The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-01-05
GREAT GUNS OF GREAT NAvIEs.
Tho 11o-Ton Guns Are Extremely Expsn

The 11o-Ton GUNS Are Extremely Expsn-
sive.
Two Of the mammoth 11o-ton guns,
upon which the British admiralty has
so proudly commented as the modern
naval artillery" and which cost about
one hundred thousand dollars each,
went down into seventy fathoms Of
water with the battleship Victoria.
and in connection with this fact there
must have been awakened much inter-
est 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 new thing, as it practically dates
back twelve years. About forty OF
these big guns have been built. and
some Of them were sent to Italy.
It is easy to comprehend among
navy officers that such guns are an ex-
pensive 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. But what will be of most
interest to lay-people is the quantity
and cost Of ammunition, and the life
Of the gun itself. The best ordnance
experts calculate the life Of the 110-ton
gun to be seventy five rounds with full
charges The 11o-ton gum, and indeed
all large guns, are fred with slow burn
ing cocoa powder, the name cocoa be-
ing derived from the brown color Of
tho powder. It is shaped in hexagonal
prisms, this being the most convenient
form Of packing. and 10000 Of these
prisms are needed to make full charge
for this monster gun. Each prism is
pierced with a hole in the center TO
give ready access to the flame and in
sure an equable ignition. For
nearly all naval guns the powder
charge is made up Of four cartridges,
but. owing to the extraordinary weight
Of the 11o-ton gun charge 600 pounds),
IL is divided into eight cartridges, each
weighing 100 pounds To load the gun
it is necessary 70 bring it to its extreme
elevation, that is. the muzzle is point
ed upward as far it can be on the
a. Unlock and unscrew the breech-
block; (s) withdraw the breech-block;
(S) traverse breech-block to one side;
~ place the loading tray in the gun;
(5) swab out the gun; (6) ram home, or
put into place. the projectile; (7) place
the first charge; (s) place and ram
home the scond half charge: (9) with
draw the loading tray; (lO) replace the
breech-screw; (lD 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. It is fired by electrici-
ty. Tho gun can be loaded and Aired
within two and half minutes. The
projectile used in the gun, when ships
and forts are attacked, weighs 1906
pounds, are only zoo pounds less than a
ton. and IL leaves the muzzle with a
velocity of 2,1o5 feet sec
ond, and has a destructive ener-
~ equal to 55,Sos foot tons.
When tested before mounting on
the Sanspareil three years ago the shot
tore it's way through specially manu-
1dCLuICo SIccl ~ luCllCo JnlCh,
and yet the armor belt of the Victoria
ranged from 10 ito IS inches in thick
ness only. In addition to the go inchet
thickness of steel the shot went
through inches of iron fastened in a
heavy wrough-iron frame, 90 feet Of
oak baulks feet of granite blocks, IL
feet Of concrete and feet of brick. In
other words. il went through AK feet
Of a wall unique in history for COM
bination Of width and variety Of
strength Of materials The cost of one
firing Of this gun was $500 for the pow
der and 5000 for the projectilc and
fuses; and after IS rounds there would
be tho cost of the gun to add, 500, 900.
In firing the gun against a body Of
men or a hotilla of boats it is intend
ed to use shrapnel. drum-like cylin-
der Of steel, inclosing $500 4-ounce
bullets. As soon as the shrapnel bursts
the bullets go flying on, the spinning
Of the shell, caused by the rifled
grooves Of the gun, spreading them out
over a large area. When a shell is
used it is charged with powder, which
causes it to explode and scatter its
pieces with great destruction.-N. Y.
Tribune.