The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-06
OUR NEW YORK LETTER
FIFTY Flvs-lNcH WIRE WOUND seq
MENTAL GUNS NEARLY DONE.
They VIII he Added to Our Effective
Ordnance at Once, and II Satisfactory
More wW he Ordered-The Passing of
the Third Degree.

the Third Degree.
NEW YORK, July 5. Especial There
is one New Yorker to whom this war may
bring fortune His name Is Brown, and
he is the inventor of the segmental wire
wound gun.
No arm mas ever been devised about
which there has been more spirited con-
troversy than that which has ragged over
the Brown segmental gun. Its partisans
have made the most extravagant claims
regarding its superiority to all other forms
of ordnance. They declare it to be cheap
er, more quickly made and more powerful
than any other gun, size for SIZE Its op-
ponents hold the exact opposite to be true,
saying that all the faults of the present
built up type are greatly exaggerated in
the Brown gun, and that its adoption by
the government would be one of the great
est mistakes that could possibly be made.
At the same time it is only fair to say that
really surprising results have been attained
at such tests as have been made.
Notwithstanding the results of these
tests, Uncle Sam has only recently looked
with favor upon ordnance Of the Brown
segmental type. His representatives in
the ordnance bureau have declined to con-
slider the tests conclusive from the begin
ming, and no Brown guns are now In serv-
ice.
Fifty Segmental Guns Nearly Done.
But about two months ago-I have not
the exact date, but it was not many days
removed from the formal declaration of
wharf.-the personal attention of the secre-
tary of war was directed to the wire
wound segmental gun. He liked its looks,
and after taking counsel with two or three
army officers of high rank authorized the
making of contract for so guns of inch
caliber, delivery to be FASTENED as much
as possible consistent with the use of the
very best material and the most careful
workmanship.
There was a little delay in the signing
of the contract, but'within week after
the capture of the Buena Ventura work
was progressing on the so guns, and they
are all now nearing completion. That
there might be no cessation of work upon
guns built according to the ordinary
plans the Brown guns are being made by
a private plant instead of at any of the
government shops. That they will be of
the best quality possible there is no doubt,
since 1t is to the palpable interest of all
concerned that they shall be effective pieces
of ordnance, especially as the contract pro-
vides that a further order of $50 more
guns of the same type, but of assorted
sizes, or 200 in all, may be given on sim
liar terms should the first 90 prove entire
ly satisfactory.
In anticipation of perfect success the
hackers of wire wound segmental ordnance
are now constructing a 10 inch piece,
which is nearly completed at their own ex-
pense. 1t will be tested probably within
the next ten days and satisfactory tests
will unquestionably lead to the placing of
the larger order. l have not been informed
definitely as to where the first 30 will be
mounted, but Mr.. Brown and his friends
hope they will find place on shipboard,
where they will soon be used In actual
war. The new gun Is believed to be espe-
cially adapted TO naval service because of
its unusual lightness. The top heaviness
of warships on which many guns of the
modern type are mounted is problem of
greatest Importance in warfare today-a
problem that complete success of wire
wound ordnance would largely solve.
Yankee Guns Are Good Ones.
1t may be mentioned in passing that the
Brown guns represent principle exactly
opposite to that embodied in the new heavy
Calling gun 1t is made in one piece and of
steel cast under great pressurc-the Brown
gun Is made of forged pieces, the seq
ments, and finely drawn steel wire. Each
b inch gun contains 80 miles and more Of
this wire, and the separate pieces in each
number between 200 and 25O. Larger
guns would Of course contain more pieces
and n much longer stretch of wire
Some disinterested experts with whom
have talked say that both the Brown and
Calling heavy guns will probably do bet
ter service than those now i'm use, though
it is admitted that the latter are doing
better than 1t was thought they might.
Prior to the beginning of the present war
it was believed that the life of no heavy
gun of the ordinary type would last be-
yond from 100 to 800 discharges, yet it is
understood that several pieces of ordnance
on our battleships have already survived
"a good many more shots than the prescrib-
ed number without any perceptible weak
ening This Is of course highly crafty
ing, since it shows that we Yankees know
the art of gunmaking quite as well as the
art of shooting and fully justifes the ex-
penditure Of some S12, 000,0 600 in ordnance
making plants.
The Third Degree.
If former Inspector Byrnes, now dead
to the police world, though indeed alive in
the flesh, Is keeping track of current events
in this goodly town of New York, he must
stand aghast at the talk of abolishing his
old time favorite third degree method
of obtaining criminal convictions.
The third degree" was Byrnes' strong
suit, and, though clearly illegal, its re-
suits were believed by most persons who
took thought on the matter to justify the
means. 1t was largely through the "third
degree" that certain Algerian, known
as " Frenchy No. II by his depraved asso-
ciates, was convicted of numbering a wom-
an of the street, though it has since been
claimed that he was not guilty, after all.
There were some cases, however in which
the third degree" was used to the secur-
ing of manifest Justice Many of my read.
ers will recall peculiarly horrible MUIR
der which took place in 1898 or possibly
1894, whose perpetrator was brought to
confession by being suddenly ushercd into
a room at police headquarters of the exact
size as that In which he butchered his yio-