Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-08-02
FIELD GUNS in WAR.
THEY ARE THE FAvoRlTE WEAPONS
AMONG MILITARY MEN.

These Long Range Death Dealers Can BE
Fired with Great Rapidly. Arc ~ Ac-
curass - Rines 1T Their Range and Ex-
ert Tremendous Energy.
The betterment Of the modern field
gun is fully equal to the development
If other branches Of military armament.
It has been especially rapid within the
last dozen years The work OF special.
lists and tho results Of extended tests
have ended in me production OF a weap-
ON Of great accuracy and OF titanic
force. The field gun Of today is the IA
vorite weapon Of the military man, and
he expects from it some very remark
able demonstrations when opportunity
to use it occurs
Napoleon is credited with the remark
that Providence is always on the side
Of the heavy artillery, but the artillery
which Napoleon knew was not worthy
TO be mentioned ON the same day with
the light. graceful and deadly arm with
which the moderns are prepared to do
slaughter. The first great step forward
was taken when the breechloading nc
ton was invented. Well KNOWN scien-
tific rules Of boring and the improve
ment in projectiles and powders have
done the rest The field gun now in use
by the powers is az accurate mt its range
ms rifle and has tremendous energy.
The United States has no better field
guns than those with which the armies
of Germany and France are armed, but
they are every bit as good. Like our
other ordnance, they are all made on
this side of the water. The American
manufacturer yields to no one in ability
TO make perfect weapon. Indeed many
Of the chief improvements in field guns
and in the larger sizes, sometimes called
"siege" guns, are the products OF Amer
lean brains.
The field guns Of the United states
army are made ut Watervliet, n. Y,
Just as the large guns for the navy and
for coast defense are turned out mt
Washington. They have IA caliber Of u
little more than three inches, are, OF
course, brcechloading, are rather
lengthy for their width and are lightly
but strongly mounted. They use point
I'd she'll which explodes either on con-
cus.sion or by time fuse, generally the
former, and are fired with great rapidity.
Each gun Of battery is III command
Of n lieutenant. who, under the eye III
his superior. sights II and directs IT'S
working. He has his elevation. deprcs-
sion and wind gauge formul9 ut his
fingers ends. and with him good shoot
ing is mainly question of care. The
powder used in These guns - of the
smaller grained brown hcxagonal kind,
though the pheroidal Is preferred FOR
some calibers
The recoil 81 this gun on level ground
IL 20 feet, with the wheels unlocked
With the wheels locked 1t recoils five
feet, and is run forward and rcsighted
very swiftly. It's point blank range IL
.. zoo Yards IL can bc made effective ut
much greater distance, Of course, but
officers prefer that range for accurate
shooting
IL fell To me some seven years ago to
report the first field trial given the
Watervlict guns. Three of them were
sent Ia Fort sam Houston at San An
tonic, where Light Battery +, Third
artillery. was stationed under command
Of Major James r. Burbank. most ca
pable officer. now attached 10 the stat!
Of the governor Of New York. MAYOR
Burbank was instructed 10 try them out
thoroughly, and for this purpose select
ed an ideal range ON Ginahl's ranch. Oh
miles north Of san Antonio.
The guns wcre planted in line and
90 feet apart ON the side Of n green hill
and pointed across shallow valley.
On tho opposite hill, 2,200 yards away,
tent fy was put up as target. IL
was / > by feet III dimension aud was
stretched on two poles. At that distance
| it looked like nothing III the world 81
much rs n mans pocket handkerchief.
One shot was fired as a range finder,
and that shot proved the range was
found. Then the work began.
For half an hour these guns pitched
shells through or under or over the tar
get. according Ia the firing directions,
with as much accuracy as man would
use Winchester rife nj 100 yards.
| The work was done with the precision
| Of a clock. There was the rush OF the
piece into its first position. the quick
command o. load. the rapid aim and
| discharge, the faint scream of the shell,
the puff Of smoke and dull report as 1t
struck and the dust ross up IN "A pillar.
| When IL was ended, we rode across
the valley and up the opposite slope t.
the spot where the tent fly had stood.
Bits Of it lay about here and there. One
of the poles was bitten short oil. For
so yards below the Other pole, for SO
yards on either side Of il and for 100
Yards above il the earth was not plowed
it was narrowed An ant could not
have lived on the ground.
1t was not difficult to imagine what
would have become Of an opposing force.
Men and horses would have been dead
and all guns dismounted i'll five minutes
after the firing began. There could have
been no better illustration OF the abso'
lutely fatal character Of these pieces.
| 1t was found that they did not becomC
unmanageable through heat. that thu
breech mechanism displayed no sign OF
strain, that the recoil was not greater
than was calculated and that accuracy
was as perfect with the last shell ~
| with the first. These findings were re
ported TO the Washington authorities,
and the manufacture of the guns went
on. The regular army is now thorough
" supplied with them.-Chicago Times
| Herald.
Our Wild Cherries.
In the early history Of America two
species Of cherry were found wild. The
common one grows to a large tree and
was named by the botanists Cerasus