The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-10-05
BIGGEST GUN IN HE WORLD.
Great Sixteen-Inch Rifle Is Com
pIeted.

pleted.
Washington, Oct. 1.-The biggest
gun in the world is now completed
and waiting it's carriage in the shops
| of the army gun factory at Water
welt, N. Y. 1t was planned ten years
ago and mas been over five years in
process of construction. 1t is the
| most powerful engine of destruction
known. When compared 10 it the
largest gun built in civil war times
| looks like toy cannon The new
weapon is known as l6-inch
breech-loading ride. and it is intended
for harbor defense. Forty of these
monsters were recommended by the
End!cOtt board for The harbors o.
New York, San Francisco, Boston and
Hampton Roads. New York was to
nave eighteen. Boston eight San Fran.
| cisco, ten AMI Hampton Roads four.
According TO present indications This
number will be somewhat reduced
Some luea of the size and power of
his gun may be had from the fact that
it throws prOjec;ile weighing 1870
pounds. 1t requires 1.176 pounds of
ordinary powder to do this, or SIC
pounds of the new smokeless powder.
The cost of a single firing of the gun
is over 81 500. Of which the projec,i lie
alone costs $1,000. The gun mas a
range of twenty-one miles. 1t has a
penetrating power that will. it is esti-
mated, bore 42.3 inches into hardened
steel. The missile which it hurls is
nearly as long as man, five feet
four inches. 1t will throw this pro
jectile. If aimed at an angle of for,
tytive degrees. to a height In The pro
&C DRY Of over five niles. If Mount
nianc were set on the Top of Pixies
"eak this sun would shoot over them,
clearing the top. it is computed, by
go feet. The time between the shells
leaving the gun and its $ riking earth
will be a minute ana a n,lar1cr.
The best performance of any gun un
10 his time is credi ed to 9 IS cal
Der Krnpp gun. In 1892 al ozhih' on
was given before tie Ger.nan anine4..
CT on the Mepp:n r"n .. he rree o.
est height reached b. he Krupp she !
in is flight was q ,45G feet, and the
measured range was found % he 22,
! 90 yaros, or IL - miles.
THIS l,;-int h bre"cnloa ding gun i.
I y feet in len eth. FIVE in dirme err a
G Dreech, taperng to uttle over
.WO at me mWZZ!e. lt We!SnS, c%ciC.
sive of carriage, 1870 tons. 1t is in.
,eresiing to compare these figure,
with the largest gun built in 1864
namely, the Rodman smoothbore. 20,
inch. This gun is now at Fort Hamil.
ton, N. ", where it was placed nearly
forty years ago. 1t was never in prac-
teal use. e largest gun seeing actual
service in the war being a 1O-inch
Parrot. Several of these were used
at the siege of Charleston, where they
were known as Swamp angels"
The '20-incA Rodman gun is TWEEN
ty feet long, and is made in a single
casting 1t weighs fifty-eight tons,
shoots round ball weighing about
900 pounds with charge of powder
| weighing sixty pounds. It's range is
about 5000 yards. or four and half
miles; and it will penetrate about six
inches in wrought iron at short range.
Only two guns of this type were ever
made. They were east at Pittsburg
in 1864. During the war the 20-inch
Parrot guns wer regarded as mon
sters." They are small. even as COM
Eare> with the Rodman.