The Portland daily press., 1898-09-06
PORTLAND HEAD.
Recent Gun Tests Discussed by a
Scientific Officer.

Capt. williams, 7th Artillery, Summarized
statement-The Buff1nZton-Crozier Dis
appearing Carriages Worked Perfectly
-smokeless Powder Feature of the
Tests-shots We're Excellent-They
Would Have Struck the Hull of q Bat
tleship at Target Range Over Five
Miies-Enlisted Men Praised For Pro-
fcIency.
Tha official reports of the recent firing
of the ten inch guns at Portland Head
have just been forwarded py Major
William Crozier, Volunteers, q. S. A.,
and Captain of ordnance u. S. A., also
by Captain G. F. Z. Harrison, command
ing officer at the Head, but of course,
have not yet been given to the public.
In the meantime, statement from so
competent and scientific an officer as
Captain John r. Williams, 7th Artillery.
who witnessed the recent tests, doubtless
will be of interest, and to a reporter of
the PRESS, Captain Williams yesterday
said:
"Ths recent firing at Portland Head
was conducted by Major Crozier, volun
teers, U. S. A., agreeably to orders re-
ceived from the war department, with a
view of testing the guns. the disappear
ing carriages on which they were
mounted and also to ascertain whether
target practice could safely be held with
any or all of the guns in the battery with
out damage to the Light House at Port
land Head.
1t was also intended that the firing
should partake of the character of target
practice; that target should be placed at
one of the longer ranges specified for these
ten inch guns and that all the shots, if
practicable, should be directed upon this
target.
eft was found impossible, however, to
place target so that all the guns of the
battery could be fired at it without laying
at least one of the guns in almost direct
line with the Hight house, consequently
several of the shots were fired seaward
without reference to any target.
"Ffring begsn with moderate charges,
no guns being trained nearer the light
house than 25 or 80 degrees, and no dam
age was done to the light house or adjoin-
ing buildings except the breaking Of one
or two psnes of window glass in some of
the out buildings.
''The second shot from each gun was
fired with a full service charge without
any further damage to the light house ex-
cept the breaking OF few more window
panes in the out-build ings.''
"The full service charge of brown
prismatio powder used in this ten inch
gun is $50 pounds. The projectiles used
were all cast iron solid shot Weighing $50
pounds.
1.-THE test of the guns was regarded as
very satisfactory. The breeoh mechanism
worked perfectly and the test of the
carriages was also satisfactory.
Gwen with the reduced charges the
record of the carriage was sufficient to
bring the gun into its loading position
below the crest of the parapet Two or
three of the guns were fired with full
charges of smokeless, or rather semi :
smokeless powder, as the powder Of this
character now being experimental with
by the ordnance department give CON-
siderable amount of rather dense smoke,
while the small arms smokeless powde r
gives hardly any appreoiable smoke, ex-
cept faint blue haze which disappears al
most Immediately. The smoke after the
firing of the smokeless powder was doubt.
less increased by sweeping out of the guns
all the residue left by the previous dis
charge of the brown powder"
"NearIy all save one or two. were ex.
cellent line shots and the majority of
them would have struck the hull of a
battleship at the range of the target about
5000 yards-over five miles-The target it.
self was of py ramidal shape, about eight
feet high and measuring about the same
along the base and was barely visible to %
good glass at the distance just specified.
The shots were plotted trigonometrically
by observers with angle measuring in
struments stationed at two extemities of
a measured line about 1000 yards in
length.
THE guns we're manned ny detach-
ments taken from the batteries stationed
at Portland Head, namely. Battery of
the 2nd Artillery and Battery D of the
7th Artillery and their work was COM
mendable especially in view of the fact
that the guns had never before been fired
at drill and some of the men had seen but
a few months service in the ranks of the
regulars
Major Crozier expressed the greatest
satisfaction with the working Of the dis
appearing carriages and the results of the
test firing at Portland Head from every
view point can be regarded as highly
satisfactory.
The asst chance of the season for visit
ing Lake Winnipesuakee comes on Sep
tember 7th.