The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
NEW WAR MATERIAL,
DISPLAYS IN PARIS or THE VICKERS-
MAXIM AND HOTCHKISS COMPANIES.
Notable Exhibits of Modern High Power
Small Caliber Ordnance Automatic Guns
The HotchkIss system = Interesting
Description OF the chief Novelties shown.

Description OF the CHIEF Novelties SHOWN
Notable among the many guns exhibited
at the Paris exhibition are the gas gun OF ride
caliber, the 1, 3. o and ii-pounder automatic
guns. the 4.7-inch held gun. and the 7.5-inch
coast defence gun.
The automatic principle formerly confined
TO guns OF rife caliber-still called MaNims-
has now been extended to weapons firing l.
3. 0 and ii-pounder proiectiles. firing In a min
ute, respectively. 300. IS. 80 and rs shots or
shells, ranging In velocity from 1870 TO $500
feet per second. The importance OF long
range. which IS largely determined by tho
muzzle velocity. and great rapidity Of fire have
been proclaimed 10 all the world by the war IN
South Africa; but when high explosives tsuch
a. lyddite) ara used to charge the projectiles
the effect IL far greater than that suggested
by the mere number Of rounds per minute.
The i-pounder Il the famous "pom-pom' Of tho
Boer war, which has been so much praised by
military attaches and war correspondents.
not only for its great rapidity Of fire and Its
mobility, but also for It's physical and moral
erects-lts stopping power. '
The automatic arrangement in all the larger
guns Ia somewhat similar; instead Of the breech
block being screwed into the breech, as in the
ordinary breechloaders, II works In these
guns in a vertical plane between guides. and
the recoil Of the gun on firing IL utilized for
operating the block. on recoil, a spring under
the gun IL compressed, which, operating a
lever attached TO the bottom Of the block, pulls
II downward; meanwhile. a little clip moving
with the block extracts the cartridge case from
the chamber, and the mere putting In OF a new
projeotile by the gunner sets the mechanism
In action again. The gunner then merely
inserts the charge and fires the piece; the block
works automatically.
In the i-pounder gun the proiectiles are
fed into the mechanism from a belt and tho
recoil upon each discharge moves an arrange
men' Of levers, Enclosed In a casing. which
automatically extracts the cartridge case and
elects It from a slot below. at the same tims
withdrawing a new bullet from the belt, ram
ming a new charge home in the chamber and
firing the gun The gunner has merely to set
the mechanism going and then point the gun:
the rest il automatic.
The new 47-inch field gun has the ordinary
screw breech block. hut so modified that ths
continuous forward movement Of the lever
performs the threefold duty Of unlocking.
rotating and Withdrawing the block from the
breech, thus giving a rapidlty Of fire OF six
shots a minute. which for a 45-pound pro-
jectile Is quite remarkable.
In the 75-inch and heavier Vickers guns
tho breech-block ia the interesting point. Its
20 shaped that three-fourths Unstead Of one
half, as in other guns) Of the surface IL avail
able 10 resist pressure, consequently the breech-
block can be shortened about one third It's length
and the breech end Of the gun tby far the heavier
be- correspondingly reduced. saving much in
weight. At the same time the length OF the
muzzle erd can be correspondingly increased.
thus giving a much higher muzzle velocity.
The Pinch vlckers gun. for example. develops
a muzzle energy Of 30, st3 foot-tons, whereas
the energies Of the British. French and United
States naval service guns are. respectively
~, 900, 30. $50 and rs. es5 foot-tons The 75-inch
gun fires a shot just double the weigh OF ths
projectile for the ordinary o-inch gun, and
at a higher velocity. The Vickers o-inch gun.
now adopted for our navy. has a mizzle energy
Of $50 foot-tons against the British servios
types 1850.
The mobility Of the Vickers guns r. also
greatly in their favor. The 47-inch gun with
carriage weighs only 800 pounds, the IL
FOUNDER ts-ihchD fel d gun alone weighs 1850
pounds; the e-pounder gun and carriage, 1900
pounds: the 3-pounder, i,750 pounds and tho
l-pounder. 1, $50 pounds
Krupp was the great ordnance exhibitor at
our Chicago exhibition. and vickers il at Paris;
but the Hotchkiss firm IL the only one that has
been prominent in displaying its material at
both exhibitions. The Hotchkiss guns are
adopted in the ornaments OF nearly all the
Powers, the calibres running from about LIS
TO ~ inches, but mostly under 3 inches,
The great majority Of these are navy guns.
Intended either for the fighting tops Of ships
or for the decks Of light cruisers and gunboats-
a few for landing purposes. Their rate OF fire
varies from thirty rounds per minute In tha
smaller cal ibers 10 ten in the larger. One new
kind Of mounting enables the gun 10 be with
drawn from the portfolio and swung around.
SO that the port may be entirely closed, which
is often a great advantage.
The material of greatest interest TO the army.
however. comprises field guns, mountain guns.
revolving cannon. automatic mitrailleuses.
semi-automatic guns. disappearing turrets
and rampant carriages.
The field guns are a little under 3 inches In
caliber. designed 10 combine power with light
weight. but the kind that fires a shell OF only
ten pounds and carries but ~ rounds in gun
ard timber will be founi more especially useful
MS a landing gun. The heavier mountain .-a
IS about 3 inches and weighs nearly zoo pouads,
the lighter Is les inches and weighs only l2tH
pounds. There Is also a specially light field
gun for rough work, such a. has recently been
required in Africa OF 40 inches callber, twenty
calibcrs long.
The revolving cannon are I.4s, i.57 and i.S
inches In caliber. intended either for the de-
fence OF TANKS or on decks OF warships. The
automatic miuailleuse fires infantry ammu-
milton and can bc carried entire gun. tripod
mounting for the field, accessories and oo
rounds Of ammunitionl on a single mule. The
first round is loaded by hand, and then the
firing continues automatically until the charger
is empty, when the breech remains open. The
semi-automatic guns about ? or ga inches In
caliberl are so arranged that the insertion
OF the charge puts the breech action in notion.
and the breeoh closes itself ready for firing.
The disappearing turret Is for Quick-hrlng
guns for inland forts. and requires two men 70
work II.
FRUIT ~ WAYNE COUNTY,