Evening star., 1897-02-16

able by those who have not seen 1T since
ii was last used as a summer camp for the
District National Guard.
Comparatively little has been said here
tofore with reference to the work, that
those who wen; down in the party last
Saturday We're not prepared for any such
exhibition they witnessed In the party
were the Secretary CT War, Senator Haw-
ley. chairman of the Senate committee on
military affairs: Senator Elkns Senator
Gallinger, Senator Shoup Representative
Reyburn, Gen. F!agler, chief of ordnance;
Gen. Wilson, chief of engineers: Capt.
Crozier, the inventor of the Buff nSt on
CroZier disappearing gun carriage, and
number of artillery and ordnance officers.
together with three newspaper men. Sec
re;ary Lamont The members Of ,he con-
gressional party and few others went
down on Representative Reyburn's pretty
little steam yacht Gretchen" the
younger officers and the reporters went
down on the Manchester, reaching the fors
some little time ahead of the others.
Firing the Big Ten-Inch Gun.
The principal event of the day was the
firing of the big ten-nch disappearing gun
which has recently been put in place. The
battery of which this is part is being in
stalled a short distance above the fort on a
high point of land that gives a splendid
sweep up and down stream. The guns are
a couple of hundred feet above the river,
and are mounted behind immense earth
works, that 1t would be practically inn
possible to reach them by shot shell from
ships below. Emplacements have already
been built for several ten-inch guns. and
en- placements for another battery of the
same big guns are already in course of con-
struction at a point short distance below.
So formidable are the banks means of
protecting the guns that there has been no
necessity to make the emplacementS as
powerful as at other posts, but, neverthe-
less, seventy feet of concrete and earth are
between the and the outer bank.
OF the two big guns that are to constitute
the main feature of the upper battery. only
one is in place and mounted, though the
second has already been hauled up from
the wharf with its carriage, and the OFF,
GERS and men of Battery l, 4th Artillery,
are busy every day with the work of
taking, when one considers the tremendous
weight of the gun and carriage and the
limited appliances the men. have at their
disposal. They are not even provided with
a donkey engine, but have been compelled
to drag these huge loads up the steep de-
elivity by means of hand windlasses.
The Buffington-Crozier disappearing gun
carriage is really the invention of Capt
Crozier, Z. S. A. The theory and idea of
1t were hit upon by another army officer
but 1t was left for Capt. Crozier to put
them into successful operation. Having
been regularly adopted by the government
1t is now known as the United States dis
appearing gun carriage. Capt. Crozier was
on hand Saturday to superintend the work
VI ITiIlS. SOISlutIlHS tiie ldCt tllS
battery which is now stationed at Fort
Washington is green in the use of the
gun, the ease and rapidly with which it
was handled during the exhibition reflected
the greatest credit upon all concerned.
Easily Operated.
When not in use the gun falls back upon
the carriage below the surface of the en-
placements. protected by them and hidden
completely from the view of any one on the
river. The position of the gun as it lies
behind the bank is very much like that of
a crouching lion. ready to spring up at any
moment prepared for active hostilities. The
gun is so deicately balanced that notwith
standing its great weight, 1t can be ham
died easily by small crew of men. 1t is
given it's direction and elevation before be-
ing thrown into position above the ram
parts, so that the moment ii is in position
the LANYARD can be pulled, the gun is dis
charged and instantly, from the effect OF
the recoil, the great gun sinks back upon
its carriage. Not more than second of
time is required for the gun to disappear"
but it goes back as gently and with as lit
tie lar as mother would place her child
in It's cradle Two men can throw the gun
into position for firing, 1t requires but a
few seconds to load it, the recoil or disap
pearance is practically instantaneous. SO
that this particular gun when being tested
at Sandy Hook, before being finally accept
ed. was fired no less than ten times In
fourteen minutes. 1t can be changed for
direction or QOWn stream more rapidly
than a ship a half mile distant would |
travel, so that from the time vessel got |
into range down stream until 1t got out Of |
range toward the city it would be possible |
to fire almost unlimited number Of shots at |
it. Some one of them would be likely to
make trouble, for there are not many ships
that would relish a projectile from 10-inch |
rifled cannon, started by the explosion Of |
2SO pounds of powder.
Three shots were fired Saturday at q \
point some five miles up the river. which |
happened at that time to be entirely clear |
of boats The gun was fired at an elevation |
Of nine degrees an angle at which the |
shot will enter the water at once without |
any danger of ricocheting. The three shots |
struck the water within a very short dis /
tance of each other, demonstrating clearly |
the accuracy of firing that is possible with |
this gun and carriage. Each threw up a |
tower OF water that must have been at |
least fifty feet in height. st
Secretary Lamont and all the military ex-
perts expressed themselves as immensely |
pleased with the success which attended