New-York tribune., 1902-10-12
TESTING Gun AMMUNITION.
LiMBEE CHESTS AND THEIR CONTENTS
GET THE HARDEST KIND OF JOLTs


Ne"- forkers have heard a great deal about
the tests to which the big guns for our army
anu navy are put before they are accepted from
'ne contractors. but TO most persons a deserip-
'ion Oh the no less severe tests to which the
'Ii'''Ioh IS subjected in order TO prove It's
iuSl"orihiness will be genuine news BY the
courteous permission of CanaraI ,,r,zia- ,,,;a,
oI ordnance. The Tribune is enabled to-day to
describe and illustrate some Of tb4.e test. =.
.neS are applied at the Sandy Hook Proving
Grounds
ne tests of charged shells for field guns are
severe IN the extreme. After they are carefully
inspected on arrival from the factory they
hie packed "a new timber chest. just as IL they
were 10 be carried on long march across 4
roush country. The test which follows applies
equally to the chest and its contents Ths
'front.' truck Of the gun c1rriage 10 which
the chest Is attached. is taken from It's
tongue and wheels. and the axle IS mad,
last 10 a platform strongly built of hard
wood This platform hts into the bed Of an
osclhating table. but has play of about egh-
teen inches on the bed Iengthwise of the axle.
and similar play Of about a foot at right angles
10 the axle
The bed Or table in which the platform IS
placed Is piyoted in the centre on trunnous
strong enough to bear repeated shocks OF sew
erat tons, and Il crank motion impaired By L
steam engine tits it like a seesaw 10 an angle
~ about thirty degrees from the horizontal. and
Allows the lower End 90 come down with 1 bang
that can be- heard al over the grounds
The platform 10 which the axle is fixed slides
To- tho lower end rf the bed in which il plays
and strikes the bumper with the full force ot
It's weight - approximately two tons. and AZ
The momentum il gains by its descent Of fol-
and . half The bed then Tits back and the bod
Platform bangs against the opposite bumper
with a thud that Jars the earth. and this opera
ton is r"P"at-d three times minute for fully
twenty-fOur hours
The bed is then turned the other way and ,hs
shakeup proceeds in direction vertical 10 thu
axle FOR twenty four hours more. The chest and
its contents thus get about nine thousand joIts.
any one Of which might be expected to break
open burglar proof safe. and II not bolt )
started an the chest and the ammunition has
not exploded the chest is reported all right and
the ammunition as probably satisfactory
The test or the timber chest ends with that
two dIys ~ an ingeniouSy cruel succession Il
thunderb"Its IL Is considered suitable for noun
tain roads after at has Undergone this prolonged
earthquake. and its expo~ur. % few raInstorms
and other meteorological yagaries for about I
week afterward is more in the nature Of n rest
and general cooling on than further test.
The ammunition. however. has moro hard
treatment iu store. Il goes into th- sW rltboz.
= chamber OF torture where tho temperature 3
100 degrees and the hum iity ~ and there u
stays a month. II the usci.Iator has opened auy
seams or cracks IN the she'll case. the moisture
- the sNa1tbox sill find It's WY IN ard rum
the charge. When the amm9ntiou comes out ot
the s~e6tr0N n I- immersed IN water five min
utes and ,lreiessjy laid aside a few days % give
Il chance to rust. after which il is Aent 10 the
guns II the requisite percentage goes III. IS
n IL had Just arrived from the factory the cfi-
Ger IN immediate charge OF the test reports the
facts to Captain Babbitt who reports them 20
the chief of Ordnance. and the report is for
warded % the Secretary OF War and the con-
signment Of which th- tested ammunition vas a
sample Is accepted
The shooting tests are in 4 measure part os
gun testing The sand test however relates