The evening times., 1901-11-25
RIVAL OF GATHMANN GUN.
Plans to Test the Fifteeu-inch Pnes
ms tic weapon.

NEW YORK. Nov. 25.-A most inter-
esting test is to be made at the Hilton
Head proving grounds of the Government
on December 2 of the new 15-inch dyna-
mite gun made by the Pneumatic Torpedo
and Construction Company, and but just
finished Since the Gathmann gun yas
tested against arInor plate at Sandy Hook
it has become a rival OF the pneumatic
gun for the firing of high explosives.
The makers OF the new gun to be tested
at Hilton Head are confident that they
have weapon which is without a peer,
and that it will prove beyond a doubt its
superiority over every competitor The
new gun is a direct descendant of the 2
inch brass tube winch Mr. Helford, of
Chic, set up at Fort Hamilton twenty
years or more ago, through which projec-
tiles were propelled by compressed air.
That tube was CDe-quaTter of an inch
thick and tWenty-eight feet long. The
new gun is fifty feet long, fifteen inches
bore, and weighs fifty tons Il throws a
proJeetile ten feet long, which contains
500 pounds of nitrogIycerin or any other
Of the high explosives.
Between the guns of the Gathmann type
and those OF the pneumatic type lies ap-
parentIy the solution OF the problem Of
sending forth in aerial torpedoes such
enormous charges Of dynamite or its like
as would crush and destroy any fort OF
battieship attacked. Between the Two sys-
TENS is an irreconcilabIe difference.
The pneumatic type of gun takes the
sensitive high explosive just as il Is, pro-
vides it with a shell Of metal to carry il
10 its destination a fuse to explode it,
and then launches the deadly bolt through
ho of ef al -
without subjecting it to anS shock which
would tend TO explode it. The faults de-
velOped with these guns SO far have been
lack of range and accuracy, and they
must have an air eompressing plant 10
supply them with ammunition
In the GathmanR type the projectiIe is
sent forth by the direct explosion OF pow
der behird it To prevent this shock from
! detonating the bursting charge IN the
shell the explosives used for the shells
have to be modified so as to reduce their
| sesibility greatly. Finally to explode the
shell there has TO be provided an eiabo-
| rate fuse which may or may not work
W hen il should, and at the END there Is
always a question whether the charge OF
modified explosive VIII be detonated ex-
/ cept IN part
/ Greater ranges. greater force OF impact
| and greater accuracy Of FIRE have been OBJ
| tanned under this system, and the whole
/ apparatus is more simple than that of
( the pneumatic gun
! II is TO prove that the pneumatic gun
! has now reached q stage where in range
( accuracy and rapidity of fire It can equal
/ its rivals best performances that the
! tests VIII be made al Hilton Head. Upon
/ the result of the tests depends whether
| the Government accepts the new big gun
/ for which it VIII have TO pay about
/ 800 o00
The buiIiers OF the sun assert conf
! dence that they VIII be able 10 show =
/ range Of e.3e0 yards or more with hits
! handsomely punched within the area Of
/ the prescribed target and that they can
/ fire five shots Of the largest size within
twenty minutes times. To meet the Gov
1 eTnment's specifications the gun must be
/ able to throw shells containing fifty
pounds OF high explosives more than 5000
yards. SHELLS containing 100 pounds Of ex-
/ pIosives 4.5lo yards. and shells containing
| 200 pounds Of explosives, $3.50 yards.
No armor plate targets rave been pro-
| yided for the tests but the results OF the
explosives can be easily calculated. In
| the pneumatic system there IS only the
question as TO whether a shell viii ex-
/ plode or not II il does explode the Whole
I cEzrEe will GetOnate. The force OF the
! she'll explosives will be arrived at q { Hill
! ton Head by measuring the height 10
| which the jets OF water are thrown When
the shells explode a sea. These often
reach a height OF 500 20 $50 feet
\ popularity of the pneumatic system
recently developed IS that with the one
15-inch gun prOjectiles Of various diane
ters may be used This is accomplished
By Centring the smaller projectiles in
rings and sabots. which FIJI the bore d
the gun and drop Of after the projectile
gets into slight