Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-28
GUNS AND POWDER.
Continued from page ~

powder have remained unchanged. A
novel experiment is now under way
with the purpose of indicating any IN
4 judiciOus change that may take place
| in smokeless powder by incorporating
in it a fugitive coloring matter, such
as resanitine.
The most interesting event during
the year in connection with projectlles
is the development of a new type OF
shell combining the advantages of the
armor piercing with the common shell;
that is. having the perforating power
of the regular armOr piercing prOJectile
with the capacity for a large bursting
| ca pacity. The requirements for these
shells on test are that at "A prescribed
velocity they shall completely perfor-
ate, unbroken. "A plate of hard faced
armor a calibre in thickness and then
be in condition for effective bursting.
A number of shells of this description
have been ordered and the first three
lots have successfully passed the re-
! uuirements. These shells are fitted
| with soft caps.
| A novel device tried during the year
was the Tracer" which renders a
shell visible during the night to the
the target, this being accomplished by
the insertion of a burning composition
| in the base of the shell.
The use of electric powder for hand
ling guns and turrets is unqualifiedly
endorsed as better than any other sys-
| TEN.
Amiral O'Neil finds that the best
way to illustrate the tremendous de-
velopment of artillery in late years is
| to cite two cases. that of the 6-inch
| gun and the 12-inch gun. The for
mer used to weigh only As tons. was
| only 80 calibres in length with a muz-
zle energy of 2113 foot tons and a
practicable rate of fire of 21a aimed
shots per minute. The new type is 80
| calibreS in length. uses smokelesS
| powder. weighs eight tons, can be fired
| eight times per minute and has muZ-
| Zle energy of 1886 foot tons. In other
| words ii is 600 per cent. more powerful
| than the old gun. The 12-inch gull
shows an increase in energy over the
old gun of So. per cent
| There is to be a general renovation OF
| the batteries of the older ships and it
| is said that new batteries will be
placed on the Baltimore. the New York,
| the Newark and the Alabama. Ii ia
| recommended that the Philadelphia be
| given a new battery of 6-inch guns,
which would make her fit for many
years more of service. The bureau is
considering the feasibility of replacing
the present turretS of the Oregon, In
diana and Massachusetts with new
eliptical balanced turrets. adding ma
terjaliy 10 their efficiency.
Admiral ONeil has much to say re-
speeding speed versus armament He
argues that ship is naturally a COM
promise between various necessities
and says:
"All nations are afflicted with the
speed craze at intervals and this cOun-
| try is no exception, and unless each
| batch of new vessels can equal or beat
! the worlds record they are usually
! characterized as failures. and in def
ererce to public sentiment. the tend
| ency is to design vessels of the highest
possible speed. irrespective of the uses
for which they are intended, and in
consequence enormous sums of money
have been expended by several cOun-
! tries in producing large and fast YES
sells which have but trifiing value for
fighting purposes and, today. it re-
uuires no little moral courage on the
/ part of the designers to subordinate the
popular element of speed to other quail
/ tiles no matter how important the lat
( ter may be-
| Admiral O'Neil further says:
! 1T has always been the policy of the
United States to provide it's vessels of
all classes with great battery power
Z that is. to so arm them that they shall
be superior 70 foreign vessels in that
class. and that sentiment still prevails:
while we have. in a few instances, sub
| ordinated all other elements to speed.
it is not likely to occur again and the
consensus of opinion at the present
time is i'm favor of applying large per-
| centages of weight for armOr and arm
aments rather than to assigning it for
the purpose of attaining the last pos
I sible fraction of a knot of speed.
THE bureau is convinced that no
mistake has been made in the ADJUST
ment of the speed. armor and arma-
rnent on the vessels. The best vessel
is not necessarily the one that can most
quickly get in or out of battle. or keep
out of battle but is rather the one that
can remain in battle the longest after
she gets there. 1t is safe to say that
any vessels Of this class of equal dis
placement. having higher speed. are
deficient in some other important quail
tiles which these vessels possess.
The report says that the seven sub
marine boat ordered for the United
States navy are nearly finished and will
soon have their official trips.
Admiral ONeil went to Europe. last
summer, and looked over the great ma
val ordnance works there. He declares,
however. that while there are no such
establishments in this country in point
of size and capacity as many of the
ordnance factories of Europe, it is
gratifying to know that such as we
have do not suffer in comparison with
any of them with regard to the char
acter of the work or the method of per-
forming it.
The last chapter of the report is de-
voted to an urgent plea for the better
instruction of officers and men in gum
merry.