The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-04-30

12-inch rifles. Theseguns are As feet
long, and nearly feet in diameter,
outside measurement, at the breech,
while at the muzzle they taper off to
6 inches thickness of steel. The
charge of powder is 425 pounds,
which is divided into three equal
parts, encased in white flannel bags.
1t has been found that the projectile
gets the full force of the charge by
this subdivision of the powder, and it
burns slower, which is the reason for
the great length of the gun.
The powder is brown, like confec-
tioners' chocolate, the grain is trife
over an inch square. In the heaviest
guns, like the Ii and Is inch, pris-
matte, or six-sided grain, powder is
used.) The armor-smashing shell of
this gun weighs S25 pounds, and the
solid shot 900.
The increase in the powder charge
of our heavy guns since our late war
is something tremendous. Gen. Gil
more, when he shelled Charleston in
1864, at distance of eight miles,
astonished the world, and inaugural
ed new era in long-range gunnery.
He used 200 and 800 pound Parrott
guns. In the 2OO-pounder the pow
der charge was so pounds, and in the
3OO-pounder IS pounds. These were
8 and 10 inch guns, and, at the ire
mendous elevation of 40 degrees that
had to be given them, their muzzles
blew off frequently after the twenty
fifth round, and they were liable to
burst after the 2OOth round.
The Iowa's eight S-inch guns will
stand 500rounds each without show
ing any danger signs, and the charge
is 80 pounds of powder and $50
pound shell, driven through the air at
rate Of 215Ofeet per second when it
starts, and 1848 feet each second a
mile from the gun, and when two
miles away the shell is still flying at
the rate OF 1913 feet each second.
This is what modern gunnery means,
and is what will happen of the MORO
within ten days, unless the unexpect-
ed intervenes.
The accuracy of these 8-inch and g.
inch rifles was shown during q recent
experiment. Within the last week
Commodore Schley's feet went out
to sea to test its guns and give the
men some incidental target practice
The target was a piece of canvas 10
feet wide by IL long, stretched on q
frame and put up on buoy. At a
mile distance the S-inch guns cut it to
bits the first round. The 6-inch rifles
-100-pounders-were even more ac-
curate than the larger calibres.
The American gunner is admittedly
the best afoat, as was shown in our
war of 1912, and again when the
gnnners of the Kersarge were success
full over those of the Alabama, who
had been trained in what Europe re-
garded as the finest gunnery school
in the world-the British ship Excel
lent.
Spain has but one battleship like
ours. 1t is the Pelayo, of 5000 tons.
1t is older than any of ours and rated
two knots slower. Her best vessels
are of the armoured cruiser class,
such MS the viscaya and Oquendo,
neither of which is equal to the New
York or Brooklyn, while the Column
bia or Minneapolis could run away
from them on one-half head of
steam. So say the naval attaches of
England and Russia, on duty here
with their embassies.
In addition to the vessels already
ordered and building in the navalap-
preparation bill, now ready, four dou-
ble-turreted monitors are authorized.
They are are to be of the Puritan
class, not to cost over $3.50, 900
each.
OUR AUXILIARY FLEET.
Besides the seventy-five regularly
classified warships OF the navy, there
is an auxiliary feet Of fast ocean lin
ers acquired in the last ninety days.
At the head Of the list stand the mag
uificont ST T,o11ia and ST pau1 If fho