Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-08
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WASHINGTON, June There 70 . hin'
for our engineer and ordnance offcers IN
recent experiment in England a. mourning
a 4O.pounder on railroad car, ana run
ming il along the shore to illustrate ise pos
sibilities for seaboard protection.
The plan is not wholly novel in principe,
and armored trains were used in the sofues
from Paris in the Franco-Gefman WIZ
But the experiment made on the London
BRIGHTON & South Coast Railway, along
branch line between NeWhaven and Sea-
ford. has some special features Of interest.
The armored train consisted of an ordinary
locomotive, car or truck speci-
ally constructed for carrying Tue
yun and its ammunition, and two cars
for the men and the timber. The gun ana
its carriage are mounted on a turn-tabie,
pivoted on the center truck, and revolving
ON a circular racer. The detachment that
works the gun is protected by plating
about 6 feet high, around three sides of the
turn-table, and the gun is fired through an
aperture in the plating. The recoil is
checked by hydralic brake, and also by
The fact that the gun wheels run back in
grooves that rise gradually. The cross
girders are so arranged as to be run Out, and
supported by blocks so that broad case
may be obtained for the truck when firing
broadside, and the car can also be con-
nected with the rails by strong clips.
Twas found, however, in the practice
held that there was no need of appliances
for increased stability. The recoil of the
gun was about two feet, and there was no
perceptible strain on the track. The st.
James Gazette notes that the various plans
devised for preventing the cars from NOV
ing were gradually abandoned as useless.
As each shot was fred the truck stood
perfectly still, even when the wedges were
taken from under the wheels no motion was
visible. The turntable is so arranged that
the gun be traversed either by wheel and
tackle inside the amor plating or, as at
present, by manual labor from the rear by
means of handspikes worked by two men !:
when the inside gear is fitted one man will
be sufficient to turn the table and the
gun in any direction. The ex-
perimen,s on Saturday conclu-
siyely showed that the gun will require no
traversing to correct variation caused by
the recoil, and the muzzle of the gun can
be directed to any part of its circumference
by the handspike within half a minute.
The idea for the protection of the men,
truck and engine is to let the train remain
in side cutting while the gun is in action,
aud for the gun to be brought out of action
by means of q steel hawser.
As to the armor for the experimental car,
bullet-proof plates of l-2 inch and 5-8 of
an inch were employed, but on the same
principle very much thicker plates
could be used, and, in fact, as
thick as the locomotive could draw.
The two other cars behind the gun truck
carried about 80 men each of the First
Sussex Volunteer Artillery. The men
with precision, and fired IL rounds out to
sea. 1t is proposed to mount two rapid fire
guns on one truck, and cars are now under
construction for this purpose, as each gun
will be much heavier than the 40-pounder.
Indeed, whole battery could thus be
mounted, making fort on wheels.
There is the offset, of course, of an
enemy's ability to land and tear OF blow up
the track. Still, the idea may perhaps be
utilized in certain circumstances.