The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-17

Each Gun 90 Fire Twenty shots n ,i,n,,.-
No Delay In Loading nnd Nn I'm

Each Gun 60 Fire Twenty shots n Miu,,..
No Delay In Loading and No Recon-.
Col. Patry. In the Gdulois. gives an ,r,.,,..-
Ing description OF the wonderful ptosla., ua.
has been made In field artillery. In iNr 80
that figured UPON all the battle Gc'h f-,,
Creoy to Sebastopol there was bat ','c .,'
| provement. After the Crimcan war lucr.r.,
cannon appeared in France. In tie t.,ro,
States II was called tho Napoleon gun. T..
riding OF the bore OF the piece. rs is Know,
gave II n longer range and greater a,ru-sry IA,
firing. The smooth bore had II range NJ I uno
metres. while q riled cannon o. the same .,.
threw q shell a distance OF 2.aOO metres ly,
| the method of charging was the same. Il, ,,,,
just as much time to load and FIRE a i,aci ,n,
as Il did 20 load and fire a smonth-lurc.
After describing the manner o. lotlir. A.,
firing tho oId-timc piece. Col. Patry say, u,,
ut was with rified artillery that We r.rrl,a
on tho campaign OF 1850 in Italy. Tie Aps-
trians. who still had smooth. horo canrr, M,
fered severely from the superiority q our n.
fed gums"
The results obtained in TINT cnmr,',p ,r.
ated tho impression in France that tho NJ II.
lery had reached the point Of perfection. nd
in spit~ OF the reiterated and pressing warn,
ings Of the French military attack ar Ncr' n.
Col. Stoffel. no attention was paid ~ iIo'pr ,.
ross accomplished by Prussia from i,Gi +,
1870 In the construction Of field ARTILLERY. "A
was. therefore. with the same cannon us,l in
1850 that tho French army presented it.cF "A
1870 upon the field OF battle with ur L,,.
mans. who we're armed with the hrccch.'pnh.
ing steel aun which enabled them TO cl,r.s
their pieceJ much more rapidly aud also to fro
with greater precision.
After tho Franco. Prussian war France i'm.
mediLtely proceeded to remodel her nr,illcrr.
A A.Aa II. n.T. ana .A.. 100
bronze breech-loading piece. frst made a,
Paris during the siege. Its manufacture ra,
continued while tho specialists were scckIa.
for something better. Then they adopted II,
Bange vun. q steel breach.loa ling cannon. Ito
gun which has been in use in the French army
for the past twenty-five years. md Is now
about to DO replaced by the rapid. airing gun.
The present French field artillery IL oi ,wo
models. one Of 20 for the infantry and ore q
s no rSr 'R Which h" Elves then bs attn !. af a Sbsn n5 's
move rapidly over any kind Of ground. Tor ths
piece "a light. about 500 kIlos, 50 Ma, each
closing mechanism IS OF the most solid MID
and permits OF rapid handling Of The breech.
The charging OF the piece Is very rnpld, on a..
count OF the employment OF a movable br.e,h
and the dispensing with the ramr"i and No
t fSe gunner Gr rhT p hHsrsG IN. ' pro Icsffs WIZ r,ic 9'e e;
shovos with HIS hands up TO the very end Of ne
chamber. after which he puts in the powder
buk. iht- oittNh y NAN1|S hhN - lFIAlkf4 N'l
fired. Then the breech Is reopened. and a new
proiectile Immediately introduced. &c, II Il
that is to say. 10 gain a few seconds III the M.
f1rent movements. The great cause ~ delay
is the recoil OF the piece. After each .ho' ~
necessary to bring the gun back TO It's Place
and again point That Is the II eat los o,tns
which IT.. is now sought TO remedy. lthssb>ea
full brakes: hut IL It has been lessened IL hai
not been completely suppressed.
The Bangc gun 10 AL arm of great precision.
ID to 1000 metres It's shot is Nery Accurate
Al that enormous distance IL is easy - cAa-
n non q 'tiase; a WOO; or an Isolate farm:
which regulates its explosion In the air at ths
required distance. AT the striking po'r; 10
she'll is tlled with balls, 100 balls for grave
shot shells. which are the most commonly used
and At the moment OF explosion are scattered
iu all directions with great force.
II is a terrible arm and can be used with 90
feet, against an adversary even behind az
charged with melinite. This powder i.eIce,.
lent. 1t. giyea to the projectile an ini;.a. yo-
locity OF 45o metres. and this enables i 70
shave the ground. so to say. instead Of rising
into the air. which would leave out Of all dan.
Point and the obieti aimed at. starting
The new campaign gun. called tie RAPID.
firing gum, which Is about TO be construc'r.,
to Introduce one after the other in the breed
binary rihe cartridge. That i, one adyaniAs.
gained. Ana IN polntlhK.- instead OF being
obliged after zach shot to bring the gun back
to It's position. the gunners need not move. be-
cause the recoil is completeiy suppressed IAs
end OF the gun carriage IL furnished -!thA
fork which. planted in the Ground. holds |; IA
place. The carriage. instead OF being o. ore
piece OF metal. Is OF two. one running into tie
other. The interior Is furnished with a re-
cioient filed with clycerine, which. on bel
compressed the aaomenI.the shot is fred. by tae
recoil OF the movable portion OF the carriage
puts everything in its place by it, elasticity.
Almost all the movements in the work ot
chi yfn hAfnu dnna aIaV with ann ~ wAa|l
completely suppressed. the rapidly o; the ere
Is piodinious. At the polygon more than
twenty shots a minute have been fred.
The greatest difficulty will be In supplying
these guns with ammunition on the aed o,
battle. and IL is largely with IA view Of incress-
ing the number OF shots 10 be fired that no
calibre has been reduced. This. OF courie. VII
lessen tho weight OF the charges and the p-o-
j~ectiles. and. consequently, facilitate the sup
ply o. ammunition.