Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-06-17
BIG GUNS LONG LIVED

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THIS is ALREADY DEMONSTRATED BY
THE PRESENT WAR.
European Fallacies as to the Life Of Great
Ordnance Exploded-Superiority Of Gums
on Our Ships Over All Others Made
Clear-One Was Fired 800 Times.
Naval ordnance bureau reports from
the officers on board the battleships and
monitors in the West Indies speak in
the highest terms of the behavior of the
heavy guns mounted on these ships
Not one Of the big guns has exhibited
any signs of weakening, although some
Of them have already been fred more
times than foreign ordnance experts ex-
;aected they could be fired with safety.
American naval officers, who know how
guns are made down at the Washington
gun factory, confidently predict that
every big gun in Simpsons feet will
outlive the war unless put out of action
by the enemy.
Since the var began a deal of non
sense has been printed about the life
Of big guns, as the result Of which the
general opinion held among persons who
have not the opportunity to learn the
truth is that one of the peacemakers"
on the Oregon, for example, gun
which hurls half ton of steel through
3S inches Of wrought iron-cannot be
depended upon to stand the strain of
more than 100 firings and may even go
to pieces much sooner: It isnot difficult
to discover the origin of the 400 fir
ings' fallacy. It is the same as that Of
some other similar ones
Not long ago book was published in
England on "Modern Naval Artillery"
in which was described the manufacture
OF heavy ordnance at the great Elswick
factory. 'Brassey's Naval Annual"
the leading authority in Europe on ma
val statistics, declared at the time the
book came out that there was no better
authority on the subject of the life Of
big guns and quoted from it this state
ment: lit is generally understood that
the life of the 81 ton gun may be taken
at 1870 rounds and the 10 ton gun at Is
rounds, both with full charges" And
Captain Orde Browne, the English ord
nance expert, adds, 1.-The number CT
rounds which heavy gun will fire be-
fore becoming unserviceable is unfortu-
nately very SMALL
We began making modern guns only
ten years ago, the armament Of the first
cruisers Of the white squadron having
been bought abroad. Just II years ago
this month the first contracts for gun
forgings of modern construction were
let to the Bethlehem Iron company. We
began the manufacture of the very type
of guns about to be discarded abroad.
Since that contract was let we have
built gun factory at the Washington
navy yard, where have been built all
the heavy guns on our battleships, mon
itors and fighting cruisers. Americans
do not generally know it, but it is a
fact, undisputed by foreign experts who
have studied gunmaking in the United
States, that the Washington gun factory
turns out the finest ''hooped'' guns in
the world-far superior to. Krupp's-
and, in fact, the only heavy naval guns
Of this type which will stand the strain
Of long service.
Just how long our big naval guns
may be expected to live is a matter of
opinion, for none of them has died yet
Not one Of them has ever even broken
down in service. One Of the Miantono-
moh's 10 inch guns, now waiting for a
chance to sink an enemy's slip, has had
about as severe test as any Of the big
guns in the navy, for the gun was one
of the first turned out of the gun facto-
ry. Gunner Michael w. Gilmartin, now
on duty at the New York navy yard,
fred this gun more than 100 times at
the Indian Head proving grounds. That
was some years ago, before the gun was
mounted aboard ship. Since it was first
shipped to the testing ground this gun
has been fired more than 200 times, and
it is just as fit for service today as the
day it left the factory. No gun abroad
can show such q record.
The Miantonomoh' guns, it must be
remembered, were among our early
guns. In strength and stability they are
inferior to the newer ones The war
with Spain may result in data from
which may be determined the average
life of the 10 inch and Is inch guns,
but ordnance officers say the war will
haye to be long one to put any of our
heavy guns out Of action. That all Of
the new guns will be serviceable after
as many as 800 firings is the opinion of
many Of the experts, and some place the
figure much higher. Abroad the gun
makers. doubt that their big chopped"
guns would live through single heavy
engagement. American experts believe
that American guns will outlive their
usefulness, be serviceable when their
places are usurped by guns of still finer
construction.
While none of our big guns has been
long enough in service to indicate how
many more times it may be safely fired,
the fact that none Of the Washington
guns has ever burst in service goes a
long way toward proving the superior
ity Of American guns over those of for
eign make. Down at Indian Head the
other day gun was destroyed by the