New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-10
PREPARING FOR WAR.
THE WORK OF PUTTING IN Ell CID'S STRONG
ARMAMENT.
HOW THE IMMENSE DYNAMITE GUN WILL DO
ITS DEADLY wORK-sHIPPING MEN AND
PHoyIsIoys-THE AGENTS OF THE BRA.
LILLIAN GOVERNMENT WORKING


LILLIAN GOVERNMENT WORKING
NIGHT AND DAY.
No shin NJ war ever sailed out OF New-York Har
Dor equipped with armament so deadly as, 1t IL
tboucbt that of the new Brazilian cruiser FL Cid
| will prove TO be. The Camperdown. with her hum
| dred-ton gun requiring special machinery merely
| to hoist the cartridge; the Blake. the New-York
| and other cruisers of most modern type. are all
mighty engines Of war. but FL Cid Is not OF these
! Cannon are discarded. and the new cruisers arma'
nnent practically consists Of huge airgun throw
| ING p,,n.cotton or dynamite projectles. The Mon-
| tor steamng into Hampton Roads thirty years
| ago presented no more startling contrast to the
naval ideas of that period than FL ca VIII oHer 10
modern cruisers when she enters active service
and II the ideas she embodies are successful IN the
| coming campaign another Monitor mas indeed
| arisen Two of FL Cid's rapid-iiring guns, her
secondary battery are already mounted near the
| stern. one on each side Of the vessel The wooden
| tracks, about four feet in diameter, Tor the TWO
other small guns are prepared; the guns themselves
| are being placed in position. portfolios nave peeh
| cut. and work upon the secondary armament Is
| thus in an advanced state.
Interest centres. however. in the huge compressed
| air gun to be mounted at the bow OF the cruiser
About twenty feet from the bowsprit large horse
| shoe-shaped opening about twelve feet across mas
been cut in the deck, and on the gun deck below
in the centre of this opening, circular base mas
| been constructed of heavy timbers of hard wood
| rising in four circles. each smaller than the one
| below forming steps. The diameter OF the lowest
circle Is probably six feet. 1t Is ten inches thicH.
The upper layer is about four feet In diameter and
| within this a gang of workmep were yesterday
| laborously fitting a heavy iron rim When THIS IL
in place the bed of the gun VIII be well on towaru
| completion Even when finished, this bed VIII In
no way suggest the enormous power ana capapii'!
| of the gun Ordinary steel guns Of large size re-
| auire exceedingly strong beds and beneath those
| a frame of great stability to Withstand the recoil.
| The dynamite gun, however, or more properly the
| COMPRESSED air gun has recoi slight in proper
| ton to it's size that exceedingly heaVy prachs vi
| the base and flooring Is not required.
HOW TIE BIG GUN Is WORKED.
The gun to be mounted in FL Cid is fifty feet
| long and has a bore fifteen inches III diameter
| The weight of the gun itself Will proDapy not
| exceed twenty-five tons With an air pressure OF
| 1000 pounds 1t can throw shell chargeo VIII"
| gun cotton. geatne or dynamite from one 10 TOUR
| miles, according to the weight OF the proJectiie
/ which varies from 70 to 800 pounds. and the VIII
| of. the operator. An automatic valve admits air
to the gun bore and makes the cut-on at any de-
sired point so that without changing the elevation
projecte be dropped just 9yt OF me muZ .h
or sent to the extreme range me s 3a1o soon
| to be- mounted in FL Cid can be turned like an
Just back Of the engnero and be .Sgo, the re
deck is the powerful AIR Co pSwe Thch
por%ht p Sarl Of 81 cds eaaIp9ent is supplied BY
s h F Is ea n Of 9
stage capable OF COMPRISING air to the ENORMOUS
Compressor Is being erected directly across the
deck, thus probably obtaining greater stability
resents 200 horsepower, and is most powerful
and effective piece of machnery The congresses e "a
the bow of the vessel and stored in reservoir
from which it Is drawn to the gun as required.
PUTTING ON MORE ARMoR.
Just back of the compressor many workmen
were yesterday busily putting together the dyna-
mos which are to supply the electric plant of the
cruiser Back of these is the electric switchboard
and still further back, In the stern are three extra
nanges for the screw. The iron sheathing at the
| bow Of FL Cid has been pierced with holes In every
and to ns 81 or dS aS pna
and while the preparation Of the vessers armamen
parts Of the ship are being carefully protected
The scene on board is animated In me extreme RENE
everywhere \ hosting engine near the main gang,
plank puffs and wheezes as guns or heavy material
though order could be brought from the exceeding
Of provisions are being rapidly hurried board
and such suggestive labels as Salmon" Cabin,
come out Of chaos. and that humdrum passenger
and freight steamer is already nearly transformed
the Republic Of Brazil The big dynamite gun
arrived about noon Yesterday. and Is nov lying
alongside FL Cid. resting on the barge that brought
II down from Cold Spring. 1t will be swung on
board to-day
| WORK on THE BRITANNIA
| All day yesterday the britannia also was crowded
! with workmcn who did not lose minute in push
ing the completion of all the thousand and one de-
tsils needed TO change such craft into a warship
| The forward and after Lighthouses have been torn
| away and the decks are being prepared for the gun
| emplacements Ways for the small broadside guns
| are being built Coal is also being shifted from
aft.forward in order TO bring the Vessel more down
Several men were at work on the Feiseen yes
nnIxy to her was
| a brass ring bolted to the deck forward, on which
the torpedo tube will revolve Sponsors are being
| buoyant and seaworthy. She will not accompany
ri Cid and the Britannia to Brazil. but will be
'' Little by little the names Of the officers Of FL
that la captain Baker command, and that the
executive officer was to be George \; Bent II is
e eT%dus sar"t Of the tinted Naval Academy
They are Macdonoush Craven class OF 81 Fr and
fT dward Brnie e cray S is the son 81 Admiral
Wee to Cbce civil engineer and has had charge
Of numerous important works IN this STATE ntsr ths
S Sndss of i 'he firm Fl sRasas CO.. Ne i
br JnSn Toner. 10 s. East Twentydfhst will
on FL Ga and DR. Dr. aSSa OF Of ths cR
will b. surgeon the Britannia. SO far about 200
Iesirous to enlist still brushes around the door Of
the shipping agent, John H. Quail in South-st.
MINISTER MENDONCA ON THE SITUATION.
TIE REBEL wARsIIIPs SAID TO BE BADLY GRIP
Piled AND SHORT OF AMMUNITION
| MoyAHCHIsTs DISHEARTENED.
Washington Nov. ?-Senor Mendonca, the Bra
lillian Minister. does not believe that Admiral Meo
has again bombarded Rio Janeiro, although he has
received advices by way of London which would in
dcate that the rebel leader yesterday poured a
furious fsillade Of shot and shell into the Brazilian
canital The information although unofficial, came,
the Minister frankly states, from trustworthy
source. Senior Mendonca has no oihcial coh''''i,a-
ton of the report. He is in daily, almost hourly
communication with the Brazilian Foreign once.
but none OF his advices makes mention of any overt
act recently on Mellos part He regards 1t as I'M
likely that the city should have been shelled with
out the fact becoming generally known.