The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-08-29
HOMEMADE GUNS.
The Crude Artillery Which
Cuba's Patriots Use.
Forts Captured by Logs Wound
With Green Rawhide.

Both the old and the present revo-
luton against Spain in Cuba have
brought to the front many clever de-
vices in the shape OF homo made
weapons. Almost everything hasoeen
pressed into service which would SUI
fee for a cannon. Cannon in CUBA
have been cast from crude bronze;
have been extemporized from captured
sugar mill steam pipes, and quite ser
viceable ones have even been MADE
from woodsn logs, wound with strips
of green rawhide.
There grows in the interior OF Cuoa
a peculiar tree, with winding gram.
The wood is remarkably tough, and to
split it by ordinary means is almost
an irnpossibility. When wanted Tor
artillery purposes the tree is feiied; a
section some five feet in length and
one foot in diameter is selected, and
cut: the bark is removed, and all
knots and uneven places on the sur
face dressed down. The embryo can.
non is then placed on rnio trusses
and bore burned in it with white
hot crowbars or round iron pipes
from the sugar mills. This burning
out of the interior serves to stu
further tougher the wood. While the
bore is being burned green OK hides
are cut into long strips by commence
ing in the center and working toward
the outer edge. as you would peel an
apple.
When oil is in readiness, one end OF
this raw hide baEd, which is aoo2'
three inches in width, is spiked to the
wooden cannon, near the breach. A
lever. or bar. is attached to the butt.
Two or three stout men grasp the
arms of the bar and slowly turn the
followed log on it's supports. Int
band of green hide is kept under I
strain, and in this way the core OF thu
cannon is wound with ore OF thu
toughest materials. outside of wire, il
the world.
The first layer Of hide is tight.
wound 10 the muzzle of the growing
gun and back toward the breach
again to the muzzle and back until
number OF successive layers have thu
been wound on and the promising
piece of artillery has gown severa
inches in diameter. It is then place
in draught of dry hot air and ailowe
to harden. When the hardening ON
curing process is complete the pei
severing patriots have really servic'
able weapon, which will stand grea
er strain than manufacturers
,, modern artillery would readily D.
lieve. The resistance Of this weatht
dried ravhide is next to metal, an
these rudely constructed cannon hap
!. proved more satisfactory than thos
made from cast bronze, one OF whie
. at the first fro bursts in hundrt
~ pieces. One of these home mat
combination wood and rawhide Cal
. non is said to have withstood one hu
dred and four charges OF powder b
e fore becoming useless. The probe
70 tiles for it we're made of scrap iro
u round stones and fire hardened oil
balls
L When, in the early part Of Octob
ID last. general Gomez started on his ne
:, famous raid into tho western part
Re Cuba, he had under his command b
> twenty-five hundred men, and the
i'd had hardly four shot apiece, althou
ID they knew they were going to me
fifty thousand we'll armed Spanl
sr troops, intrenched along the ID
X trocha, which extended fifty mi
across INC lbluuu ucuk VIC C0SeOAA "
- der of Santa Clara province.
One of the FIRST places OF gene
Gomez's attack was the town of Pela.
near the centre of the trocha. Shor
~ before reaching Pelayo Gomez enter
- a sugar mill and took from it pie
OF iron steam pipe, about four incl
" in diameter, which had strong scr
can on one end. Near the cap
drilled small hole, and had this 81
stituted for cannon, mounted o
rough wooden carriage. The pl
was charged with gunpowder and FL
NJ nearly to the muzzle with telegr'
NJ wire, which had been cut into pie
.hs about two inches long. The gun, d
ing the night, was brought up, un
NO cover OF the surrounding rocks, u
within two hundred yards OF the ne
est wooden fort. The fort was 81
moned to surrender, and refusing,
ey cannon was fired.
ter The aim had been excellent. I'll
was an American boy behind it al
to perfect hail of cut telegraph '