The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-16
ro8 sMoKELEsS POWDER.
..,,r ,RTMLERY BEING EQUIP
Li'' rfp WITH NEW GUNS.

..-.,-Six OF the New Gums Have
IL. In Received Here-six of Them
Already Been Issued 10
I,.,t battery f of the Second.
-, of the Same Regiment
IN Get Here From huntsville in
nav or Two and Receive Its
others Are for the Batteries
w.. recently Left savannah.
..,, F of the Second Artillery, the
r,.sr battery left in camp near sa-
on, oman has received smokeless powder
va. and mounted them on their carriages
mace Of those using the old black
poVler. ,, 40 u,tor,,,.,t area
vsv York, and they have just been
10 I'D They have not yet been tried
49,. srrilIerymen, but, doubtless, will
~ within a few days.
,rs. war department. intends arming the
-. batteries in the service with these
80 .isres adapted TO the use of smokeless
,u-5er In every respect, except their
f,,o,,Aers. the pieces are similar 10 those
= ,.n3,b The black powder was used The
.,n.l.rs are smaller, as a much smaller
et.,rrs of the new powder has to be used.
qn. charge of smokeless powder weighs
..,,. estsen ounces, while that which is
sd from the guns in which the black
,-.4.r is used weighs three and three
a,arr4r pounds. Consequently, as, bulk
for b1k the powder weighs about the
e.re the new charges are not nearly so
,org as the old. and The chambers have to
:. ,f..rad in order to admit of the use of
'-, more is another alteration that comes
- the change in powder. This is in the
r.oia,tfes. which are trihe lighter while
nrassrv,pp The same diameter, 3,2 inches.
H. proiectilas fired from the field pieces
of the iight artillery are shrapnel and or
binary shells. The thickness of these shells
4 will be some what reduced.
Can't Parkhurst and the other officers
Of his battery, as wen as those of the regi-
ment generally, anticipate better results
from the use of smOkeless powder. The
advantage of the charge being more COM
pact is not an ncons.derable one and
then the fact Of discharges being followed
BY no smoke to obscure the vision of the
gunners or to attract the fire of an enemy
is great one. Besides, there is not so
great a Teeoh when a gun is fired with the
4 smaller charge OF the smokeless powder
though the carrying force of the fifteen
ounces 10 be used is equivalent to that of
4 four tines the amount Of the old powder.
This reduction in the force of the recon
will be welcome to officers and men of the
artillery 1t has always been necessary
3 for block to be put under the wheels
4 Of the carriage and the shock of the dis
4 charge otherwise guarded against but the
guns jumped a foot or two in The air when
3 fred and two or three feet back. 1t is said
8 that were there no precaution taken
against the full force of the recoil, the
guns would bound back something like
forty feet Readjusting the pieces after
E firing will be of less trouble and can be
done more quickly hereafter.
The same caissons may also be used for
4 the guns as adapted to the use of the
q smokeless powder, 1t is regarded as for
tunate that there is nothing else necessary
in the way Of alterations than that in the
size Of the chambers OF the guns and in
the weight OF the projectiles.
The guns that have been received here
4 are thiry-siX in number. These, of course,
are not all for the same battery, as but
d six guns are required to equip one. They
are intended for Battery F and Battery
4 Of the Second, which is soon to arrive
a from Huntsville and the four light bat
q teres that recently left Savannah for
3 points in the West.
These guns are all new, having been
& built especially for the smokeless powder.
n The batteries will send their old guns to
the arsenal as soon as they get the new
b IN order, that they may be 50 altered as
10 allow che use of the new ammunition.
II Is said the change can be readily made.
Inc guns be-onging to the batteries that
nave eft here will be forwarded to them
81 shortly They will be mounted on the
carriages Of the old, and the artillerymen
VIII then be in fix to fire smolxeless pow
ger with the same success that was seen
a. the tight at San Juan and with con-
siderable less trouble and danger to
themselves