Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-06
CHINESE IDEAS OF GUNNERY.
An Amusing Account of Chinese Forts
and Arsenals mt Shanghai.

An Amusing Account of Chinese Forts
and Arsenals mt Shanghai.
From the Engineering Times.
Lord Charles Beresford, DISCUSSING tho
openings in China for mechap,cal enei-
neers, gives amusing description of
Chinese forts and arsenals.
Il would like" he says ito tell Won one
or two stories thoroughly characteristic of
the Chipese. At Shanghai in the superb
arsenal under the superintendent of Mr..
Blunt and Mr.. Cornish, both British me-
chanical engineers 1 saw an Armstrong
gun which had had the breech-piece re-
paired in a most clever manner. AS a mat
ter Of fact, 1t was really a Krupp gun,
but with an Armstrong breech mechanism.
On asking for explanations, l was told
that the original breech-piece had been
blown out, and on visiting fort later on
1 found out how and why. At this fort
congratulated the mandarin on having the
guns (sixty-seven-ton) mounted in proper
positions. and l was afterward shown the
powder used. 1 then said You surely do
not use this powder in those guns? Oh
yes replied the mandarin we do But
it will blow the breech-pieces out Yes
1t does was the reply. One gun on being
fired blew the breech or and killed four
teen men; and then they tried the other
gun and killed twenty-four men.
Later on I visited another battery. where
there were five sixty-ton guns. Observing
the arrangement Of these. asked the man
DARN where his front was. The man
pointed in another. 1 mentioned this, and
the mandarin nodded, and said he thought
there was some mistake. I then pointed
out that only one gun could be fired safely
in the desired direction oh, no. replied
the mandarin, we should fire them ALL
At my request the experiment was then
made, and on pointing the guns around as
desired they became en- echelon, so that
the wave Of conclusion of one Rp,i would
have destroyed the detachucent on duty
at its neighbor. Knowing this, I placed
soldiers hats and Clothes about the guns,
and on firing the latter in succession these
garments were blown sky high. You see?'
] observed to the mandarin. Yes replied
the latter, we should have had some men
killed. but the shot would have reached the
enemy, wouldn't ft?'
AT another place there was sixty-ton
muzzle-loading gun, at which the arrange
ments were such that the gun was actually
loaded in the magazine. A badly sponged
gun or burning Wad, might, therefore, have
blown the whole up NJ pointed this out
so dangerous Is The ) mandarin smiled,
clapped me on the baek and said: You are
the cleverest man I have ever met That
fire Fl the gun and the magazine blew up. I
will show you twhereH About fifty men
had been killed in this explosion, but no
alteration had bsen made in reconstructing
mill and found there excellent machines
Of German make! noticed. however, that
there was too much powder in the pan,
and, further, that the windows were ali
open and protected BY sratings. Hence
and, getting into the pan. It would be liza
BILE BY the friction e tsss to start an e1-
DARN replied: sYes, re blew UP ike that
last year; this Is the,hew place we have
''The Chinese were also delighted with
me at other arsenals having no European
superintendent when I showed them how
machine tools.
I'm one place found man boring a
six-pounder gun, and the tool protesting
most vigorously against the fll-treatmente.
I showed the man how to adjust it, and
cred in a corner and talked excdtediy.
asked what they were saying and was
told: They are saying that England pro.
duces the most wonderful mandarins In The
world. We have many, but not one Of
them knows anything about any of tbe
ma chinery In the shop"