The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-13
County.

| County.
an easy or a hard roller was almost
entirely a matter of luck. Now it is
matter of calculation and design, and
the skilful naval architect is able to
guarantee a vessel which will with
stand any storm, be comfortable as
regards motion and provide a steady
platform for the guns.
We may also note in this connection
that the modern war vessel is a strik-
ing example of what ingenuity and skill
can do to make habitable and comfort
able compartments that are at best
meager and crowded. We ordinarily
consider light water and air as sy-
nonymous with what is free and obtain
able without effort, yet on the modern
war vessel all these elements are due to
the skill of the engineer. In place of
the tallow candle of our forefathers we
now have the electric light. In place of
the casks of water many days old and
far from palatable we have absolutely
pure and sparkling distilled water,
which has contributed enormously to
! the excellent health of our crews, as
was brought to the public attention in
a most marked way during our recent
war with Spain, when the crews of our
naval vessels had hardly a man on the
/ sick list, while the armies had enormous
numbers ineffective. With it's numerous
bulkheads dividing it into small com
| partments, the modern war vessel can
have no natural circulation of air, and
the engineer provides pure air by arti-
| fetal means. Steam radiators also
make both officers and men comfortable
in any kind of weather.
AS a final item in connection with this
| branch of the subject we may mention
the remarkable development of scien-
tific knowledge, ingenuity and skill in
the production and determination of
| powers and speeds for larger vessels
from experiments on small wax models
Here, We have combined the work OF
the mathematician and the physicist in
working out the laws and formulate in
volved, and the skill of the engineer
and mechanician in the design and ma
nipulation of the apparatus.
IMPROVED GUNS AND ARMOR.
Turning now to the question of guns
and armor, we have most marked IL
lustration of the accuracy of our theme
At the close of the civil war our guns
were still principally cast iron smooth
bores. Progress has changed all this
into the midern high powered steel
breechloading rife, weighing many tons
and driving at immense velocity pro-
jectile whose encounter with an OBJ
stacle may be truly likened to that of
one Of Jove's thunderbolts. The stress
coming upon the metal in one of these
guns is as great as can possibly be al
lowed with safety, and the demands for
greater powers have called for all the
skill of the metallurgist, combined with
the ingenuity and talent of the enei-
neer, in so disposing the metal as to get
maximum results with minimum
weights. The latest DEVELOPMENT in
these guns, consisting of what is known
as the wire wound gum is extremely
interesting as showing how a form of
construction which at first sight might
seem anything but the best is, neverthe
less, the disposition of material which
theory shows is most desirable and
practice thoroughly confirms.
1t will doubtless interest you to hear
few figures of the performance of
some of these great guns. The latest
authorities state that a 125 inch
breechloading rife, 80 calibers long, and
weighing 81 tons. will propel a shell
weighing $50 pounds, by powder
charge of 624 pounds, at a velocity of
over 2,62O feet second, giving an en-
ergy at the muzzle Of over 10000 foot
tons, capable of penetrating at the
muzzle over 40 inches of iron. This en-
ergy means that one of our battleships
of about 1900 tons displacement. and
Which could carry four of these guns
would at single discharge develop a
power sufficient to lift her bodily nearly
fifteen feet 1t can readily be imag-
ined, therefore. what the effect of a
projectile from one of the guns would
be when striking another vessel at close
range.
1t Is an extremely interesting story to
read of what has been aptly called the
/ duel between guns and armor." As
fast as one is improved so that its VIC
tory over the other seems assured some
inventor comes to the front with an
Improvement in the latter which for a
time puts it ahead. The arfnor on our
monitors during, the Civil War consist
ed simply of number of one-inch
plates bolted together. At the present
day a modern projectile would go
through such armor as easily as bull
let penetrates pine boards, but long ago
ness of armor was much more efficient
! if rolled in solid plate, and this was
developed until some of the older Eng