The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-04-11
GREAT GUNS AT
PAN=AMERICAN
Uncle Sam Will Show Mammoth
Coast Defenders at the
Buffalo Exposition.

make an intelligent comparison Of the
mounts OF our seacoast guns Captain
Harris has caused to be placed by the
side OF the great twelve-inch gun ten
inch rifle on n barbette carriage. In q
barbette carriage the ride Is at all
times exposed above the parapet. The
reader may remember the discussion on
the subject between General Miles and
the Ordnance Board. the general not
favoring the disappearing device, chief
ly on account of its complicated mecha-
nism and Its liability TO get out of or
der. Each carriage appears to have its
particular use. on elevated sites the
parapct furnishes all the protection re-
Quired. but on n fiat coast the disap-
pcaring would seen to POSSESS very
great advantage. 1t Is thought that on
low sites the rifle must be mounted
either on disappearing carriage or in
a turret. The expense of turrct is es-
timatcd at about four and half times
the cost Of the disappearing carriage.
The Endicott Board on Ordnance and
Fortitications 4 number of years ago
decided in favor Of the disappearing
carriage, and the department has been
laboring to obtain a satisfactory one
The one shown at the Pan. American
Exposition is considered the most per.
feet in the world.
The ten.inch breechloading rifle is
from the model Of 1893 and weighs &C..
700 pounds. Its total length is 1916
feet. and the diameter Of the breech is
thirty-scven inches. The projectile is
an armor piercing shot or shell. The
shell carries n bursting charge of pa
pounds of gun cotton and weighs so
pounds, having n length of four feet
The solid shot is thr0e and onr.halt
feet long. The powder charge is 40
pounds of smokeless powder, and the
muZZle velocity of the projcctilc is
2,300 feet in a second. The maximum
pressure per square inch Is $1,000
pounds. The muZzle energy with the
charge of smokeless powder is 2l,0St
foot tons The gun has penetrating
power Of twenty inches in steel al
$500 yards.
At the right OF the tcr.inch gun a
twelve-inch mortar has been mounted,
and it Is no small affair Farther to the
right is fve.nch rapid fire gun. All
are mounted behind sections of "A para
pet, and the four pieces represent one
gun of each type used in scacoast forti
tications.
TO the left Of the great twelve-inch
disappearing gun will be exhibited the
old seacoast ordnance of the United
States, arranged in historical series.
the twelve-inch gun itself representing
the climax. Near the small building
specially constructed for this purpose
will be displayed the mountain, field
and siege guns Of the present day. to.
gether with types of old guns used in
the different wars in which the United
States have been engaged
The Ordnance exhibit will show the
historical development OF ordnance in
the United States, n gun representing
every type adopted by the United
States and showing the evolution OF
guns. mortars and howitzers. Among
the howitZers will be one made in 1893
There will also be thirty or forty tro.
ply guns, displayed according TO PERI
Dd of capture. a novel feature Will be- a
:rOphy fountain, representing a burst.
ing shell, with water spoutIng from its
creviccs. This will be mounted on a
pile OF proJrcllles, surrounded by tro,
ply guns
The largest guns mounted in any OF
our scacoast batteries during the war
OF 1872 were twentyfour Founders, the
diameter of bore being less than six
inches and the weight of guns $500
pounds. They were a little over ten
feet long. and the powder charge was
six and eight pounds of black powder
They were mounted upon wooden car.
riages. In 1920 the thirty-two poundcr.
with callbCr Of GAL inches, using Il