The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-29
OLD-TIME CANNON AND NEW.
Recent Marvel Development OF Naval
Armament.

&C. tnovcn 70 have used cannon, but now
different these cannon were from the
modern. high-powered gun or the present
day may be appreciated when u - salu
that three or four ounces constituted the
daily allowance OF powder thcn ana 'he
supply OF projectiles consisted OF Hi Ieau
Sol ana twelve small pieces OF cad for
/, battery of twenty cannon! Toward the
close OF the fourteenth century cannon
came into use at sea. At first only gal
lows were armed with them. but a little
later sailing vessels were equipped wlth
.bombards" ramon of small cahDre,
mounted on deck and firing stone shot
over the rails. In the year 1881, IN n sea
fight. the Moors OF Seville used cannon
| against the Moors OF Tunis. and IN 1891,
for the first time, the English ana
French fought at sea with guns.
E9rlv I'm the fifteenth century gun ports
were invented, and soon the sides OF
shiDs began 60 bristle with cannon. From
specimens which are still IN existence
We learn that these early cannon were
either built up Of wrought iron or cast
I'm brass. They were not infrequently OF
immense size ana length, ana even III
those crude times n breech-loading sys-
tenn was I'm vogue. And I'm those days
cannon makers recognized the fact that
the great strain came on the breech, for
I'm a cannon Of the reign of Henry VI. OF
England a bronze cylinder was inserted
I'm the lTeech of q wrought iron gun 10
| strengthen the chamber.
The cannon Of MahOmet H., which
were used I'm reducing the Byzantine city
now known as Constantinople, were con-
structed I'm 1853, were Of cast brass and
hurled "a stone projectile over 500 pounds
I'm weight. The historian, Gibbon, Is
ga - H. aH.Hay.aYH eliot DIV
using the utmost expedition this great
/ cannon could be loaded and fired no
more than seven times a day II would
| seem that these cannon which were used
in tho sieie of C~Onstantinoplc were of
/ about the same size as our modern 10
inch guns. though they did not, Of course,
nossess anything like the accuracy, range
/ or penetration. Yet even larger cannon
than these. canno firing stone balls Of
| LOO pounds weight. are still TO be seen
by travellers on the coast Of the Darda-
nelles.
The wrought iron mo IN Edinburgh
| Castle was used at the siege Of Dunn
barton Castle I'm 1859 and was fired as
late as 1859. 10 has q calibre Of twenty
inches. yet fired a granite shot weight
ing only $50 pounds. Such n proJectle
in these DAYS could be hurled easily by
| NN NHHIItl AAiIfs IWA We nov AN' l"NF"
of the very best powder 20 send such a
missile on its mission Of death. while the
powder used I'm those old days was IA
inferior ana the charge probably about
| oue-tenth the weight Of that employed
I to-day. The old warriors appreciated the
fact that the greater the length OF the
gun the greater the penetration.
Some Of the canuon exceeded I'm length
the very latest guns of the present day.
This. fact is clearly demonstrated by a
cannon which can still Doe seen az Doy"r
Castle. II has a bore OF 4 "a inches.
fired a prOiectile Weighing only twelve
pounds. and yet was 80 calibres in length.
thus far exceeding in length the Arm
strong gun. much used I'm the British
Navy. which is one Of the longest guns
anoat today in comparison TO the size
of the bore.
Iron shot came into Use about the year
1850. although stone shot continued TO be
used for q long time after that. About
1850 cast iron came into Use almost eX-
| clusiVely for guns. and they were made
entirely OF this material for 800 years.
for &c made the construction of guns
more simple. rapid. and cheap. 1T IS
pretty certain that riaing. too. came into
use about the middle OF the sixteenth
century. for at the Woolwich Arsenal en-
London may be seen a barrel on which
IS stamped the date OF 1877. This barrel
is rihed with six grooves which have a
considerable twist. and IS. moreover. fit
ted with a breech-loading mechanism.
Thus it IS seen that it has taken more
than 900 years 10 develop the two princi-
pal ideas on which are based the two
great features OF modern ordnance
breech-lcading and rihing.
In the seventeenth century no great
progress seems 10 have been made in
ordnance. although the number and
weight of the guns carried by individual
ships were increased. Since victory on
sea as we'll as on land was gained by
bringing TO bear on the point attacked
q sufficiently powerful force 10 crush the
enemy at that point. the advantage Of
vessels with great individual artillery
power soon became evident. and this
power was sought by the greatest posi-
ble increase I'm the number Of guns car
ried. I'm 1871 the first English three
decker, the Royal Sovereign, was built.
carrying the tremendous battery Of 40
guns. Early I'm the eighteenth century
O method Of boring guns instead of cast
ing them solid anne into use. This add
cd very much 10 the efficiency OF the
gun. Still. solid spherical shot continued
to be used. although the advantages 20
be gained by the use OF elongated pro-
j~ectiles was pointed out by Robins. who.
about the middle OF the eighteenth CEN
fury. published a treatise on gunnery.
A century elapsed before the principles
which he had aid down We're put into
practice.
Up to very recently thas guns used by
the chief naval powers Of the world were
smooth-bore and sightless. The records
in shooting which American runners
made during the war OF 1872 with Great
Britain are remarkable when we con-
slider the difficulties under which the
gunners worked. Then the gun had to
be hauled IN and out by a dozen men
with the aid Of tackles. To train right
or left il had TO be hauled or worked
around with ropes and iron bars. while
to obtain elevation or depression Of the
muzzle wedges were withdrawn from or
inserted under the breech. The slow
match for firing had Just been superseded
by the flint lock. which was considered
q great Improvement. and was invented
by Sir Charles Douglas I'm 1852. Sighting
was done by what is called the Zine Of
metal thai is. running the eye along
the exterior Of the gun and making al
lowance for the inclination OF this line
TO the axis OF the bore, due TO less thick
ness OF metal at the mTzzlo than at the
breech.
Fixed sights came into use about the
beginning OF this century. II seems
strange that their advantages were not
appreciated by the fighters Of that time.