The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-26
LORE OF WARFARE.
Some Interesting Facts Regarding
Firearms and Explosives.

II
The earliest cannons were breech-load-
ers. Then followed muzzle-loaders, then
breech-loading rifles followed by muzzle-
loading rifles, and finally. as at present,
I again breech-loading rifles.
The earliest records of cannons being
used on shipboard giye the date of about
1855.
Greater progress has been made in ord
nance during the past thirty-five years
/ than during the preceding five centuries.
! The maximum pressure produced by cor
dlte in an inciosed space is from 10 to 1870
/ tons per square inch. With the old pow
/ ders in an Enclosed space the pressure did
! not exceed 48 tons per square inch, and in
guns the maximum pressure that has yet
/ been in practical use is II tons with the
/ introduction of wire wound suns pressures
/ as Hlsh as SO TO 40 tons per square inch
| may be used, with a consequent increase
] an penetrative power OF the shot fired For
! instance, if they were merely increased to
/ II tons from H. as at present, the peuetra-
/ tive power would be increased 81 per cent,
ana the gun could be made much smaller.
/ A l0-ioot gun built on this system could
! be reduced in length 24.5 feet, and its
! weight thereby decreased over 70 per cent,
/ with the above noted increase in power. Ii
| Is IN this direction that the greatest i'm
/ provement in ordnance in the future may
| be looked for
In celebrating the sights of modern guns
II Is necessary to allow for the drift of the
| prcJectlle. The rotation of the project tile
caused by the ri1ing gives a deviation TO
one side or the other, according as to
whether the rifiing is right or left-handed.
in table Of standard ordnance one often
sees various abbrevia tons, which are
sometimes quite puzzling. OF the common
est ones are b. L. R, which means breech-
loading rifle. S. B. stands for smOOthbore.
NJ L. indicates muzzle-lOading; O. F..
! qulck-hring. Another symbol that is often
/ encountered is Mark" or mark H."
/ etc. This indicates that the gun is of a
certain standard pattern and has rihing
of q certain character. For instance,
Mark II, Gin B. L. r. indicates a GER
tain construction of breech-loading rife,
with 6-inch bore These marks are
stamped on the gun body, and are import
ant in determining the strength of charge
they are capable of withstanding and the
character of projectile they are intended TO
fire.
Despite England boastful naval supre-
macy, many of her less modern vessels
stil in commission are armed with muz-
zle-loading rifles.
/ A Cotton gun is the largest that can be
used ahoat without sacrificing efficiency
ana safety. England had several S0-ton
guns afoat, but this class she has aban-
! doned. Italy, on some of her recent bat
tleships, placed four 100-ton guns, but their
| use has been very unsa tisfactory and no
more will be built for naval Service. The
United States navy employs a 13-inch gun,
weighing little over 60 tons!
1t has been reported that the United
States have given an order for a number
of wire-wound guns. The importance of
this type is being gradually recognized by
E11ag l1r, haxrs t,Ir
| en- the initiative in the matter and thor
oughly investigated its capabilities Wire
| wound guns, however, were known as ear
ly as 1850. The naval ordnance committee
| appointed by the English authorities rec
commended wire-wound guns as possessing
the following advantages: Absolute sound
ness of the material employed for the re-
/ enforcement of the interior tube. If there
! be flaw, whether hidden or visible in a
| tube or hoops there is great danger of
| such flaw extending until rupture takes
! place. Where however, wire is used If a
! rupture takes place In any coil, the ada
/ cent coils are not affected and this rup-
| ture cannot spread. Steel in the form of
/ wire or riband possesses double the ten
! sile strength Of steel in the form of forg-
/ ed tubes or hoops. Besides adding to the
margin of safety under ordinary circum-
| stances, would prove of the greatest value
| II 1t should DE desired 10 introduce a class
| Of powder entailing higher chamber pres
sures than those for which service guns
| are constructed.
1t is believed that the life of one of the
60-ton guns is probably from 100 to 10 fun
| charges, after which repairs will be nee
| essary to the rifiing This is carried ont
/ by means of augmenhng strips. These
| are long strips of copper hammered par
! TALLY into the cannehlres on the. driving
! bands, thus augmenting their diameter
When further wear has rendered this rem
| edy ineffective, the gun has to go back "a
| the factory for reboring, after which. how
/ ever, It IS practically a new gun
| The breech mechanism of some ~ tho
largest guns, such as 13-inch are operated
by hydraulic machinery. But some ver.,
! ingenious machinery has now been ner
fected whereby il is possible to operate IN,
| hand a pair of the largest guns with
thel rturrets, barbettes, nountinps ETC
weighing in all over 200 IONS
Charges for moderIs breech-loadinor ,,,,,s
are invariably made up into cartridges he
fore being placed in the gun either IL,
whole half quarter or eighth charges
Usually the amount of powder is weighed
out and lnclosed IN a cartridge bag made
of silk cloth, which is entirely consumed
when a cartridge is fired. After the bag
is filled its mouth is sewn up with silk
twist. To prevent this overlapping ne
edge of the cartridge, and perhaps lam
ming ii in the gun, it is then hoped with
SUN d4u 10 preserve its shape and
marked in printers ink.
Prismatic charges are built UP by olac-
ing the number of prisms 10 give ne re-
quired weights on a false bottom of me
required size. A cartridge bag is than
thrown over them, the charge inserted
the false bottom removed and the top Of
the bag sewn on.
The French mitrailleuse. used frst.in the
Franco-Prussian war of 1901 va Inc
prototype of modern quck-fring machine
guns Then followed Dr. Calling. Messrs
Nordenfeldt and Gardiner, and finally
Maxim The Calling has ten fixed barrels
which revolve abouta central axis each
barrel being fred in succession when IL
reaches a certain point Il Is capable Of
firing 500 rounds per minute. The Maxim
gun can fire from 600 TO go rounds Der
minute with perfect case, and without La
bility of the mechanism becoming derang-
their urrets, barbettes mountings, etc
II has been suggested that the regular
quick firing guns should be called quick
loaders," as the great advantage Of this