Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-25

caliber gun and fires a one-pound sxplos-
i've she'll at the rate ofiJa quarter of a
thousand per minute It derives Its name
from the peculiar sound emitted when In
action and is fed with belts of twenty-five
cartridges from an ammunition box on the
right hand side of the gun.
Another type Of gum which. it Is believed,
can be used with telling effect In China Is
the Colt automatic ] machine gun. The
Navy Department has noa in it's posses
sion some two dozen of these guns, and
orders have been issued turning over one
half of them to the War Department until
such time as the latter can secure deliv-
cry of the fifty guns recently ordered from
the Colt company. One excellent feature
of this automatic gun Is found in the fact
that it can use the regular rifle service
cartridge. s.
In these guns the powder cases are util-
lied to work automatically the firing,
of this type can be fitted to any of the
different kinds Of carriages, including
those for the service of cavalry and infan-
try, and can be carried with perfect ease
on pack saddles in rough countries where
the matter of transportation is an impor-
tant factor. For use in cavalry service
the gun is fitted to a light tripod, which
can be carried by a trooper In cavalry
boot, the whole equipment being readily
transported and handled in action by one
man.
This style OF gun weighs only forty
pounds, but IT is one Of the stanchest
casfon OF q recent test more than 5000
rounds were fred from a single gun with
out the appearance Of any sign Of wear or
weakness and in target practice at 200
yards 100 consecutive hits were made in
sixteen seconds The automatic gun con-
sists Of one barrel attached to a breech
casing, in which is contained the mech
anism for charging. firing and ejecting.
fad m
the gun by means Of belts, which are
coiled in boxes readily attached to the
breech casing. The boxes contain from
100 to 800 cartridges each, and are so con-
structed that they can be quickly attached
or removed. The automatic action Of the
gun is effected by means Of the pressure of
the powder gases in the barrel. The ham,
mer Of the gun Is used as a piston for an
air pump, which forces a strong jet of air
into the chamber and through the barrel,
removing all residue or unburnt powder
after the empty shell Is extracted.
1t Is expected also that additional field
guns will be dispatched to the scene of hos
tilities from the Philippines. where there
are now in use several 3-inch field guns,
about twenty 2-pounder Hotchkiss guns
and number Of 12-pounders. The orders
for two batteries each. composed of six
1-pounders of the Vickers-Maxim type, and
a thousand rounds Of ammunition per gun.
have been given. with the understanding
that the British manufacturers are to make
shipments as speedily as possible. but just
when this Will be is to. a certain extent a
matter Of conjecture, and this same uneer-
tainty as to completion characterizes the
new model Calling machine gun which has
been ordered in this country.
Plans for any further additions to the
American equipment will probably be held
In allegiance until after the meeting of the
board Of ordnance at Sandy Hook the lat
ter part of August. The ordnance bureau
of the War Department some time ago
made provision for two hundred 3-inch field
guns, half Of which were to be manufac-
tured at the Watervliet arsenal and half
by contract, but the board of ordnance con-
slider that this type Of gun is not the best,
and the Secretary Of War sustained its rec
ommendation that further action In the
matter be postponed. 1t is likely that at
the Sandy Hook meeting some other type
of weapon will be approved and q recon-
mendation made that It be substituted for
the one put forward by the ordnance bu-
reau. Pressure Is being brought to bear to
induce the War Department to purchase
several additional batteries of mountain
guns. recommendation was submitted by
the board of ordnance affd-fortifcations
some time ago for the acquisition Of several
such batteries for use9 in the Philippines,
and within the past few days there has
come an even more Yggept call for these
weapons for use in China III
, General Miles and several other prominent
army men are very anxious to see what eff
feet the Sims Dudley powder pneumatic
or dynamite gun, as it Is commonly call
ed, would have In warfare against the bar
barfan hordes of ChinaJ The United States
government purchased several of this new
type OF 'peacemaker" some time ago. but
they are stationed in the Philippines where
1t Is claimed, there is no opportunity to
demonstrate their capabilities, owing to the
guerrilla warfare which prevails almost uni
versally. In China, on the other hand.
where the terrible missiles from these
pneumatic weapons could be hurled among
vast throngs of superstitious people 1t is
believed their introduction would produce
marvellous results.
1t may be explained that the method of
dlscharging pneumatic gun consists in
COMPRISING air in a suitable chamber by
means Of the explosion of an explosive
therein and communicating the air pres
sure thus produced to the base of a pro-
jectile in another chamber. Although the
guns in the possession of the United States
are commonly called dynamite guns, the
name Is In reality misnomer, inasmuch
as the prOjectileS fired from the guns have
never been loaded with dynamite, but al
ways with some safer high explosive, such
as gun cotton, wet or dry. Considerable
use has been made of a gelatine which has
fixed and definite proportion of nitro
glycerine foundation substance, and
which can be handled, stored and used
with safety.
One of these weapons Is capable of pro-
tecting charges of high explosives weigh
ing from four to ten pounds. The range,
the guns being two and one-half inch CAL
iber, Is from one to two miles The gun it
self consists essentially of two tubes, one
placed above the other The upper tube,
which Is known as the projectile tube. is
smooth bore and fourteen feet In length.
Below this is the expansion or combustion
chamber. which is only seven feet in length.
Ordinary cartridge shells containing seven
or eight ounces Of smokeless powder are
used.
In the Philippines each gun and all its
accessories is carried on three mules, and
1t has been demonstrated that in the alb
sence Of mules six or seven men could
carry the gun and five the cartridges up
any ordinary mountain side. The zone Of
destruction caused by the explosion Of the
projectile from one of these guns is from
ninety to one hundred feet but it has been
found that where the fire Is directed at
masses OF troops the shock, even for some
distance outside f1fty-foot radius, Is SO
frightful that the men who are not killed
outright are either dangerously shaken or
so demoralized as to be cut Of the fight
One encouraging feature Of the situation
in China is that there Is on hand an album
dant supply of ammunition for the ma
chine guns Of rifle caliber. For the siege
guns and the regular service field guns
there are about half thousand rounds
per gun available, but this supply will
be speedily augmented, as the ammunition
factories are in operation day and night.
The Americans. with their splendid equip
ment of artillery, will, OF course have to
continue n a