The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-09-12
TYPE Of nEW GUN
BUILDING FOR NAVY.
AN ENORMOUS VELOCITY Is
GIVEN TO HEAVY SHELLS
BY THE NEW CANNON.
Marvel Of Destruction L. the a 5
Inch Bore Nov Being Turned
Out at Washington

WASHINGTON. Aug 3l--The manu-
facture Of ali types Of naval ordnance
is no< Eell In advance Of the oonstrus-
ton Of ships. and unless some settle
ment Of the zrmor question IS speedily
reached the guns VIII be years ahead
OF the vessels
At the Washington gun factory there
has been no cessation in the activity
displayed since a few months preceding
the Spanish var, when hundreds OF the
smaller calibre weapons especially
we're required for auxiliaries. The full
force Of workmen has been kept busy
and the shops ring every weekday as
the most powerful pieces of ordnance
are being developed
In discussing the value OF certain
types one Of the leading ordance Of
ficers Of the navy said:
Our manufacture OF naval guns goes
on satisfactorily. especially that Of tie
new 9.2-inch and 7.5-inch guns, which
will soon be completed. the former for
issue. the latter for trial; and further.
the conversion of our 6-ineh guns into
ALAth-llEEaE aaEA S2OD NC NCA-RANN~N -
~ ships that are considered worth the
expense. and for reserve batteries and
drill ships. Their supply of cordite
viii be complete at the end OF the pres
ent year.
The new guns are very powerful.
representing an extreme development
OF length of bore and high muzzle We
locity and great power Of penetration
through armor This type has been de-
veloping for many years. England IS
well 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 direction
II will probably seem like retrograde
step to object to the form OF develop
ment which our new type OF guns has
taken. Without going so far as this
we think we should guard against be-
ing drawn into a false direction. These
individual guns may be needed; in fact
the 7.5-inch gun is, We think, neces-
sity in more than one way. That is 10
say. not only shall we need a quick
firing broadside gun of greater power
than our 6-inch gun. but the piece must
be one OF somewhat the actual proper
tions assigned TO the 1.5Iinch gun. It
must, IN fact, have considerably greater
penetration than the present 6-inch
gun II II is to perforate 6-inch hard
faced armor. while at the same time the
weight of the projectile must be kent
down as much as possible if we are 10
load and fire quickly.
This confines us to the small bore.
and the gun must be long one. with
high muzzle velocity We understand
that about :, 1000 feet per second is talk
ed Of: this. with 200-pound proiectils
gives a muZzle energy of 12,4S0 loot
tons. with a perforation through 80
inches OF iron This is an enormous
result, but we have no hesitation in
saying that while the gun is good. 50
far as il can go. anyone who expects
this to be realized in service will be
disappointed. because while this We
locity may be got with a new gun. it
will rapidly fall with the range and
because the bore OF the gun will very
soon wear. and thus the muzzle velocity
will drop very considerably.
Lieutenant Meigs of Bethlehem re
Gently raised the question that these
small bores with high velocities are an
improbable form of energy. and we are
forced to agree with him. That is to
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 gun as this appears all
mirable. Considered as I.5-inch piece
the results are. indeed. splendid: but
this way of taking the calibres as the
standard of comparison is misleading.
1.-The gun, we are told. will weigh
II tons. and we have always main
tanned that the weight of metal repre-
sents the capital invested. as II were,
and the possible work is proportion
ate to It. The heaviest S-inch gun Of
the new type weighs only Is tons.
The old. obsolete 1-inch muZzle-loader
weighed but is tons, with a projectile
OF more than double the weight of that
OF the 7.5-inch gun. namely. 410 pounds.
The energy was only 5,40S foot-tons,
but the same metal could now be en-
ployed with low-5urning powder, and
a much better ballistic result obtained.
"'Our guns must be made with par
tieular view TO what we want them 20
do As we have repeatedly said, 6-inch
hard-faced steel is most manageable
thickness OF plate that will be much
used in the future. A projectile which
cannot perfcrate the secondary parts
of an armor-clad enemy is useless, but
the perforation of her belt is quite an
other mattel. A powerful armor-pierc-
ing shell In the upper part of the struc-
ture might often do more harm than
shot perforating the belt Lieutenant
Meigs has been engaged In construct
ing an 1s-inch gun whose weight does
not differ much from our Pinch wire
gun. This piece would have the ad-
vantage OF preserving its muzzie We
iocity. which is. we believe, about p
600 foo, seconds as TO range. and the