half fhOur, and
finally it dawned on my brain that the
liference was in che bore. The Krupp
gun Of 1876 had but little more than one
half the weight of this piece, but its bore
vas so wide boy could walk straight into
It's muzzle. That gun had much less
strength than this, and that meant less
power II could not throw such heavy
DrOjectiIe nor could 1t throw It so far.
Thus even the dullest layman may note
that the effectiveness of ordnance does not
depend upon bore. A 16-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
1f q powerful discharge of explosives.
This biggest of all guns Is a marvel Of |
trength. The shell fired from It is about |
Q inches long and weighs a little more |
han ton. It is Of forged steel, &Ffth a /
harp conical end, and it is Hfted ssoF7,
y means of a steam derSi lllsssssss- "
III throw this One-topr sick The gun
xteen miles, wit5 bell a distance OF
Faefivanasa ak-e --eat accuracy and
!, 4 &c of twelve miles.
sslshty play of forces re-
y Of Aurl such mass Ofsteei through
.oura miles Of spacel
Considering the cost of firing this mon
ster one Is surprised to learn that Herr
Krupp has amused himself by firing it no
fewer than forty times. Every discharge
cost him a thousand dollars, and forty
arlngs cost One-half as much as the orig
lnal cost of the gun itself. The machinery
for manipulation Of the piece is of course
ON a large scale. Nothing else would do.
It Is like a fortress in itself-a fortress
with a steam plant and a machine shop in
Il. The gun rests upon a carriage which
,uRs upon a track and along which it may
De moved backward and forward. The
,oint Of contact is about two-thirds of the
way from the muzzle to the breech, and
he piece is balanced ON a pair Of trun-
lions or projecting arms each two feet
0ng and two feet thick Hydraulic ma
Ihinery distuFbs this balance at the will
# the gunner and moves tins .4.azzle up or
toWH in gange-hnding.
There was rumOr some time ago that
Herr Krupp intended presenting this giant
gun to the city Of Chicago, and on the
that the rumor was we'll based
ome patriot has suggested that the piece
hOuld today fire a salute to the free and
states Of the American union.
t is scarcely necessary for me to add that
he big gun Is silent today, and that the
umOr concerning the generous intentions
4 its owner was not well founded When
asked the superintendent Of the building
his master were going to present the I
'reat gun to Chicago he replied with
characteristic vigor:
''Naw-pOuf- We are not giving 4
uns away this year, b
While Herr Krupp makes the greatest
uns in the world, so far as size is con-
arUed ik.is diaputed- that hennakes the
est guns. The constant tendency Of
lodern gun-building is not toward great
lie, but to lightness and ease Of manipu- |
,tion and above all, rapid fire. Only
artain percentage of discharges from ord
ance can be expected to be effective, at
est. The necessity for repeating is OBJ
ious, If much damage is TO be inflicted !
pom the enemy. A single shot from
.rupp's monster might cripple an ap
reaching battleship, at a distance Of
Ight or ten miles, but the chances are it
'onld fire three or four times without
nee hitting the target At a somewhat +
horter range a number Of rapid-flring !
.eel rifles would prove greater protection :
gainst a formidable fleet. !
The British have carried gun-malking to I
higher degree Of perfection, probably, 1
nan any other nntion Today tbav r,,alra :
0 larger gun than the 65-ton Armstrong, /,
nd very few as heavy as that While :
here has not been enough fighting in the 4
Of twenty years to afford good basis Of y
timate as 70 the effectiveness Of modern a
dnance, the very heavy guns are losing 4
yoF, both for armament Of ships and v
ast defense. The Victoria, which went o
wn on Tripoli few days ago, was fright G
lly weighted with big guns.
10 the British exhibit, contiguous 10 2
me ripe old smooth bores Of the days Of "