The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1894-09-19
TERRIBLE T0RPED OGUNS.
Those Being Placed at Sandy
Hook, New York.
Torpedoes Thrown for Miles That
Can Easily Sink the Largest
Mau Of War.


Hook as a protection to New Norl
Flarbor arc wonders. One is a fiftcei
inch gun, fifty feet long, and tn
cight-inch forty-hye feet long. HI
| tlftecn-inch gun throws shells con
tanning from so pounds to 500 pound
of nitro glyccrinc. They are mount
cd on carriages arranged to be turnct
and elevated by electric power, 81
that the gunner standing on til,
platform to the left Of the gun has
entire control simply by moving Icy
crs. lie travcrscs, stops, olcvatcs OF
dcprcsscs without ever once taking
his eye from the sight.
The brcccll is intcrlocking, The
slightest movement Of the brcecl
will make it impossible to fire. Tn
der ground on each side are bi.
chambers and the firing reservoirs.
Large wrought iron tubes are con.
ncCtcd underground with the Gun bv
Two thlrteen-inch cast iron pipes,
which connect with a cylinder all
pipe in the centre Of the gun pintlc.
The air flows through these pipes in
to Il swing joint, which allows for the
horizontal plane Of the gun, and is
then carried through pipes by the
| Sidr~ Of the carriage to the trllnnions
OF the gun, each Of which is has Il
trunnion swing joint which carries
the air from the pipes ON the side of
the carrlagc to the gun itself, and
allows Tor motion in Il vertical dircc
tion.
The main barrel Of tic gun Itself
is cncascd in another barrel from tile
trllnnlons to the brccch. The air is
conducted from the trunnons to the
two barrels in the annuIar space be-
tween the two barrels to the firing
valve, which is located in the brcccl.
When tllis valve is opened the air
lloWs in behind the projcctilc and
starts Il forward. When tile predo
tcrnjncd amount OF air has passed
the valve it closes automatically by
means OF the Mpictf valve. This
amount of air can be controlled abso-
lutclv. and can be fired at will by the
gunner. This alters the range with
out changing the elevation Of the
gun.
Mr.. Frank Crcclman is in charge
OF the gun and fires it himself. Gen.
t'laglcr chief OF ordnance, Commando
cr Sampson, Major H"i!!; Q: the VA
tcrtown arsenal, Lieut.. Wheeler,
Capt. Crozicr, Lieut.. Harmon aux!
Capt. phipps witnessed the trial last
week and found that the results cX-
cccdcd the specifications. On Friday
five rounds, with Interruptions ncccs-
travcrsing and clcvating be-
cause Of ships getting in the way.
were fired in seven minutes and 1flv-
eight seconds.
Behind the battery is built Il great
electric plant necessary to work the
guns. The shells are filled in Il wood
en- house still further north. The
fuse tests on Friday were fully up to
expectations. The range was 1000,
$500 and 1900 Yards The turpcdoeS
all struck in the same small rcctan-
gle. When they exploded under the
water the sight was Il grand one. \
mountain Of water laShcd into foam
rose mere than mast high in the air,
forming q most magnificent series Of
brilliant cascadcs-lt least an acre Of
water, sufficient to OvcrWllclln il ship
even Of the Size Of tn" City Of Rome.
This was one Of the most interesting
sights Of the tests.
y very curious thing about the fir
IlS VI LllC = uil NdS Lllc tlI)ScIlCt Dl lllt
loud report that one might expect.
In the powder explosions the roar
was almost dcafclinr. When the
dynamite gun went Off YOU might
stand with your ear to the muZzlc
and feel no i'll effect. it was, com
parativcly speaking pop instead Of
report. And then the SIGHT Of the
projcctic hurting through the air.
AS if was eleven feet long, you could
trace its flight from the time it left
the nuzzlc Of the gun to its striking
the water Sometimes it WObblcd |
and wobblcd just as a Kite would do |
and every moment you expected it to
turn right over.
The bore Of the gun is smooth TO |
steady the shot and give it an extra
velocity, therefore, a fantail has been
added to it, and this contrivancc does |
fairly we'll. The time Of flight Of |
one Of the shots from the moment it |
left the gun till it struck the water
was seventeen seconds, it appeared
to be, from tho seemingly easy way
the black mass was travelling, to be
seventeen minutes. The explosion |