The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-26
TRYING THE NEW GUNS.
Two New Breech Loading Rifles Re-
ceived by the Cutter Dallas,

Yesterday-A Description of the Guns
and the Testing. They are Effective
at Distance of Three Miles and Add
Considerably to the Strength of the
Dallas.
Deadly missiles were hurled at Little
Bangs Island yesterday, and had there
been any body in the line of fire the
result might have been disastrous, but
Captain Smyth, of the revenue steamer
Dallas, had assured himself before the
bonn bardment commenced that only the
rocks and grass land of the uninha bited
islet would receive the fire. Sometime
ago the Treasury Department sent to the
Dallas two rapid fire guns of the latest
and best patterns in use in the United
States navy. 1t was to test these pieces
that the trial was made yesterday.
The Dallas is now under the command
of Captain Thomas Smyth, who during
previous service in these waters, has
made hosts OF friends in Portland. AT
yesterdays trial the ships officers took
turns in firing off the guns, and made
some good shots. The present officers
of the Dallas, to all of whom the writer
Standardization manyEcourtesies, are:
Captain-Thomas S. Smyth.
First Lieutenant and Executive Officer
William G. DeHart.
Second Lieutenant and Navigator
Kirkland W. Perry.
Third Observation-Disclosures S. Cochran.
Chief Engineer-M. D. L. Dinsmore.
Second Assistant Engineered. P. Rem
lex.
PHO t-C. D. Smith.
The Dallas left the city at about 10
o'clock and steamed down the bay. 1t
had been intended to make the trial out
side, but the
FOG WAS CREEPING UP
over the Cape and the islands, and rem
dered this impracticable; SO the vessel
proceeded down inside and came to
anchor some distance this side of Harps-
we'll, about midway between Stave
and Little Bangs island.
On the shore of Little Bangs island is
a large white rock, it's perpendicular
face making good target as it stands
out distinctly in the midst of the
brown of the other rocks. Above the is
| land rises to a considerable height, SO
over the land and ending the career of
some fisherman sailing along on the
other side. The fact that the guns were
pointed inland, however, tended to make
| the missiles fall short of the mark, as
| the gunners in their care not to shoot
too high placed the guns at elevations
| which they knew to be well below any
possibility of wild shot,
| The two guns, although Of different
| make ARE at first glance nearly iden-
tical in appearance, each having steel
barrel about six feet long, with brass
arm projecting back of the breech. To
| this arm is fastened rubber rest against
which the gunner places his right
| shoulder, with his arm extended for
ward, in somewhat the same position
that mans right arm rests along the
stock of rife. This position, besides
allowing him to look through the sights,
enables him to easily raise and lower
A gentle pull on small chain held in
the left hand, fires the gun, each being
"needle-fre" piece.
Just beneath each gun, in the brass
mou nting, is
A RECOIL CYLINDER.
the force of the recoil being counteracted
by the pressure of piston on the con-
tents of the cylinder. Below this is the
conical shaped frame of STEEL on which
| the gun rests. This frame, about four
feet high, rests on steel plate securely
fastened to the deck by strong bolts ex-
tending into the beams beneath. And
the gun may be used in as many parts
of the ship as there are plates in the
deck, for by turning back bolt, All
operation which takes only a few sec
onds, the steel mounting is left free to
be turned partly around, where it may
be lifted, gun and all, from the plate,
four men being sufficient to carry it.
The two guns on the Dallas are now
mounted, one on each side of the quar-
ter deck, aft. There are also to be two
plates on the forecastie forward, allow
ing the guns to be mounted at either
end or both on the same side of the
ship. Besides this, the guns may be
lifted from the steel mounting, the bar
rel and the adjacent parts only being re-
moved. This was done yesterday, the
starboard gun being first fired, as the
Dallas lay with her starboard side CO.
wards the island, and then the guns be-
ing charged from one side to the other
to allow the trial of the port gun.
One of the most interesting things
about these guns is
THE DELICATE MECHANISM
by which they are lighted. ANY marine
knows the effect of trong wind blow-
ing across the line of fire. On the star
board gun on the Dallas is a delicate
tangent screw which moves the rear
sight from side to side. By changing
it's position SO that the sight are in line
not quite parallel with the line which
the missile will follow allowance may be
made for the wind the gun being thus
trained in position far enough to the
windward to counterfeit the force of the