Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-29
BRITISH NAVAL GUNS.
Facts About Those which Saved the
nur nj I.aII


Facts About Those which Saved the
Day mt Ladysmith.
Interesting facts about the British
naval guns which saved the day at
Ladysmith by their timely arrival are
told by correspondent of the London
Times writing from Natal
Each mounting of the big weapons
has an inscription upon it, presumably
concocted by the ships painter. One.
a parody upon the Scottish proverb,
runs:
Those who sup with me viii require
a devil of a long spoon"
Another has this suggestive phrase:
For what we are going TO receive
may the Lord make us truly thankful.
Dom Paul"
a third inscription is:
Lay me true and load me tight,
The Beers Will be out of sight.
Concerning the Inspiration which led
Captain Percy Scott of the British
cruiser Terrible to design mountings
by which sea guns could be used effect
lively for land service, the correspond
ent says: Prom the first it would seem
IIlaI Whit WAS NduleU were lOuS tdnSc
guns which could shell the enemy at n
distance outside the range of their
Mauser rifles. The captain of the Ter
rible therefore proposed a field mount
ing for the naval long II FOUNDER of
1000 weight. which has Il much longer
range than any artillery gun out here.
4 pair of wagon wheels were picked
up, balk of timber used as n trail.
and in ~ hours 10 FOUNDER was
ready for land service. Captain Scott
then designed 4 mounting for n Al inch
naval gun by simply boiling n ships
mounting down on to four pieces of
pile.
Experts declared that the IL pound
er would smash up the trail and that
the Al inch gun would turn a somer-
sault. The designer insisted, however,
on n trial. When it took place. nothing
of the kind happened, except that at
extreme elevation the - FOUNDER shell
went 5000 yards and the Al inch
Qyddite) projectile 1900 yards. Cap
tain Scott was therefore encouraged
to go ahead, and four 10 Founders
were fitted out and sent round to Dur
ban in the Powerful. and also two Al
inch guns.
"A naval friend. writing to me from
the camp, says: The Beers complain
that we are not playing the game"
They expected TO fight only 'Ruineks."
not sailors, who use guns that range
seven miles, and they want us TO go
back to our ships. One of our lyddite
shells went over a hill into their camp,
killed IA men ana wounded 30. Guns
of this description are not. according
to the BOer idea, ut all proper, and
they do not like our way of "stagger-
ing humanity Had these guns been
landed earlier, how much might have
been saved,
r'It is n peculiar sight to see the
IL inch gun fred. Many thought it
would turn over, but Captain Percy
Scott appears to have well calculated
the stresses. There is, with full
charge of cogdite. II slight rise of the
fore end, which practically relieves all
the fastenings. Hastily put together.
and crude as it looks, it really en-
braces all the points of a scientific
mounting. and it wants great expert
to pronounce an opinion on it.
1.-The gun is mounted SO high that
TO the uninitiated it looks as if it must
and the higher the angle of elevation
the less strain there is on ii. The ar
rival of our guns practically put the
Royal artillery guns ont of use. for
they can come into action 1000 yards
behind those supplied to the soldiers
and then make better practice. Their
arrival has. every one admits, quite
changed the situation
Following this success, Captain
Scott also rugged up a searchlight on
railway truck with flasher attach
ment for use for communication with
Kimberley and Ladysmith. One of
these accompanied Methuen's column
northward in charge of Lieutenant
Colonel Ernest Rhodes, brother of
Cecil. Another is believed to have
been sent with Clery's forces. The
light has been tested at a distance of
40 miles with successful results.