West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1898-09-08
BIG GUNS LONG LIVED
THIS is ALREADY DEMONSTRATED BY
THE PRESENT WAR.

vi our ShipS over All Others Made
Clear-one Was Fired 800 Times.
Naval ordnance bureau reports from
the officers on board the battleships and
monitors in the West Indies speak in
the highest terms of the behavior of the
heavy guns mounted on these ships
lot one of tho big guns has exhibited
any signs of weakening, although some
OF them have already been fired more
times than foreign ordnance experts ex-
pected they could be fired with safety.
American naval officers, who know how
guns are made down at the Washington
gun factory, confidently predict that
every big gun in Simpsons fleet will
outllve the war unless put out of action
by the enemy
Since the war began a deal of nom
sense has been printed about the life
of big guns, as the result of which the
general opinion held among persons who
nave not the opportunity to learn the
truth Is that one of the "peacemakers"
on the Oregon, for eXample-a gun
which hurlS half a ton of steel through
80 inches Of wrought iron-cannot be
depended upon to stand the strain of
more than 100 tirings and may even 20
TO pieces much sooner. 1t is not difficult
to discover the origin of the 100 fir
ings' fallacy. 1t is the same as that of
some other similar ones.
Not long ago book was published in
England on Modern Naval ARTILLERY, :"
In which was described the manufacture
Of heavy ordnance at the great Elswich
factory. "Brassey's Naval Annual, :"
the leading authority in Europe on ma
val statistics, declared at the time the
book came out that there was no better
authority on the subject of the life of
big guns and quoted from it this state
ment: 1T is generally understood that
the life of the G7 ton gun may be taken
at 100 rounds and the ITO ton gun ut rs
rounds, both with full charges" Aud
captain Orde Browne, the English ord.
nance expert, adds, 1.-The number Of
rounds which heavy gun will fire be-
fore becoming unserviceable is unEortu-
nately very small"
We began making modern guns only
ten years ago, the armament of the first
cruisers of the white squadron having
been bought abroad. Just IL years age
this month the first contracts for gun
torglngs OF modern construction were
let to the Bethlehem Iron company. We
began the manufacture of the very type
OF guns about to be discarded abroad
Stnce that contract was let we have
built gun factory at the Washington
| navy yard, where have been built all
the heavy guns on our battleships, mon
ltors and fighting cruisers. Americans
do not generally know it, but it is a
fact. undisputed by foreign experts who
have studied gunmaking in the United
States, that the Washington gun factory
turns out the finest chopped" guns in
the world-far superior to Krupp's-
and, in fact, the only heavy naval guns
of this type which will stand the strain
| of long service.
Just how long our big naval guns
may be expected to live is q matter of
| opinion, for none of them has died vet.
Not one of them has ever even broken
down in service. One Of the Miantono-
mons 10 inch guns, now waiting for a
chance to sink an enemy's ship, has had
| about as severe a test as any of the big
guns in the navy, for the gun was one
OF the first turned out of the gun facto-
ry. Gunner Michael w. Gilmartin, now
on duty at the New York navy yard,
fired this gun more than 100 times at
she Indian Head proving grounds. That
was some years ago, before the gun was
| mounted aboard ship. Since it was first
shipped to the testing ground this gun
has been fired more than 200 times, and
1t is just as fit for service today as the
day 1t left the factory. No gun abroad
| can show such q record.
The Miantonomoh's guns, it must be
remembered, were among our eariv
guns In strength and stability they are
inferior to the newer ones The war
with Spain may result in data from
which may be determined the average
life OF the - inch and Is inch guns
but ordnance officers say the war will
nave to be long one to put any of our
heavy guns out Of action. That all of
the new guns will be serviceable after
as many as 800 firings is the opinion of
many or the experts. and some place the
figure much higher. Abroad the gun
makers doubt that their big chopped"
guns would live through a single heavy
engagement. American experts believe
that American guns will outlive their
usefulness, be serviceable when their
places are usurped by guns of still finer
construction.
While none Of our big guns has been
long enough i'll service to indicate how
many more times it may be safely fred,
the fact that none Of the Washington
guns has ever burst in service goes a
long way toward proving the superior.
ity of American guns over those of for
elgn make Down at Indian Head the
other day gun was destroyed by the
explosion of q high exnlosive she'll in