The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-22
THE RAPID-FI GUN.
It is one of the Great Modern Products
of Mans Ingenuity.

The new weapon about which one hears
the most during the present war is the
so-called rapid" or quick firing gun.
This is especially the gun Of to-day since
It's chief development has taken place
within the last ten years. OF course, all
guns which throw projectiles in rapid
succession are quick-hring; but distinc-
ton is made DSween the machine guns
and the rapid-hring guns, the former be-
ing literally machines having many NOV
ing parts which cooperate 10 throw
great many small shells in very BRIEF
period of time, and the latter being SIM
ply single-shot guns. which use what Is
termed fixed" ammunition; that is 10
say. instead of their being loaded az the
hreech successively with a shell and then
one or more cartridges and finally pro-
vided with a primer which is ignited wheh
struck by the hammer Of the lock, tney
have their projectile. charge and primer
all combined. just as in the ordinary re-
volver or sporting small arm; ana hence
hut one operation is necessary In loading
But as compared with the little metallic
cartridge O. ones pistol, the load OF a DIG
ouick-fre gun IS rather gigantic. For
gun of "a calibre Of five inches the COM
bined preiectile and case measure nearly
four feet In length and weigh about nine
tv-ave pounds while for the siX-inch gun
the total weight Of the complete carthage
is about one hundred and thirty-hVe
pounds.
Fixed ammunition saves time In load
ing. and still more time is saved oy ar
ranging the door In the breech OF the
aFF -
mt I'm. so that It can be very rapidly
onened and shut By means Of hand levers;
and. lastly. the gun itself is so supported
that II can be trained quickly upon IT'S
target. So that the "quickness" depends
FIRST upon the fact that you put TN the
whole charge at once instead OF In sep
arate parts: second upon the CELEBRITY
with which the breech can be opened ana
closed and. third. upon the ease Of point
ing. And as a consequence OF all TINS
two shots can be fired in much less time
than II would otherwise take 10 fire one,
and for war purposes the man who does
that is more useful even than the much-
Wanted hero who coaXes two blades OF
grass ont Of the reluctant earth which
ordinarily yields but a solitary stalk
From what has been said II Will be evil
dent that the rapid fire gun is by no
means necessarily 4 small AFFAIR. true
there are little rapid-nres which tnro"
projecties. ranging in weight from one 10
six pounds. but the big ones or calbres
Of four. five and six inches are po"erfus
enough TO arm the lighter cruisers ana
gunboats all by themselves. The slN-lnch
CUR is over twenty feet long and welgh
six tons. With tn so-called Dashieil
breech mechanism this gun has been hred
ten times in two minutes and hfty-six
seconds. or in about half the time re-
quired 10 deliver the same number OF
shots when the ordinary breech-closing
devices were employed.
But. OF course speed OF shooting Will
depend upon many factors. With such
great cartridges as are required by the
six-lnch gun the supply Of ammunition Is
necessarily much shower than when the
light charges OF the one-pounder pieces
are handled. and the thorough drilling OF
the men in the operations Of loading also
increaSes the rapidity OF fire.
on board ship the qulck-fre guns form
the principal part Of what Is known as
the secondary battery. Thus the Iowa.
In her main battery carries four twelve
inch eight eight-inch and six four-inch
guns. and in her secondary battery TWEEN
~ six-pounder and four One-pounder
quick-fires They are used to destroy the
ends OF vessels which are protected only
over their boilers and engines. 10 disable
unshielded guns and gun machinery. and
with the machine guns. they are the
great safeguard against attacks OF tor
pedo boats: for IL is we'll demonstrated
that these light craft are powerless when
confronted with concentrated hall OF
quick-fire proJectiles. The two Spanish
boats which rushed upon Admiral Dew