The sun., 1897-07-04
A ANOTEwORTHY GUN TEST.
FIRST TRIAL or A 1a-LNOH GUN ON
Il DLsAPPEARING CARRLlGE.

l,OOO-Pourd Protectils ana Settles Back |
Again "a sseothiy Fool nall Drops |
lnto . Pecket-secretary AlEer's Guests. |
Big guns doomed at Sandy Hook yesterday |
for the edilcation and instruction probably, Of |
more civilians than have ever before been ad- |
mitted at one time to q harbor defence post |
Of the United States army. Secretary Of ]
War Alger. who camo from Washington
Friday for an inspection Of tho ord 4
nance work of the Government reservation |
at the Hook and 10 witness trials OF largo guns
| there had decided to give some American citi-
zens an opportunity TO see something OF what
the War Department was accomplishing In tho
way of coast defence, and to permit them to see
tho interesting spectacle OF tho bigrest disap-
pearinR gun In tho world in operation.
Tho chief feature OF tho day was tho working
| Of this enormous gun. weighing about hfty-two
| tons, which has been in place only fortnight.
Itwas fired successfully, the carriage raising the
great piece of ordnance nine feet In tho air. 30
| that II projected ovor the parapet and immodt-
ately upon tho discharge lowering 1t again as
easily and as gracefully well-proportionod
giant after sitting up in bed momcntarily to
| look about him might rccine again.
| Tho Secretary drew the greater part OF his
| civilian guests from among his noighbors In
Detroit, though New York civil life was repre-
| sented, and he had invited also contingent OF
| tho army officers from Governors Island and
this city. besides tho department commander,
whom he brought from Washington. Gen. Alger,
with Gen. Wilson, Chief of the Engineering De-
partment, and Gen. Flagler. Chief OF Ordnance,
had spent Friday night at tho Hook. Col. Amos
8. Kimball, Deputy Quartermaster-General.
| the quartermaster Of this department, had the
| steamer Gen. Meigs ready here yesterday
morning for tho others OF the party. The Do
| troit contingent arrived hero on Gen. Alger's
private car. There were among them tho
Secretary's business partner. NJ. 8. Smith.
Col George H. Hopkins, Col Henry M.
| Dufiield, George II. Russell. Thomas s.
| McGraw. Col. +. ]. Hecker, c. b. Hull
and c. F. Freer. Besides these there came
aboard tho Meigs Gen. Ruggles, AdjutantGen-
eral Of the army; Major Reilly. commandant OF
tho watertown Arsenal. near Boston, where tho
disappearing carriage was built; George M.
Pullman, with his secretary, Edgar ]. Mayr;
George Westinghouse, Gen. Whittier, for
morly OF the army; B. +. Parsons and J.
A. Marsh Of this city. ono identified with
Mr.. Smiths business enterprises and tho
other former Detroiter, and Major Phipps
| and Capt Ayres, who with Capt. Frank
Heath, in command Of the Sandy Hook proving
grounds, mako up the Ordnance Board. The
Meigs stopped at Governors Island to take on
Gen. Merritt, commanding the Department of
| the East; his aide Lieut.. Halo; Gen. Ludding-
| ton Col. Corbn, Adjutant-General Of this de-
| partmentt COL BAIT, anu Soi. lNoRcfS. N. INC
Hook with Secretary Alger when the Meigs got
there werc Secretary of the Interior Cor
nelius N Bliss and his son, Edward Cooper,
| Capt. Stuart, q powder expert Capt. Heath.
Capt Crozier. the inventor OF the gun carriage
Lieut.. Jameson. Lieut. Montgomery, Col. Gill
!, provement OF New York harbor; y. L. Mason.
.. Of the Attorney :Generai. and Capt. Carter Of
Gen. Wilson's staff.
Aside from general trial of the l2-inch disap-
nenrinu gun. the intention to have u
rapid. fire test Of this gun. but wind and weather
pf from ten to twelve miles. and It is absolutely
necessary to have a perfectly clear vision as
iire. Te before @ any % firns % With it Is done Other.
wise something besides target might be hit;
Tss & apa
to try to re ,ana the FTr re ieR
Mas we sons IN the etterpoon before It could
be fred at all. Until then tho steam foE horn
m wHnnf ghnship p' eoSd not
When The atmosphere had cleared up sufficiently
p IasaS pig tSo GGr Asss sshsa
. and aiterward called upon Capt. Crozier to
mpy this and to
. nav Awhile many men have charged the Govern;
!, crozier @ gave ts tho Government the benefit of
&c Gen. Aiser called for Capt Crozier. who was
in the background of the assemblage
I character S % as he is eminent in his professional
capacity. Gen. Wilson intSrjected as he thrust US
( Of the carriasr ilustratins some Of his remarks
Gays the appliances Of the carriage were oper
t ated A part OF the demonstration was made on
i the COMPANY 10 tho tremendous detonation
d Then the l2-inch gun was loaded and fired
y mounted and fired successfully on disappearing
. carriages. but there has until now beer
. gum n''le could % be SO operated. The l2.inol
has an Of mSTs Sn thsP
q the the i2inch guns have been mounted on lifts
Sandy Hook as well as elsewhere; very rGs6,.
WITH fhe the sSeeeS
tested ySsterdSyt on and SarrHss In
Siss'o9 Gss of using this gun Is Probably doo%ed
1t prompt abandonment Capt Crozer S says tha hn
eers on .aS
Of Pinch gun and ts weight is very mnsl
took satsfacti9n in yesterday was that hnt tn
r. The gun mounted, has been iired once or twie
In getting 1T ready for the test put the first pull
n had calculated that they would be able to loa.
y and fre it within two minStes & The test '4s
Il gun gum was loaded and ready for firing, in on
81. minute aud nfty seconds,, The spectators hH
W deferred q moment to let them get to safe dis
I'd tance AS It was Gen. Flagler was caugh
too near by, and he experienced a slight diff
d. | Guilty afterward with one ear. The loading an
on | firing was undor the direction OF Lieut.: Jami,
lr- SON His gunners sponged out the barrel put !
an a 900 pound projectiie and 475 pounds Of pow
st der rammed home the charge, locked the gu
wv and arranged 1t for firing, and then eyerybod
en- | moved about thirty PAGES away and at the wor
Ir- READY put their fingers In their ears.
re The firing cord was then pulled. The grea
th- | barrel 81 feet long, rose In a graceful swee
10. through the arc OF an ellipse nine fe,
IN. in the air and thrust It's nuzzle ovt
,as only on the proving ground. not In fortihc
en- ton. Instantly by automatic action II VIZ
wo way, and the gun settled back into It's be
an again as smoothly as pool ball drol
he an Initial velocity double the speed
sound. The reco OF tho gun. equivalent by Il
,as | computation OF an ordinance officer to the IN
ole | meuitum Of an engine and train Of ten Pullml
iy cars at ffty miles an hour. was neutrazed by Z
"a two hydrauic cylinders ono on each sido OF Il