Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-19
FIVE-INCH HOWITZERs.
Havoc Wrought by Them to the
Mahdfs Tomb at OmGurman.
From Engineering.

From Engineering.
The last issue of the Proceedings of the
Royal Artillery institution contains some
very interesting particulars as to the per-
formances of the 5-inch Howitzers, which
wrecked the mahdfs tomb at Omdurman
TINS being the first occasion on which high
explosives have been fired in actual war
rare These weapons fire a shell weighing
nifty pounds, and in those used at Omdur-
man the bursting charge was four pounds
fourteen ounces of lyddite. The new shell
now supplied, however, contains nine
POUNDS hfteen ounces of this explosive and
mas been proved to be still more effectual
IMAM lts predecessor. The latter is b cali
pers long, while the new shell is 365 cali
bers in length. In Egypt the gun was
horSed by eight mules, the weight hauled
pelng forty-hye hundredweight. inclusive of
two rounds of case over and above the
proper equipment of the gun. These mules
We're fitted with pack saddles so that once
the guns were in position the team could
be used for bringing Up the ammunition
one NIUE peins able to carry four shells,
OF TWO boxes of cartridges With this ar
rangement for transport a good fire could
II was stated, be maintained even whan
the ammunition base was as much nc two
miles from the gun. The cartridge used is
varied with great ease. This is often nee
essary, though 1t was not done at Omdnr
man, owing to the fact that the directac.
tlon fuse with which the shell is fitted will
~ ACT WIN certainty unless fired at an
angie OF 10 degrees, the range with the FIJI
charge being then 1000 yards. Ar Omdnr-
man the ranges varied from Z BOO vards
down to 1,25o yards. the former reoIirinp
one of degrees. AT the shorter ransa
there We're some blinds the shell faiIina -
explode. The new shells are II 80 ~
hounced, to be fitted with a fuse which
nursts on Craze. The difficulty In arrang-
ing THIS lies in securing the safety of the
gun detachment in case of .nrematur
In the gun. This difficulty has now r.
seems been surmounted, and the shells
VIII burst on striking horizontal ground
after being fired from an elevation of > de-
grees only. VI "e-
The fuse actually used at Omdurman
.hough railing IN the respect named, proved
IN other respects very satisfactory, and the
detachment were able to stand nm IN the
gun with as much confidence as If firing
common shell. The hole blown in tho don,s
OF the mahdi's tomb by the shells measured
70 feet In height by - feet in width, the walls
b bIins ~ 1eet thick; Single shells again
were II feer to 20 feet high, feet thici
at the bottom and AZ feet at the ton The
gunboats were able to fire down the main
street through one of the holes Thus ,nada
In some cases, with walls only one foot
thlck, the SHELLS got through before hurst
ing. The moral effect then seems to bawo
been very sFeat., The space covered bv the
fragments u shell in bursting is very large
and General Gems Rraekenbury stated that with
an e+in nc Hgwitzer at Okehampton a frag-
ment OF shftl, which had burst 1000 Yards
away came back among the gun detac hs
ment AT an experimental firing at Cairo
range parry stationed 1000 Yards from
the tine t target had to move being still within
the shell eauh break up, it is stated into 20
TOUR or five fairly large pieces, while the
walls fly into .nuch smaller fragmen ,.
1sspou n1 ieia rans rns battery Of
stated, more effective than batter, - 20 20
these HoWitzers, but the latter are inch
superior Mbfef Wv, when the men are behind cover
T Mv,1Gh sh IRA is unable to search out
as much as 10 inches in diameter. and nfis the he
fuse adopted is so safe that even nv v i1n
black powder as the propellant there has
never been a premature mas