The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-26
BIG GOVERNMENT GUN FACTORY.
The Activity of the Manufacture of Naval
Ordnance at Washington.

Few persons who have not visited the
big naval gun factory at Washington.
writes the correspondent of the New
York Tribune, are aware of the capacity
of the plant. The factory has grown to
be one of the best and most extensive of
government institutions of this sort.
Probably no foreign country has public
plant with SO modern and complete ma
chinery for the manufacture of guns,
mounts and shells. The great works of
Krupp in Germany are more extensive, of
course, and employ many more men, but
they, like those of Lord Armstrong in
England, are private plants. The Wash
ington gun factory was started at the
same time that the rehabilitation of the
navy was begun in President Arthur's
administration. Beginning with IN eager
appropriations it has grown to it's pres
ent proportions under the fostering care
of Congress and the energy and intelli-
genca of Secretaries Chandler, Whitney,
Truoy Herbert and Long, and their able
subordinates in the navy. To Admiral
Sicard, the present communicating chief
of the splendid American fleet now off
Key West, great credit is due for the pro-
gress and present success of the factory.
Admiral Sioard was chief of the burea u
of ordnance when the factory was started.
Comomdore Folger, who succeeded the
admiral as the head of the bureau, began
many improvements and installed modern
machinery for the manufacture of guns OF
13-inch caliber which are probably the
biggest rifles ships will ever carry.
The present chief of ordnance, Capt.
O'Neil, has made further progress, and
today the factory is in condition to make
heavy guns, light guns of the rapid-tire
variety and prepare for service the great
and small shells which are necessary to
the efficiency OF battieships, cruisers and
gunboats. 10 perfect the plants the labor
of IA years and the expenditure of many
thousands of dollars have been necessary,
but X the honor and dignity of the coun-
try are assaulted by foreign foe, by Spain
now or any other country hereafter, time
will show that the labor and money have
been well and wisely expended. 1.-The
products said an enthusiastic naval
officer with justifable pride, 'are of
American material, design and manufac-
ture. They are domestic from beginning
to end, and have no superior abroad.
They will give an honest and terrible &C
count of themselves if we are forced to
employ them in anger.
The effectiveness of the great and small
rifles turned out by the gun factory is
remarkable. The monster 13.inch guns,
such as those which are mounted on the
battleship indiana and her sisters, The
Massachusetts and Oregon, weigh each
1876, 500 pounds, or 60.5 tons. They are 40
feet long. ProjectiIes from them, every
one of which weighs 100 pounds. are
driven by the service charge Of $50 pounds
of powder. They will carry nearly one
mile for each caliber, or Is miles. The
energy with which the projectile is pro-
PEELED is at the rate of 1882 foot tons at
the muzzle. The penetration of l3-inch
shot in steel, at the muzzle, is about 26i-2
inches; at 100 yards, "A IL inches; at
1900 yards 20 10 inches; at 200e yards,
% Ia inches, and at $500 yards 81 1-2 In
ches. The general rule of penetration la
that modern rifle will penetrate metal a
number of inches twice its caliber, and
that it's projectiles will fly the number of
from 13-inch gun against an enemy's
fertilization or ship would cost Uncle
Sam about $175 for powder and $500 for
the projcetile, and 800 worth of damage
to the gun would ensue each round. No
safe calculation can be given as to the OK
tent or the money value of the injury
that one projectile from the Indiana's
huge rifles would inflict. If the gunner's
aim was true, it is safe to say that in
case of any hostile vessel the government
that owned her would have to enter upon
its naval book of accounts, "Total
wreck. -