The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-03
FIRING GREAT GUNS.
Successful Trial of the TerrOr's
Pneumatic System.
All Four of the Monitors Ten Inch
Guns Discharged at Once.

guns i'm one volley. All the guns went of
as one piece. They were fred by electricity
from the bridge Nearly | 900 pounds OF
powder were burned In doing IL, and a ton
of metal was hurled into the deep. That
volley represented about $500 worth of ma
tcrin destroyed The recoil Of the four
guns represented no less than 90, 600 foot
tons and yet the Terror showed scarcely
a tremor as the guns plunged back from
tho discharge and then slid into their
places. That same energy would have
lifted ono ton $4,000 feet into the air.
That reveals the possibilities OF such
craft IA the Terror, whose largest guns are
OF tho 10 inch size
Eight years ago Secretary Whitney OF
the navy department signed contract
with the Pneumatic Gun Carriage and
Power company of Washington to supply
q pneumatic system of steering and Of OPP
Grating tho machinery turrcts in the Ter
ror. No vessel in the world had ever
made use of "a pneumatic system In steer
| ing or In operating turrets, and Secretary
Whitney's contract was n goud deal of an
experiment. Ii was not until tho other day
| that any test was made OF the system The
! Terror is still the only vessel in the world
SO equipped, and upon the result of this
| test may depend important changes In
| handling big guns on warships aud in
steering all kinds Of large vessels.
| IL Is because of tho fact that the Terror
/ may mark another distinct advance In
| naval affairs hy Americans that this trial
/ trip was of unusual Significance For
three years tho two air compressors used
in tho ship lay i'm boxes i'm the navy yard
I'm Brooklyn awaiting the tedious compile
/ tion of tho Terror. On April 10 last the
/ vessel went into commission. she went
out cruising for two weeks in August, ana
IL was found that, so far as steering went,
the rheumatic system, whether operated
directly by wheels or by levers under cleo
tric control, was successful. IL was also
found that in turning the turrets, olevat-
ing or depressing the guns, hoisting the
ammunition, loading the guns and receiv-
ing the terrific reooil after their discharge
the system was effective and superior TO
the usc of stoam or hydraulic power.
The air compressors get up working
| pressure in from two To three seconds.
| There Is no reservoir for the compressed
air except the large 8 inch pipe which
runs through the ship and which resembles
n stenm pipe In this pipe pressnre OF
125 pounds to the square inch Is generated
In 4b seconds. A small pipo leads some of
into cylinders on either side of the rudder
s, head. A man turns wheel In tho chart
room, turrot or steering room with pres
sure of one finger, and from one Of these
cylinders "a bg piston rod cmergeS and
pushes tho rudder head as far rs tho man
at tho wheel desires. There is no rattle OF
chains, no leakage of pipes, no *scrheated
room.
This rudder was turned from hard
aport 60 hard astarhonTd in the short
time of six seconds. That was unheard or
speed. Remarkable timo was also maue
in turning the monster turrets All the
air wa8 exhausted from the comprassors,
and the machine was started. In less than
three seconds turret weighing more than
$50 tons was swinging i'm its circle. The
compressor generated its full force OF l2o
pounds pressure IN the short time or 40
seconds. Thcro was no vibration to DO
felt in the turrot, and the monster guns
showed not tho slightest tremor as they
/. swung round. The turrets wore tnrned by
n simple turning engine, and the men VINO
worked in them We're not clad in oilsklns'
as In most turrois, but swung iaerrily to
their work half stripped. A test was mndo
Of moving both turrets, olevating the guns
and swinging tho ruddor by means of one
compressor. III D~ r'NhhNH b''" '''A~N
, were completely swung around.
Tho grunt test of the day was the volley
firing from tho 10 inch guns This, too,
was 10 he d timo test. Five voleys were 70
= be fred from them at Intervals OF not less
, than threo minutes. Tho guns wero TO he
, loaded completely without any previous
preparation Of ammunition. Tho crew had
practically no drill In the work, and this
Is what they did: Down in tho shollroom
were three mon. In tho loading room
2 directly under tho turret and turning with
, the tarret were three moro men--a gun
!, ncr's mate and two assistants. Up In each
turret there were - men and an oilicer-slx
mon tn each run. A six poundcr rapid
rrrr1 fr-rf f077TfT7f tn bo fred rs n
f signal 20 start. The Terror had gono about
y ton miles out 60 see I'm southoasterly di'
a roction from Sandy Hook whom all propa-
r rations for tho test wero finished Tho
n members Of tho trial board took their sta
y tions on tho bridge, watches in hand.
n Navigating Officer Curtis stood at ar
: electric battery TO fire the shot The word
}. to begin was given, and thc six poundo'
e harked out ylciously, and u general alarif
r rang throughout the ship. The three mef
: In the shollroom seized 500 pound pro
jcctile and with pair Of big tongs slid u
OH an OVCrhCNu tIOllOy to bno iohuihS V'"s
d, In tho looding room. Tho loading tray
. thon lifted tho sholh to the height Of th'
:, = she'll compartment in tho loGdng car
. This car was then swung around To Tho
% ammunition room. Tho men thcro tool
I. two charges of powder from tho copper
= rasos and lifted thom through the door e
- the threc mon In the loading room, wh'
y placed them IN tho powder compartments
y Of the loadirg car. All this was done 10
u !, pse gun. The loading cor of Tho secon,
F" gun in each OF the turret5 was pot tnfougl
., the samo operation.
II Whom the FIRST car was loaded, tho gun
y ner's mato sang out, Number one !
~ ready, sir" Immediately man In tn
hlrrot pullcd n lever. and tho loading car
under tho pneumatic pressure came Gid
n ing up tho grooves and stopped behind TIA
r breech of the gun. A rammer shot ou
ID and pressed the shell home with bang
m Tho lSading onr then turned around, an
&c the first charge Of powder was sont home