Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-21
inch engine of war. is illustrated in the e1-

hibt
The chief show pieces in this extraordi-
nary collection are the mountings of two
gigantic coast defense cannon The can
non themselves are there. but simply to
demonstrate the appurtenances belonging to
them. This machinery. constructed in St.
Petersburg after designs by Colonel DOur-
lacher of the Russian army. manifests the
ease with which these enormous guns can
be cleaned, loaded, pointed, raised or low
cred. sighted and fired. thanks to the sim
are equipped. The efficiency of the ap-
paratus is a paipable tribute to the adj
vanced skill of the Russian artillerists.
Among other entirely new appliances de-
vised by the Russian army are shown the
Nius vertical projecties and variety OF
other projectiles suitable alike for cam
paign, siege and fortress weapons; a gun
carriage equipped with rubber springs to
prevent dislocation of the vehicle by the
recoil from the cannon: 6-inch mortar
mounted on wheels attached in an tnge-
NOUS way so as to resist without fracture
from the recoil demonstrating, moreover,
how Russia has solved the problem of en-
ploying large caliber mortars in held art1i-
lery. and a cannon and cafsson exhibited by
the st. Petersburg works and by the Bri-
anik arsenal, so as to illustrate process
Of wood turning serviceable for the con-
struction of cannon and caisson wheels.
Russia and the United States.
Models of arms are exhibited from the
imperial factories at Taula, Sestroretk and
Ijevsk, and cartridges from the state facto-
ries at St Petersburg and Lougansk. all
bearing unmistakable evidences of being
up to date even to the smallest detail. Spec
linens Of steel made by new Russian pro-
cess are also shown.
Not the least interesting and significant
feature of the exhibit is large collection
of Russian-made instruments of precision
used in the governmental works. The most
notable of these is a magnetic scales TO test
the temper OF gun metal. Thls Is prancn
of science that, as Is not generally known.
Russia excels in today. Another fact that
is also as little known, Is that Russia owes
heT skill in this respect to the unlteu
States. Russia, however, makes no secret
that she had American preceptors In this
line of industry.
General Alexander Van der Hoven. the
imperial representative In charge OF the ar
speaks of the United States. He repre-
scented Russia in the same capacity at the
centennial exposition in Philadelphla IN
1876. and from that visit dates the intro
duction of many valuable and practical
ideas into the Russian artillery service
'.All we have learned" he says, in the
way of making these necessary instruments
of precision we owe to the United States
and we are proud to acknowledge the IN
debtedness. We are also proud of what we
do today in this same line ourselves and
we think the specimens exhibited here Will
show that we have proven good pupils OF
worthy MASTER
By way of an illustration the general
pointed to a machine that measures the
1-1o.0oO of an inch in thickness.
From the 10000 of an inch in thickness
to cannons Of ships weighing thousands of
tons is range that is almost infinite in its
comprehensiveness. BY what they exhibit
in Paris the Russians show themselves
skilled and thorough in the big things and
the little things that go to make up the
military strength of a nation. Expert OBJ
servers have come to that conclusion from
an inspection of the Russian army and navy
exhibit. When the knowledge becomes gen.
orally known perhaps there will be less dis
position than seems to exist at present to
stir up the wrath of the great white bear
the traditional and historic friend of the
American eagle.
yALERIAN GRIBAYEDOFF.