The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-15

To The ST. Paul Globe.
Inc subject of rapid firing guns is one
OF special interest to all governments at the
present time when the peace of Europe is
threatened and the United States is engaged
IN making unusual preparations for strength
enlng Its land and naval defenses.
NO modern warship is now complete with
out TWO or more supplementary batteries CT
rapld-hring guns, and the United States gov
eminent has just ordered 100 of these guns
Tor IT'S navy. Under these circumstances a
description will be possibly of wide interest
in your country.
me gun shown in the lower portion of the
picture Is what is known one inch and a
half Maxim gun. This gun weighs 800 pounds
and fires loaded projecties at the rate Of
from 800 to 400 minute Each projectile
weighs one pound, and is provided with a
ing. This gun has been designed for firing
expressly on torpedo boats. 1t weighs con-
siderably less than the old 10-barre Calling
Edges W d baetT f has peen
trled IN Europe against 5-barrel machine
guns using the same size of projectile, when
1t was found that one Maxim one and a half
inch gun having one barrel with only one
man firing, made more hits in given time
than was made with twenty men firing five
5.barrel guns. each of which weighed five
times as much as the Maxim.
IN This gun was fired by myself at target
LOCO yards. distant. The projectiles struck
the target in very rapid succession. explod-
ing and causing, great deal of dust and
smoke-dn fact, the whole target appeared to
be on fire. When the fire was stopped. from
80 to 40 reports were heard, that is, the
sound OF the explosion of about fifteen pro-
Jectlles was In the air coming back from the
target while another fifteen projectiles were
still in the air, on their way to the target.
This gun has been adopted into many
great navies, and very large numbers Of
them are now being made in England
France and Germany.
The gun in the upper right-hand corner
of the picture shows the newest form Of
fully automatic nine-pounder designed for
naval purposes. The cartridges are about
three feet long, and are placed in maya
CINE on top of the barrel shown. When
the gun is fired the lowermost cartridge in
the magazine is thrown backwards into a
tubular carrier the weight of the cartridge
causes the carrier to fall, and when opposite
the barrel 1t jumps suddenly forward and
thrusts the cartridge into the barrel. AS
the cartridge enters the barrel, the rim comes
in contact with the extractor. and. pushing
it forward liberates the block, which closes
only thrusts a loaded cartridge into the car
rier, but it also pushes the carrier back into
what might be called the cooked position,
COMPRISING very powerful spring at the
time. single gunner is then in favorable
position to watch for torpedo boats, and is
able to discharge four rounds in about three
seconds. This gun may be fired continu-
ously with very great rapidly because the
! magazine may be loaded from both sides
at any stage of the firing, and no danger re-
suits from hangfre because the car ridge
cannot be extracted until after it has ex-
ploded. the opening of the breech depending
altogether upon the explosion. The powder
charge is large and the velocity high, and
the gun has fiat trajectory and very long
range.
With hardened steel projectile carrying
bursting charge, and with a velocity OF
about $500 feet second, the damage done
| by single projectile upon a torpedo boat
is very considerable; in fact it only requires
| that the boat should be hit once in order to
render it ''hors de combat. The rate. al
which this gun may be fired beats all pre-.
vious records. Yours faithfully,
H S. Maxim
% Victnrio Street J.ondon