The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-25

Where a wide range is to be covered,
armored turrets are use1 which are made
to revolve so that:the guns can be fired in
all directions. Chilled iron armor of the
ype used for vessels is employed Tor these
turrets, and the form and arrange nent
OF the first ones were the same as in the
turrets of monitors. Gruson was the
first 10 undertake the construction OF a
turret to which chilled iron Is adapted.
and thus new mudel for armored turrets
was obtained. 1he cylindrical form, with
a fiat or archec top. haa generally been
abandoned and the preference given to a
cupola.like arrangement OF the whole tur-
ret. which presents no vertical surface,
whereby the action OF the striking pro-
jec.ile is very much weakened. The gun
carriages have no sidewiss movement, as
this is obtained by the revolution of the
cupola. The guns are raised and lowered
by hydraulic power, snd when fired the
recoil is taken by two hydraulic brake
cylinders for each gun, limiting the rccoil
TO from to 3 cslibres. The guns return
automatically TO the firing position.
Aim is not taken through the port holes,
but through a little sight opening in the
roof of the turret. Il he revolving mschan-
ism and the pumping mechanism for the
hydrauulic power are usually operated
by hand, but in France, where the tur-
rets were intended to turn in carousa
fashion during battle, motors were
used. A brake device is provided to pre-
vent accidental turning of the turret
when only one gun is TO be fired. Forty
or forty-flve men are required to operate
such a turrent, only elk of whom are
needed to man the guns. Under favorable
each gun can be fred about
once in three minutes.
Ks only long Cannon for direct FIRE can
no employed in such revolving turrets |
and bstteriss-genernlly arranged In pairs |
in the former-cupolas for howitzsrs an d |
mortsrs have to be differently arranged.
These weapons are always fred at the |
same angle and therefore the cupola |
which turns in the circular glacis can |
he quite fiat and on account of its light |
weight, be rigidly connected with the |
carriage which revolves on central |
pivot. Carriages OF this class are especial
ly ada for inland foriificatlons and |
are called "armor carriages" For the
shorter mortars the cupola is cont-acte to |
a sphere incIosing the mortar, only a
small portion of the cupola abou, the
opening extending from the glscis.
BY the introduction OF the dissp-
pearing turrets an attempt was made to
obtain greater safety than could be ex-
pected with turrets which simply re-
VOWED so that only theis yortholes arc
turned from thessenemy. rhe first of these
were constructed by the Schumann Cru
son works and arranged for small and
medium sized guns, but later cisap-
pearing turret for heavier guns was built
In France by Gslopin. In such turrets
me moving part, which is made oylinoicaI
md covered with slightly arched hood,
has sinking movement as well as a turn
ing motion, and lcan he lowered until
ts top Is on level with the glacis, 80
hat when In loading position there is
no opening exposed TO the enemy and the
urret itself IL scarcely visible. The
issdvantages OF this arrangement are
hs, the wall carrying portholes IL so
trsight as TO nave very little resisting
'ower. and that the motors required for
arge plsnts are very expensive. The
srenchman. MouRin, tried TO solve the
question OF obtaining greater safety willis
ttaining The approved srmored cupola,
~ mounting a comparatively nst dome
m turntsble by means OF . crrdle, so