Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1898-03-04
TWILL KILL EN-
| BY WHOLESALE.
Dr. Calling Will Push His New
Gun to Completion.
1T IS A DEATH DEALER.
Gen, Miles Will Inspect The
One-Piece Coast Defence.
TUE FAMOUS NORTH CAR
OLINA INVENTOR.
Tells How a Great Navy Might
Be Had in a Brief Time
He is Ready to Test
and Mount His
\ New Gun.


cessful career Of DR.. r. J. Cat,
ling, a native of Hartford county,
whose rapid-hre gun has made
him famous. Now in his old
age he is in Cleveland, Ohio, to
see the final work On the new
type of big coast defence gun.
which he has invented. His
views upon his work, the press
ent International situation, and
the possibilities and needs of the
United States in the case of hos
tilities, as printed in the Leader,
is full Of interest. DR.. Calling
said:
eyes, shall make every ems
deavor to hasten the work on the
gun, in view of the present stu
ation," said DR.. Calling. "Al
though nothing has yet been
said to ME by the government
upon the subject, l know the
feeling and the efforts that are
everywhere being made to has
ten preparations.
"The gun may perhaps be
ready to send east III week,
and if the lathes are not to
busy at Washington, which l
rather fear is the case, it may be
1ifed in about a fortnight, 1t
may be mounted upon any cars
rage. l should think, if every
thing goes we'll and the work is
pushed, tie gun may possibly
be ready for testing in a month
or so.
"lf it is favorable to the au-
thorities, l should very much
like to see a competitive test to
the death between the one piece
gun and the present style of
built-up guns. l should not feel
we'll satisfied with test of eight
or ten shots, for one OF the great
advantages in the new style of
gun, I believe, is its far greater
longevity. While three of these
one piece cannon could be made
while they are making one of
THE BUILT UP KIND,
which takes about a year., the
life of the new gun, l am sure,
will be three,or four times great
er, if not more. In rapid work,
I do not believe that the many
part guns would stand firing
NOR. than about twenty times.
The one piece guns, | think,
will last for over one hundred
shots. l would like to see this
new gun and one of the present
type fired until both are de-
stroyed.
81 hardly think I will want
anything further done at the
City Forge Works, where the
gun now lies, as you say, and as
soon as l give it an examination,
t. day, it will probably be sent
over to the Otis Steel Works,
where it is to be annealed and
mandrilled. The latter is the
expanding of the bore by a ros
tary motion. After the gun is
relocated, which itself will take
several days, the mandrilllng
will take only about a day, and
then it will be ready to go east.
General Miles and other mems
bers of the ordnance bureau,
have expressed desire to be
present when the final work IS
done, and they will probably be
here this week. Of course,
what the gun will do depends
altogether upon the firing tests
to be made when it is finished,
but so far everything is favor
able. The tests of tensile
strength of the special steel used
for the gun is very high, being
IoS,o 900 pounds to the square
incn. The steel of the built up
guns runs ABOUT 10000 pounds.
Sometimes wrought steel has
been brought
UP TO 10000 POUNDS.
ENGLAND has given up the
built-up gun, and is expert
rnenting with wire guns. No, l
do not think these will prove
much better.
"What is the latest from Ha>
vana2 | have just arrived and
haven't seen the afternoon pa
pers On the train, as | was
coming from indianapolis, | had
talk with a professional diver
a friend of the divers who are
at work on the Maine. He is
in communication with them by
mail, and he remarked to me
that they are all of opinion tina
the ship was blown up from the
outside, Yes, I rather think Sc