The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-27
KILLING AS A SCIENCE.
Novel and Death-Dealing Weapons OF the
Coming War.
Nesos and Courier.

U COttT9GT.
firing itself SO long as cartridges are
fed to it, the gases generated by its
discharge throwing out the empty
shells, and feeding in the fresh car
tridges without interference by human
hands. The cartridges are arranged
on a long belt, and when one belt OF
them is exhausted another is attach
ed. The gun weighs only 40 pounds,
and, together with the tripod on which
it is mounted, can easibly be carried
by man on foot or on horseback.
THE GREAT GUNS FOR THE NAVY
are made at the Washington navy
yard, where the ordnance shops have
been in hum Of activity night and
day for several weeks past. 1t takes
year under ordinary circumstances
TO make one Of these huge weapons,
the beginning Of which is solid cylin-
der of cast steel about twice as long
as the gun is to be and quite twice the
diameter. After this ingot has been
cast. one-third of it is cut off one end
also small piece off the other. In
this way the best part Of the casting
is secured, without any Of the unde-
sirable matter that collects at the top
of the mold and finds its way to the
bottom. The cylinder thus made is
taken and forged with great steel ham
mers, which strike blows Of 25 tons
weight, until it is reduced to one-half
Of its original diameter. In this
shape, a suitable lump of wonderfully
fine steel, it is delivered to the Gov
ernment. It has been found more
economical to buy such ingots from
private concerns. The rest of the
work is done by Uncle Sans gun
smiths.
The principal gun shop at the navy
! yard is an enormous building, from
one end to the other of which runs
steam crane that is able to pick up
weight Of 100 tons, carry it whittier
soever may be desired, and lay it down
as lightly as if it we're feather. The
interior Of the establishment, as one
finds it these busy days, presents a
wonderful spectacle. Here a cannon
is being bored, while there another is
sreceiving its riaing, and in another
place a great steel tube is having
shrunk upon it a jacket Of the same
metal 20 make it strong. Care rather
than quickness is aimed at in the
work, for no instrument Of mathemati-
cal precision needs to be more exact
in all respects than one of these guns.
The cylindrical ingot Of steel al
ready described has first to be bored
by means Of huge lathe which, be-
ginning at one end, cuts out hole
right through its heart. The making
Of this hole takes ten days maybe, but
it would not do to have the boring
I; quite full-size at first, because the
(, slightest error Of oversize would spoil
the job, even though it were but a
little gouge Of one or two thcusandths
(! Of an inch out Of the interior surface
of the tube. So the cylinder is bored
and rebored until finally it is perfect
basis for cannon, its calibre being
precisely the same throughout and the
/; thickness Of the tube unyarying. The
next thing is to put on the great jacket
! of steel that covers the breech of the
gun and strengthens it over the pow
der chamber. a number Of supple
mentary jackets are added, each being
put on white-hot and gripping the tube
as it contracts in cooling. Finally the
gun is riAed by cutting on the inside
Of it the spiral grooves which give to
the projectile a rotary motion. The
very last thing is to adjust the plug
which closes the breech and to affix
! the trunnions on which the cannon
rests when equipped with its carriage.
| The trunnions are placed so accurately
near the centre Of gravity of the gun
/ that child can raise or deprcss the
muzzle of the mighty weapon, which
weighs go or 20 tons, by the effort Of
one hand.
A l3-inch brecch- loading rifle of
this kind costs $4,000, and the cx-
pense of firing it is about $S33 a shot.
1t can be fired once in five minutes.
requiring $50 pounds of powder for
each load. \ Pinch gun weighs 81
tons, requires 520 pounds of powder
for each discharge, and throws a
1,O00-pound proicctilc thirteen miles.
The projectile leaves the muzzlc with