Evening star., 1902-08-08
Foreign Experts Skeptical.

IOIclSu pei % SACPIiSe'i'
Major ingalls, calculation or prophecy is
not universally accepted Foreign ballistic
experts are skeptftal Says the Scientific
American: 'If We are to believe the artil-
Iery experts of the Krupps. and a German
artillery officer who writes in recent is
sue of La Revue Technique. American esti-
mates of the extreme range of which the
new 1G-inch gun will be capable are alto
gether too sansuine The range of this
weapon as calculated by Major James NJ.
Ingalls, the head of the artillery school for
officers at Fort Monroe. Virginia, is 2O.9
miles. But the German expert denies that
the gun can range further than 16 miles;
while the writer in La Revue Technique
claims that the maximum range of our
new army gun is only about two-thirds OF
Major Ingalls, estimate. or from IA to l3
miles. The latter estimate is arrived at by
the method of vertical speeds expressed as
functions of times of flight
This big gun Is the first of a series Of
gigantic weapons which were proposed for
the seacOast defense of the United States.
The Endcott board. which had the whole
subject of seacOast under consideration.
several years ago recommended that ten
Similar guns be mounted at San Francisco,
eight at Boston and four at Hampton
Roads. 1t has taken about four years to
build the gun. work on the fOrgings having
begun on May II, 1898. Because of the
more urgent need of other classes of guns
work has been suspended at intervals on
the big gun. Five hundred and sixty days
of eight hours each is the estimated time
required 10 manufacture 16-inch gun
from the time the forg!ngs are received
from the steel works The forgings in the
rough weigh 36s.000 pounds.
Description of the Gun.
The 16-inch gun does not differ material
ly. except in the proportion and distribu-
tion of its parts, from the average built
up army gun. 1t consists of a long inner
tube: a heavy jacket extending from the
breech TO about six feet beyond the trun-
Mons: the chase hoops, extending from the
Jacket to the muzzle, and the jacket hoop,
inclOsIng the Jacket. and extending from
the breech for about half the length of the
gun. The length of the gun is 40 feet 2 $40
inches: diameter Of breech, five feet; of
muzZle. two feet four inches: of the bore,
Is inches. The total weight of the forgings
Of the gun. as received from the steel
works. WIS 36S,O0 pounds. The finished
gun will weigh about 100000 pounds, leav-
ing the amount of steel removed from diff
ferent parts during manufacture about S.
eco pounds The prOjectile of the gun will
be five feet four inches in length, and the
penetration in steel at the muZzle, cor
responding TO muZzle energy of $1,000 foot
tons, is 423 inches. Other guns have been
built before this in other countries of
larger caliber, but none of them ever ap-
preached in power the new 16-inch rifle.
A gun built for the Italian government had
a caliber of 17.75 inches and threw a pro-
tectile weighing 1000 pounds, but its
HluZLte energy was only fpbO fOOt-tOnS
as C SPARED with 5000 foOt-tons which is
the muzzle energy of the Watervliet gun.
France built gun with a caliber of 165
inches, with a prOjectile weighing 200
pounds, but IL developed a muzzle energy
OF only $1,000 fOOt-tons and muzZIe We
iocity Of only LEO feet per second. gun
built by the Armstrong; for the British
navy had caliber Of 1926 inches, and
throws a prOjectile weighing 1SOO pounds
with muzzle velocity OF 21OO feet per
second. The British gun comes the nearest
10 rlVaIlng the new gun in power, but it
falls short 35 per cent.
Mounted on a Disappearing Carriage.
The gun will be mounted upon a disap-
pearing carriage equipped with a counter
poise, weighing 1%0 tons for elevating the
gun to the firing position. In spite of It's
enormous bulk and weight the gun is as
easily handled the lightest field piece
The breech block weighs an even ton, but
q child can operate the machinery which
opens It and swings 1t clear of the gun
Three separate movements are required to
open the breech. bat they are all controlled
by a set OF worm gearing that is very sim
pie IN operation, and requires only a few
turns OF the crank. Every part of the gun
Is built as accurately as the works of A
watch To prevent the possibility of a
premature discharge. there are two cum
nlngly devised safeguards. The gun may
be nred either by electricity or by an or
c!uary friction primer. II somckless now
DER Is used 5f6 poupnds will be required for
olnary friction primer. If smokeless now
der IS used jf6 pounds will be required for
Col. Joseph Pearson FARLEY commandant
at Wat6rvliet, is entitled to credit for the
successful construction of the 16-inch gun.