Evening star., 1895-11-01
FOR THE enc M Y
Nearly Four Hundred Large Guns
Made in Washington.
WORK OF THE NAVAL GUN FACTORY
An Excellent Force and a Splendid
Set Of Shops.
SUP'T JEWELS REPORT

Commander Theodore F. Jewell, superin-
tcndent of the naval gun factory at the
Washington navy yard, has made an inter-
esting report of the important operations of
that institution during the last fiscal year.
Only twelve thirteen-inch Z. l.. rifles have
SO far been authorized. These are now all
completed. SIX of these guns have been
proved. Four have been issued to the In
diana, one to the Oregon, and another VIII
be shipped as soon the car for its trans
portat:on can be obtained. The remaining
two guns for the Oregon can be shipped as
soon they are proved.
Distribution of Guns.
OF the six Mark I twelve-inch guns on
hand at the date of the last report two have
been shipped to the Texas and two to The
Puritan. One of the remaining two is in use
at the proving ground for testing armor.
projectiles, etc. These two guns are also
assigned to the Puritan.
The five Mark II twelve-.nch guns have
all been assembled, and three of them are
entirely completed except the fitting of the
breech mechaniSms. Four of these guns
will be assigned to the Iowa.
The nine ten-nch 3. l.. r., which had not
received their breech mechan.sms at the date
OF the last report, have now all been COM
pleted, and all but one have been proved.
Four guns of this caliber have been issued
to the Maine, four to the Amphitrite and
four to the Monadnock One gun is at Beth
lehem and two are in store. Another gun of
this caliber IS being made from the expert
mental e.ght-inch Hurst gun.
At the date of the last report there were
in the shops twelve completed and eighteen
partially completed guns of e.ght-.nch cali
ber. These guns have now all been COM
pleted. Two of them have been issued to
the Columbia and Minneapolis and four to
the Olympia.
The remaining twenty-four guns are fitted
with the combined sleeve and cylinder for
the spring-return turret mounts.
For the Indiana.
Eight Of them have been shipped to
Cramps shipyard for the Indiana. The re-
| naming sixteen are assigned to the Oregon
and Massachusetts, and will be shipped
as rapidly as the mounts can be completed
and the guns proved.
OF the sixteen sets of forgings ordered
from the Midvale company 1t became neces-
sary to reject all of the tubes and all but two
OF the Jackets, on account of small flaws
Experiments with the Sellers assembling
furnace have continued during the year.
The inner jacket of the nickel-steel gun was
assembled with it after several trials but
the attempt to put on the long outer JACKET
with the furnace failed. MIR. Sellers has re-
Gently made some alterations in the furnace
and another effort will soon be made to get
the outer jacket in place.
The eight-;nch gun constructed from the
designs of Mr.. Hurst has been tried, but
failed to give the good results hoped for ty
the inventor. The gun is of the external
form and dimensions of ten-inch gun and
it IS now being converted into a gun of that
Calber.
Six siN-fnch guns have been entirely COM
pieted during the year. except the breech
| mechanisms. These guns are chamoered
for metallic ammunition, and are to be lifted
as rapd-fire guns. A method of converting
the Mark II b. L. r. into rapid-fire guns has
been submitted to the bureau of ordnance
the bureau having in contemplation the con-
version, of the guns of the Chicago, Atlanta
and Boston.
OF the twenty-six ffre-inch guns under
construction al the date of the last report
eleven have been entirely completed, and
the other fifteen are completed except as 20
their exterior dimensions.
Complete Weapons.
They are chambered. rified and have
breech mechanisms fitted. OF the eleven
completed guns ten were issued to the Lam
| caster. The eleventh is now at the proving
ground. The completion of fhe fifteen un-
completed guns will be matter of but
short time. One gun of this caliber (No. 81,
which had been laid aside on account of
serious gouge made in the chamber while
| machining, has had liner shrunk into its
breech end. The gun has been subjected to
severe proof firing, which 1t stood perfectly
and Capt. Jewell says 1t is efficient a
been assigned to the Detroit, but it tempo
rarily forms part Of the naval exhibit at the
Atlanta exposition.
A contract for twenty sets of forgings for
five-inch guns was concluded with the Beth
lehem Company a few months ago, ard
about half of them have been delivered.
Two guns have been partially assembled
| and the others are being machined. No
four-iich guns have been manufactured
during the year. At the date of the last
| report there were ten sets of forgings of the
forty sets ordered from the Midvale Steel
Company that had not been machined. These
have since been machined, and the whole
number has been rejected on account of the
large number of defects that developed The
rejection of these forgings has seriously de-
| layed the manufacture of the four-inch guns
for the Monadnock, Puritan, gunbOatS Nos
., and and the Iowa. Ten sets of forgings
have been ordered from the Bethlehem Iron
Company, and their delivery has begun.
None of them have been machined.
Nearly Four Hundred Guns Made Here
The total number of breech-loading guns
manufactured at the Washington navy yard
is 3I9, of which twelve are 13-inch, eleven l2-
inch twenty-five 1O-inch, 1ifty-one s-inrh
III 8-inch, seventy-one 5-.nch and sixty
eight 4-inch., In addition to these there are
now nearing completion two Pinch. one
10-inch, one S-inch and fifteen 5-inch guns
Two S-inch and two 5-.nch guns are parlly
assembled, and forgings are in hand and
and fifty finch rifles. These figures aEyre-
gate as follows: twelve 13-.nch, thirteen l2-
inch twenty-six 1O-inch, sixty-seven S-inch,
III 6-inch, 1O6 5-inch and lis finch, grand
total of 4S3 high power modern rifles
MountinEs and Fittings.
Equally satisfactory progress is reported
on the mounts The four 13-inch turret
mounts for the Indiana are on the ship.
Two of the mounts for the Oregon have
since been completed, tested and shipped 10
! San Francisco. The other pair of mounts
| for the Oregon are ready for shipment. The
| mounts for the Massachusetts, are Well under
| way, the detail parts being practically COM
| pleted, and It is expected to ship them by
December l.
The mounts for the Texas are Installed IN
! that vessel. The four mounts for the Puri-
| tan have been delivered, except portions OF
| one mount, which are in use at the proving
! ground.
| Drawings for the Pinch mounts Of the
| Iowa have been completed and patterns for
| the larger castings are being made.
During the year the second pair of mounts
! for the Maine. the second pair for the Amphi-
| tr;te and the first pair for the Mona1nock
have been completed. tested and shipped.
| The second pair for the Monadnock has been