Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-06-29
FIRING GREAT GUNS.
Science Takes the Place Of the Old
Style Of Aiming.
\ MsAera Gunner Must lie . Vesitas1e
Seisaslsa-Hovw the Ilsge weap.
sss Are Testsd at sandy
Hoax, n. J.

There was time not long ngo when
srtillerists actually aimed their huge
weapons. took careful sight, etc, and
discharged them by "yankins" the Lam
yard when the proper order was re-
ceived. That was gunnery. Under the
conditions of modern warfare few II
any Of the simple processes which in
the war; OF thc past were found Ell.
cacious can be used. In these days the
officer who handles the modern high
velocity rife must he j scicntist learned
in chemistry. geometry. electricity.
physics. metallurgy and explosives or
he will mess things. In ollcn times
many chance was taken. Half n dozen
shots might be needed 10 get range.
Now not shot must be wasted. II
costs too much in actual money, and,
besides. the piece with its delicate mech
anism undergoes such fearful strain
zach time II Is discharged Tint every
thing must be settled in advance.
Then when the time comes TO explode
the charge button is pressed by some
body remote from the rife md the
trouble breaks out right there.
To reduce the firing OF the great
guns as nearly rs possible TO an exact
science nm elaborate. and Systematic
series of experiments has been going on
ever since the first modern brecch-
loading rifle was turned over to the gov
ernmcnt several years ago. Every shot
that has been fred ut the testing
grounds has been recorded in an OH
rial clog" which tells absolutely every
thing that happened at every dis
charge.
The United States army ordnance
proving grounds at Sandy Hook, y. j.,
10 the scene Of oil the important testing
Ind proving of the coast defense and
other army ordnance. There are two
distinct branches of work there-test-
ing and proving. Testing is the longer
and moro involved Of the two. II Is
done with ''type" gun furnished by
the makers. After the 'type" gun has
been tested and pronounced satisfac-
tory the other guns Of the same type
ore proved. Proving Is simply less
involved test.
The cf.cers who test Great rrrs are
engaged in service that Is distinctly
dangerous oil the time. although they
would he the first to denyit. Weakness
in n gun cnn he discovered only by ac-
tual trial. and /: announces itself by an
explosion. Every now and ;Eer when
gun explodes at the Hook the public
Ccts an idea that it was due to careless-
rcss, when. rs matter Of fact. the re-
suit was one to be expected. The men
n: the proving grounds who discover
weakness in n gun forestall possi-
BILE big accident at a fort.
The test of type gun in the case of
huge weapons like the eight. ten and
twelve.inch steel rifles extends over q
period OF many months. Such a can-
non is fired as quickly as possible to
test it's behavior under great continue
Gus strain; quick-fring powder is used
to test its capability to Withstand sud-
den and enormous shocks: many kinds
of projectiles are fired to try its rigidi-
ty and the quality of its rifling; it is
elevated or depressed to the extreme to
test it's behavior under all conditions;
its action in recoil is studied; its cx-
terror and interior are watched con-
tinually TO note the effect on the mate
rial of which it is made, and every shot
is recorded by electrical instruments of
wonderful accuracy, and often by pho
tographs.
The speed of the projecti!c at the
breecn at the very moment of getting
its start is known as the initial velcci-
ty. 1t is asccrtaincd by means of little
copper instruments known as pressure
gauges. They are screwed into the
breech and the explosion compresscs
them so that the force eNerted by the
powder charge can be determined accu-
rately. The force of the explosion and
the weights of the powder and rrc
icctile to the very ounce being known,
the initial velocity is ascertained rcadi-
ly.
At the moment of firing an indcscrib-
ably delicate electrical instrument far
back in the recording office, where the
terrific shock of the discharge cannot
affect it. registers the time TO the ten
thousanhth part of second. So deli
cate is this register that i, can be read
or!y with a powerful microscope.
At the muzzle of the gun is wire.
which is broken by the proiec,ile as it
leaves the muzzlc, and the little instru-
rlcnt again registers the time. by this
time the muzzle velocity is determined.
In the line of fire there arc big wire
screens, each of which is connected
with other registering instruments
with electrical wires. As the shot cuts
them the instruments record Il. Thus
the speed of n flying rroiectile flying. rs
these big ones do. at the rate of almost
2,5oo feet n second, can be measured as
accurately as the speed of Il horse or
running man.-Chicago Chronicle.
An Epidemic Of Whooping Cough.