Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-26
W@NDBWRY'S FACIAL SOAP
GREAT GUNS OF GREAT NAvIES.
The Expensive Guns Can He Fired
Only Seventy-Ffve Times.


Two of the mammoth 110-ton guns, upon
which the British admiralty has so proudly
commented as the modern naval artillery"
and which cost about 100000 each. went
down into seventy fathoms Of water with
the battle ship Victoria. and in connection
with this fact there must have been awak-
ened much interest among readers as to
whether such heavy war weapons, heavier
than any yet made for the United States
navy. and heavier than will probably be
built. are wise addition to a modern war
vessel. And yet this big gun is not a new
thing, as II practically dates back twelve
years. About forty of these big guns have
been built and some of them were sent to
Italy. 1t Is easy to comprehend among
navy officers that such guns are an expen-
sive luxury. not only in the actual cost of
the gun and its ammunition, but also in the
size OF the ships required to carry them.
Blu. what Will be of most interest to lay
people is the quantity and cost of ammu-
milton. and the life of the gun itself The
best ordnance experts calculate the life of
the l0-ton gun to be seventy-five rounds
with full charges. The 11O-ton gun, and in
deed all large guns. are fired with slow
burning cocoa powder, the name cocoa be-
ing derived from the brown color of the
powder. 1t is shaped in hexagonal prisms,
this being the most convenient form of
packing. and 1000 of these prsms are need
ed to make a full charge for this monster
gun Each prism is pierced with a hole in
the center TO give ready access to the flame
and insure an eqUable ignition. For nearly
all naval guns the powder charge is made
up Of four cartridges, but. owing to the ex-
traordinary weight of the 110-ton gun charge
$50 pounds, it is divided into eight cart
ridges. each weighing 120 pounds. To load
the gun II Is necessary to bring it to it's
extreme elevation. that is, the muzzle is
pointed upward as far as 1T can be on The
mount: and these operations follow. % Tn
lock and unscrew the breech-block; CD with
draw the breech-block: go traverse breech-
block to one side; el place the loading tray
In the gun; 90 swab out the gun; 90 ram
home. or put into place. the proiectile: %
place the first charge; 81 place and ram
home the second half charge; ~ withdraw
screw; Oh screw up and lock the breech-
screw.
The gun is then ready to be sighted by
the captain OF the turret from his coming
tower. 1t is fired by electricity. The gun
can be loaded and fired within two and a
half minutes. The projectile used in the
gun. when ships or forts are attacked
weighs 1.sO0 pounds, or only 200 pounds less
than a ton, and 1t leaves the muzzle with a
velocity of 2.106 feet a second, and has a
destructive energy equal to s., 3O5 foot-tons
When tested before noun ting on the Sans
parcel three years ago the shot tore its way
20 inches thick. and yet the armor belt of
the Victoria ranged from 16 to Is inches in
thickness only. In addition to the 90 inches
thickness of steel the shot went through
inches of iron fastened in a heavy wrought
iron frame. 20 feet Of oak baulks, s feet of
granite blocks, II feet of concrete and feet
OF brick In other words Ii went through
"A 1-3 feet Of a wall unique in history for
combination of width and variety and
strength of materials. The cost of one fir
Ing OF this gun was 500 for the powder and
$500 for the projsetile and fuses; and after
IS rounds there would be the cost of the gun
to add. namely, 100000.
IN nrlng the gun against a body Of men
or a hoti1la of boats.it Is intended to use
shrapnel. drum-like cylinder of STEEL in
closing $50 four-ounce bullets. As soon as
the shrapnel bursts the bullets go flying on,
the spinning of the shell caused by the
rfned grooves of the gun spreading them out
over a large area When a shell is used IL
Is charged with powder. which causes 1T to
explode and scatter its pieces with great
destruction.