New-York tribune., 1899-12-17
CAPT. SCOTT AND THE NAVAL GUNS.
HOW THEY WERE MOUNTED FOR LADY
sMITH-THE INSCRIPTIONS THEY BEAR.

SMITH-THE INSCRIPTIONS THEY BEAR.
Natal correspondence Of The London Times
From the first It would seem that what
wanted long range guns which could shell the
enemy at distance outside the range OF their
therefore proposed a field mounting for the naval
long 12-pounder Of u cwt., which has a much
4 pair Of wagon wheels were picked up. balk
of timber used as trail and n in twentyfOur hours
Scott then designed mounting for 41-nSh china naval
10 four pieces Of pile Experts declared that the
l2-pounder would smash up the tran, and that
howSTe t%rn n & ii tns
nothing Of the kind happened except that at & exo
yards and the 47-inch dyddlta) proJectile 1900
yards. Captain Scott was, therefore, encouraged
sent around to Durham in the Powerful: and also
wC neh tbo gg3 PgoPa Ssy hfre that these guns
A naval friend. writing to me from the camp
ing the game they only expected to fight Rooineks
not sailors who use guns that range seven miles
and they want us to 20 back to our ships. One of
our lyddite shells went over MI into their camp
killed fourteen men and wounded thirty. Guns of
az all proper, ana tney 90 not IKE our way 9i
Staggering humanity Had these guns been land
peculiar sight to the 4.7-inch fired. Many
thought It would turn over. but Captain Percy
there is with full charge of cordite slight rise
of the fore end, which practically relieves all the
fastenings. Hastily put together and crude as II
looks, 1t really embraces all the points OF scien
tnc mounting, and 1t wants great expert TO pro-
nounce an opinion It, The gun Is mounted so
high that to the uninitiated II looks If II must
turn over firing but II does not and the higher
angle of elevation the less strain there is It, The
arrival of guns practically put the r. A.
guns out of use, for they come into action two
thousand yards behind those supplied to the sol
diers and then make better practice. Their
rival has, every admits. quite changed the sit
uation."
Captain Scott has also rigged up n searchlight on
a railway truck with flasher attachment the
idea being to use It for communication with Kim
berley and Ladysmth II these places sur
rounded. 1t has been tested at distance Of forty
miles and proved great success. | am told, too.
that he IS now engaged in designing a travelling
carriage for a G-nch gun. and has Indeed, con-
verted the Terrible into a factory for curiosities
in gun mountings.
Each mounting, by the way has an inscription
upon IT, presumably concocted by the ships painter.
One a parody upon the Scotch proverb, runs:
Those who sup with me Will require devil Of
long spoon: another. For what we are going 10
receive may the Lord make us truly thankful
Dom Paul.; and a third, Lay me true and load
me tight the Beers will soon be out Of sight |
saw one OF these guns fired with elevation OF
"a degrees and range OF 1900 yards, and fully
expected to see tho whole thing capsize but II
hardly moved. After the firing OF several rounds
7 carefully examined the mounting and noticed
that crude as IL might appear, a wonderful amount
of practical knowledge was apparent in Its con-
strlction: the strain beautifully distributed,
every bolt and each balk bearing IFS proportionate
share. II Is In every way creditable 10 The navy
that when emergencies arise such thing could be
devised and made by the ships engineering STAFF
IA twenty-four hours.