The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-14
NEW AND POWERFUL GUNS.
GREAT PROGRESS in the Manufacture
of Naval Ordnance

Great Progress i'm the Manufacture
of Naval Ordnance.
1t IS an interesting fact that the manu-
facture OF all types of naval ordnance is
now well in advance of the construction
OF ships and that unless some settlement
OF the armor question is reached speedily
The guns Will be years ahead OF the new
vessels of the Navy This is almost com
piete reversal of the conditions prevailing
Tor some years after the work of building
up new Navy was begun
In number of instances some of the
new cruisers a few years ago were delayed
IN gong into commission by a lack OF
modern armament. As it is now there is
llKeiy 10 De surplus of ordnance, all OF
the latest and most improved types.
AL the Washington gun factory there has
been no cessation in the activity displayed
since Few months preceding the Spanish
war, When hundreds of the smaller cali
bfe weapons especially were required for
auxiliaries. The full force of workmen
mas been Kept busy, and the shops ring
every weekday as the most powerful
pieces OF ordnance are being developed.
In discussing the va .ue of certain types
one OF the leading ordnance officers of the
Navy sad; Our manufacture of naval
guns goes on satisfactorily, especially that
OF the new 9-2-inch and 75-inch guns.
winch will soon be completed the former
Tor issue. the latter for trial; and further
the conversion of our 6-inch guns into
quick-firers will soon be completed in all
ships that are considered worth the ex-
pense and for reserve batteries and drill
ships. Their supply of cordHe will be
complete at the end O. the present year.
The new guns are very powerful, rep
FeSenung an extreme development or
length of bore and high muZzle velocity
and great power OF penetration through
armor. This type has been developing for
many years. England is we'll represented
by these pieces, and England alone has in
the service any number OF guns of wire
construction, Russia and America having
apparently ceased their efforts in this di-
rection- 1t VIII probaaly seem like a retro
grade step to object to the form of devel-
opment which our new type of guns has
taken. Without going 50 far as this, we
think We should guard against being
drawn into a false direct on. These indi-
Yidual guns may be needed; in fact, the
I5-inch gun is, We think, necessity in
moro than one way. bat is to say not
only Shall we soon need q quickfirine
broaGsids gun Of greater power than our
6-inch CUR, but the piece must be one of
somewhat the actual pTopoTtins assigned
to the 1.5-inch gun. Il must, in fact, have
considerably greater penetration than the
present 6-inch gan if it is to perfoTate
b-inch ha:d-faeed armor, while at the
same time. the weight of the proiecJile
must be kept down as much as possible il
we are 10 load and fire quickly.
This confines US 10 the small bore and
the gun must be a long one, with high
muzzle velocity. We understand that about
5000 feet per second is talked of; this with
a 200 pound projectile gives rnuzzts en-
eTgy of 1880 foot-tons with d perfora-
ton through thirty-two inches of iron. This
is an enormous result, but we have no
hesitation in saying that while the gun is
good, so far as it can go anyone who ex-
poets this 10 be rnalized in service will be
disappointed, Sc while this velocity
may be got with new gun it will rapidly
fall with the range and because the bore
of the gun will very soon wear, and thus
the nluzzle velocity will drop very consid-
eTabIy.
Lieutenant Meigs, OF Bethlehem. recent
~ raised the question that these small
bores with high veloeities are an unprofit
able form of energy. and we are forced to
agree with him That is 70 say velocity
in a shot resembles speed in a ship in the
point that We pay heavily for il in more
than one way. On paper such a gun as
this appears admirable, Considered as q
7.5-incn piece, the results. are indeed
snlendid; but this way OF taKlug the cali
bres as the standard OF comparison is mis-
leading
The gun, We are told. will weigh seven
teen tons, and We have always maintained
that the weight OF metal represents the
capital invested, as il were, and the posi-
bic work is proportionate 10 it. The heavi-
est S-inch gun of the new type weighs only
fifteen tons. The old. obsolete lO-ineh
muzzle-loader weighed but eighteen tors.
with projectige of more than double the
weight of that of the 7-5-inch gun, namely.
40 pounds. The energy was only 5,4US
foot-tons, but the same metal could now
be employed with slow burning powder.
and much better ballistic result obtained
Our guns must be made with a particu-
lar view to what We want them TO do. As
we have repeatedly said, 6-inch hard-face /
steel is most manageable thickness Of
plate that viii be much used in the future.
projectile which cannot perforate the
secondary parts of an armor-cIad enemy is
useless. but the peTfoTatiOn of her belt is
quite another matter. A powerful aTnOr-
piercing shell in the upper structure niebf
often do more harm than a shot parforat-
ing the belt Lieutenant Meigs has been
engaged in constructing an 1S-inch gun
whose weight does not differ much from
that OF our Pinch wire gun. This piece
would have the advantages OF preserving
its muzzle velocity, which is, We believe.
about 1000 foot-seconds as to range. and
the r.T1I5