The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-19
OUR BIG GUNS LONG-LIVED.
This Is Already Demonstrated by the
Present War.
From the New York Sun

From the New York Sun.
Naval ordnance bureau reports from the
officers on board the battleships and mon
itors in the West Indies speak in the
highest terms of the behavior of the
heavy guns mounted on these ships. Not
one of the big guns has exhibited any signs
of weakening, although some of them
have already been fred more times than
foreign ordnance experts expected they
could be fired with safety. American ma
val officers, who know how guns are made
down at the Washington gun factory, con-
hdeutly predict that every big gun In
SIMPSONS fleet will outive the war, I'M
less put out of action by the enemy
Since the war began a deal Of nonsense
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, gun which hurls half a ton
of steel through thirty-three inches of
wrought irOn-cannot be depended upon to
stand the strain of more than a hundred
firings and may even go to pieces much
sooner 1t is not difficult 10 discover the
origin of the zone hundred hrings" fall
lacy IL is the same as that of some 9th
er similar ones
Not long ago a book was published in
England on Modern Naval Artillery" in
which was described the manufacture of
heavy ordnance at the great Elswick fac
tory "Brassey's Naval Annual" the
leading authority in Europe on naval sta
tistics, declared, at the time the book
came out, that there was no better author
lily on the subject of the life of big guns,
and quoted from 1t this statement: ut Is
generally understood that the life of the
67-tOn gun may be taken at l20 rounds and
the 110-ton gun at Is rounds, both with full
charge" And Capt. Orde Browne, the
English ordnance expert adds: "The num-
Der of rounds which a heavy gun will fire
before becoming unserviceable Is unfortu-
nately very small"
England's failure to produce serviceable
heavy guns on the hoop principle is noto-
Tious. The ridiculous behavior of the 11O-
ton guns on the Benbow, Sans Pareil and
the Inflated Victoria which so sagged a
the muzzles after a few firing that they
had to be returned to the factory creat led
the popular impression that the big guns
were unit for war And the experience OF
the Krupps, said TO be the worlds great
est gunmakers, has been similar. Visitors
10 the Chicago fair remember the ugly
looking 12O-ton guns exhibited there by
the Krupps. Gen. Nelson A. Miles took
a look at this monster when he was abroad
TWO years ago. He was told that il has
been fired sixteen times and for fear Of
knocking it apart it wouldn't be fired
again. England has discarded the hoop
ed" gun for the wire bound and English
factories no longer make the type of gun
mounted on all our fighting ships.
We began making modern guns only ten
years ago, the armament of the first cruis-
ers OF the white squadron having been
bought abroad. Just eleven years ago this
month the first contracts for gun forg
ings Of modern construction were let to
the Bethlehem Iron Company. We began
the manufacture of the very type of guns
about 10 be discarded abroad. Since that
contract was let we have built a gun
factory al the Washington navy yard.
where have been built all the heavyEguns
on our batteships, monitors and fighting
cruisers. Americans do not generally
know II, but IL is d fact, undsputed by
foreign experts who have studied gunmak-
ing in this country, that the Washington
gun factory turns out the finest "hooped
guns in the world-far superior to Krupps'
and, In fact, the only heavy naval guns
Of this type which will stand the strain
Of long service.
Just now long our big naval guns may be
expected TO live is a matter of opinion, for
none of them has died yet. Not one Of them
has ever even broken down in service One
of the MtantonomOh's 10-inch guns now
waiting for a chance 10 sink an enemys
ship, has had about as severe a test as any
Of the big guns in the navy, for the gun
vas one of the first turned out of the gun
factory. Gunner Michael w. Gilmartin
now ON duty at the New York navy yard
fired this gun more than a hundred times
at the Indian Head proving grounds That
was some years ago, before the gun was
mounted aboard ship. Since 1t was first
shipped to the testing ground this gun
has been fired more than 200 times, and IL
Is just as fit for service to-day as the day
il left the factory No gun aboard can
show such a record.
The Miantonomoh's guns, il must be re-
membered, were among our early guns In
strength and stability they are inferior TO
the newer ones. The war with Spain may
result in data from which may be deter
mined the average life of the Pinch and
49, inch guns, but ordinance officers say
the war will have TO be a long one to put
any Of our heavy guns out of action. That
oil of the new guns will be serviceable af-
ter as many as 800 hrings Is the opinion OF
many of the experts, and some place the
figure much higher. Aboard the gunmak-
ers doubt that their big "hooDed" guns
would live through a single heavy engage
ment American experts believe that Amer
lean guns will outline their usefuness--be
seryIceabie when their places are usurped
by guns Of still finer construction.