The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-06-23
PREPARING FOR WAR.
Tho Big Gun Shop at tho Navy
Yard at Washington.
Monster CAnnona Whose Cost Is Icstl-
mated Ono Hundred Thousand Dol.
lars Each-Methods Employed
in Their Manufacturer
Especial Washington Letter.

Especial Washington Lctter.l
All of the officers Of the navy are
very proud of the big gun shop which
is located at. the Washington navy
yard During the past years five of the
greatest cannon ever made in America
gun foundry. They are called built
up breech-loading rifles, and are of the
very latest scientific conceptions and
mechanical patterns. They are all of
the same size, each of them being Of
thfrteen-inch caliber and weighing
sixty-five tons. They are forty feet
long, and each Of them is capable OF
throwing an armor-picrcing projectile
of one thousand one hundred pounds
weight a distance of thirteen miles.
It takes five hundred and fifty pounds
of slow burning powder to drive one
of the projectiles tn Mt distance and to
give the shot a muzzle velocity Of two
thousand one hundred feet per second.
There is IN old adagc that in time OF
peacA we should prepare for war. and
after a visit to the gun foundry of the
navy yard anyone will DO fully con-
vinced that this country is acting upon
the wisdom of that motto.
No sooner was the work upon the
five monster cannon completed than
five more were commenced in the gun
foundry. These monsters of modern
warfare are intended for the ar1na-
ments of the three new battleships-
Indiana, Oregon and Massachusetts.
Four arc placed on each OF the ba tile
ships. two forward and two aft, SO tina t
they can be used in action with deadly
effect. regardless of the position of the
man-of-war at the time of firing the
guns.
We all know in this country some
thing about the tremendous cost OF
war, for we went through four years
~1~-
the world has ever known. But the
people do not generally know in time
Of peace how much it costs to prepare
for war, and only faint idea can be
cleaned from the fact of the cost Of
these guns. They cost one hundred
Thousand dollars each When all of
them have been completed. the total
cost will have been $1,000, 900. When
we take into consideration the fact
that Smaller guns are being made a ii
the time. and that the navy must be
supplied with costly battleships before
these guns can be placed upon them,
the cost Of preparing for war in time
of peace may be partly realized. 1t
will cost seven hundred dollars every
time one of these immense guns is fired
in action. The cost will be five hum
dred dollars for the nickel steel pro-
jectile, and two hundred dollars for the
powder.
Inc Work upon UAcSc guns was CoII-
menced a little over two years ago, and
they were completed in a little more
than ten weeks; that is, except the
breech mechanism and the mounts,
which required a couple of months
longer. Heretofore the navy yard gun
foundry has turned out In consideDa bl
numbers, four, five, six and eight-inch
rifle guns, and few ten and twelve
inch rifles. But these thirteen-inch
giants of destruction are the largest
ever attempted in this country. They
are regarded as tho perfection of ex-
pertinent. study and research. al
though their fatrica ton is by very in
teresting processes, which are COM
paratively simple.
The forginRs of all these guns have
been purchased at great cost, either
1T the works of the Bethlehem Iron
company of Pennsylvania, or the Mid
Vile Steel company at Nicetown, near
Philadelphia These forgings are the
result of mechanical and ma thematical
skill in the application OF . long and
difficult art to the raw material. The
forzinEs for each gun cost $50. 900, the
manufacture Of the gun proper. So
300. and the construction of the mount,
s35, 900. Under the act of congress
making appropria ton for these guns,
congress- insisted by a special pro-
vision OF the law: which has been rcit-
Grated every year since the commence
ment of the new navy, that the ores
and substances and elements which, GO
tato the making of American war
ships asitf their Sriadnthts shai be 1T