The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-03
WORKING A BIG GUN.
METHODS OF TODAY DIFFER FROM
THOSE OF CIVIL WAR TIMES.
An Old Soldiers Description Of the Load
ing and Firing Of . Hundred Pound
Parrott-He Was One Of the Men Who


Worked the swsbber and Hammer.
"Our regiment was an infantry regi-
ment," said the old soldier, "but In the
course of our service we did more or less
duty as artillery. On one occasion prac-
tically the whole regiment was detailed to
man big guns in a siege. The particular
gun that / served on was 100 pound par
rott. There were bigger PARROTS than 100
Founders, and other guns, too, that were
bigger, but 100 pound parrott was a
pretty sizable gun, 8 or 10 feet In length,
possibly longer-I don't remember exactly
-rified, and with broad wrought iron
band shrunk on to the breech to re-enforce
1t. The shell was pointed and elongated,
about as big around as an oyster keg and
something longer. 1t had band OF soft
metal attach he'd around its base, and when
the gun was fred this band expanded into
the grooves of the rifling to give the shell
the twist and so insure accuracy of flight. q
"This gun was mounted in battery
an earth breastwork in 'front.' with traverses-
at the sides to protect the men from shot
coming from those directions 1t was fired
through an embrasure in the parapet OF
the breastwork in front. The carriage
upon which it was mounted raised the big
gun to height of eight feet or SO above
the ground. Along the inner side of the
breastwork, under the muzzle of the gun,
there was platform, so that the muzzle
could be conveniently reached. Nos. l
and 2 of the men who manned the gun
| stood upon this platform to load it and to
swab the gun out after 1t was fired. l
was No. on the piece to the left OF the
| muzzle.
1.-THE man from the magazine brought
| around a cartridge, the charge OF powder
| done up In flannel bag about the size OF
| good sized salt bag, and laid 1t on the
| platform. No. Q picked 1t up and inserted
it in the muzzie OF the gun. No. picked
| up the sponge staff, 8 or feet In length,
and having the sponge, or swab, at one end
and the rammer at the other, and placed
the rammer end against the cartridge, and
| then both men rammed the cartridge
| gently home, the man whose duty 1t was
| standing on the carriage at the breech OF
| the gun with his thumb on the vent mean
| while.
1.-Two men brought around the shell,
loaded and capped, and stood 1t on its base
| on the platform. The two men on the
| platform picked up the shell and placed 1t
! in the gun. The shell had percussion
cap, to be exploded by contact. In the
I center of the face of the rammer there was
I cavity big enough so that its edges would
! rest upon the shell clear of the cap. No.
|! placed the rammer carefully against the
| end of the shell so that the cap would be
| within the cavity, and both men rammed
| the shell home, gently and smoothly, but
( setting 1t up snugly against the cartridge
"The man at tho vent ran a priming
| wire down into the vent and through the
cartridge, and then inserted In the vent a
friction primer to which a lanyard was at
| tached. All the men about the gun jumped
| to the ground, and the man stood with
( lanyard outstretched, waiting the COM
J mand.
"'Firep
"A twitch upon the lanyard, the primer
! exploded, its fire shot down into the pow
der, and 'Boomp went the 100 FOUNDER.
The carriage recoiled upon the iron sup
| porting frame, and away sailed the shell,
! while all the men jumped upon the gun
carriage again or upon the platform to
| watch it's effect.
"Then came the swab. There was q
bucket of water standing on the platform
into which the swab was dipped OCCASION
ally If the gun was being fired rapidly
The damp swab, or sponge, was inserted
in the muzzle of the gun and rammed
clean to the other end OF the bore, turned
there, and then drawn out again to extin-
guish any lingering sparks of powder that
| might have ignited the next charge OF
powder, and so caused premature ex-
plosion, and to clean the gun, Then load
again.
1--WE worked on these guns for weeks,
and 1t was most fascinating employment.
1t seemed wonderful then, and IL seems
! more and more so now, as the time grows
more remote. had read In story books
and in histories about wars and battles
and tho fierce cannoneers and all that sort
( of thing, and here we were at 1t ourselves
as daily occupation and under contract
to work for years.
"The other day went over to the navy
yard to SEQ tho battleship Indiana, and
she's daisy. We are not fighting ma
tion-we don't need to be-but such fight
ing tools as we keep in stock ought to be
of the best, and here's ship that one
needn't be ashamed to send into any wa
ters.
1--WE roamed all over the ship, from the
shaft alleys to the military tops, and finally
we went down into one OF the turrets OF
the great 13 inch guns. We had seen the
giant tube projecting out over the deck
| through tnt poTonoio' ANOW No "eN''' -
the beautiful mechanism of the breech.
Standing on little platform near by was
what looked like great round tin can, In
size something less than half barrel. It's
conical shaped metal top part tapered up
to what might have been the neck OF the
can. The vertical sided barrel of the can
was completely covered with sheepskin
with the woolly side out. And this was
the swab, or sponge, for the l3 inch gun.
The gun is 40 feet long Fancy Nos. and
2 standing mt the muzzle to sponge out
this gunl 1t would be like sponging a
chimney lying on its side. But they don't
do it that way. The gun loads at the
breech and is sponged from there. The
powder chamber is sponged after every dis
charge, but tho gun is not sponged through
the entire length OF its bore until 1t has
ceased firing, at the end of the engagements
1.-THE sponge staff is In six sections,
which, when the staff is not In use, rest
one above another on brackets attached tt
the inner side of the turret. What hac
looked like the neck of the can at the tor
-