The Van Buren press., 1894-06-02
Especial Washington Letter.l

Especial Washington Letter.l
All of the officers of the navy are
rery proud of tho big gun shop which
Is located at the Washington navy
yard. During the past years five OF the
greatest cannon ever made In America
Tor service were completed in that big
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
thirteen-inch caliber and weighing
sixty-fve tons. They are forty feet
long, and each OF them Is capable OF
throwing an armor-piercing projectile
Of one thousand one hundred pounds
weight distance Of thirteen miles.
1t takes Ave hundred and fifty pounds
Of slow burning powder to drive one
Of the projectiles tn at distance and to
give the shot muzzle velocity Of two
thousand one hundred feet per second.
There is an old adage that In time Of
peace we should prepare for war, and
after visit to the gun foundry Of the
navy yard anyone will be fully con-
vinced that this country is acting upon
the wisdom OF that motto.
No sooner was the work upon the
Eve monster cannon completed than
eve more were commenced in the gun
foundry. These monsters Of modern
warfare are intended for the arma-
ments of the three new battleships-
Indiana, Oregon and Massachusetts.
Four are placed on each Of the battle
ships, two forward and two aft, SO that
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
Of one of the most terrific struggles
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 oil Of
them have been completed, the total
cost will have been $1,200,0Oo. When
we take into consideration the fact
that smaller guns are being made all
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 fred
in action. The cost will be flve hun.
dred dollars for the nickel steel pro-
jectile, and two hundred dollars for the
powder.
The work upon these guns was COM
menced little over two years ago, and
they were completed in little more
than ten weeks; that is, except the
breech mechanism and the mounts,
which required couple Of months
longer. Heretofore the navy yard gun
foundry has turned out in considerable
numbers, four, five, six and eight-inch
rife 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 the perfection Of ex-
pertinent, study and research, al
though their fabrication is by very In
teresting processes, which are COM
paratively simple.
The forgings Of all these guns have
been purchased ut great cost, either
at the works Of the Bethlehem Iron
company Of Pennsylvania, or tho Mid
Vile Steel company at Nicetown, near
Philadelphia. These forgings are the
result Of mechanical and mathematical
skill in the application of long and
difficult art to the raw material. The
forgings for each gun cost s55, 900, the
manufacture of the gun proper, s10,-
300, and the construction OF the mount,
$4,000. Under the act of congress
making appropriation for these guns,
congress insisted by a special pro-
vision of the law, which has been reit-
Grated every year since the commence
ment Of the new navy, that the ores
and substances and elements which go
into the making of American war
ships and their armaments shall be Of
American production and manufac-
ture. Therefore in the creation of a
gun forging, 1t is necessary that it
must be Of the best steel in America,
compounded exclusively OF American
materials. This forging must be OF
the finest open-hearth gun steel and
the casting must weigh about double
what the forging that is to be made
from it will weigh. If there are any
bubbles, or any flaws or riffs what
ever, in the steel it will be rejected by
the gun foundry and turned back to
the producer OF it. The forging is
made into a shape approximating that
Of the finished gun, 50 that it is all