The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-07-02
Disappearing Gun Carriages
From the Boston Transcript.

Supplies for the Ordnance Department
are being constantly shipped from the
Watertown Arsenal. Scarcely day passes
that either shot and shell, sponges, shot
lifts, or some other article connected with
the department is not sent to some of the
United States forts. In every building
the employees, now numbering more than
four hundred, continue their rush work,
PARTICULAR on 16 pound shot and she'll
The setting up shop is a busy place. For
a long time after Major j. W. Reilly took
command of the station the gun carriages
were set up on the floor of the shop
Then he built a pit for the disappearing
gun carriage, Later an additional pit was
necessary, and today there are three pits,
and they are occupied by three disappear
ing gun carriages
On the first pit is another twelve inch
disappearing gun carriage. 1t is the last
of the original order of fve and is now
ready to be dismounted and shipped The
gun is mounted upon its arms, and yester-
day it stood in the position for firing, the
gun looming up in the air some twenty feet
or more feet high. Scores of visitors were
permitted to enter the setting up shop
yesterday and view the carriage, which
has no equal in any other country. The
visitors were frequently accompanied by
Major Reilly, who was called upon to ex-
plain the mechanism of the carriages.
They were greatly astonished when the
Major stepped to one side of the carriage
and by means of handle traversed the
carriage and gun single handed and with
ease. As the carriage weighs 346, 900
pounds and the gun 104, 900 pounds it
can readily be seen that the construction
OF the carriage must be perfect and all
parts finely and accurately adjusted
This gun and carriage are to be placed
in defence of Portland harbor and the gun
will be the first of its kind to be erected
upon the New England coast, those de-
Tending Boston harbor being 10-inch guns
mounted on disappearing carriages. The
quartermaster in New York has been
authorized to make arrangements for
transporting the carriages, and just as soon
as he makes the contract, work upon the
shipment will begin. It will take nine fiat
cars of special pattern to ship the carriage.
\ number of feet distant from the 12-
inch carriage a 10-inch disappearing car
riage is being erected. 1t is the first of
the model of 1896, and is known as a
limited fire, as is the 12-inch. In princi-
pie it is generally the same as the 12-inch,
but, Of course, its parts are smaller and
lighter. The carriage weighs 100, 900,
and the gun which is mounted upon it
weighs 67,200 Both of these carriages
work as smoothly as could be desired
The 1O-inch is to be shipped to the fortif
cations at Sandy Hook, n, Y, not for
test, but for actual use.
The cost of the 12-inch gun is about
$50, 600, and it cannot be fired more than
one hundred rounds before it has to be re
bored, which, adding the cost of more than
one hundred pounds of powder and an 500
or 1000 pound projectile, makes the ex
pense of each discharge in the neighbor-
hood of $500.
On the third pit in the setting-up shop
the second of the 1896 models is being
mounted All Of these carriages may be
inspected, permission to visit the shops
having been previously obtained from the
headquarters of the commanding officer.
They are we'll worth seeing as they are to-
day, with guns upon them.