The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-20
PROVE WORTH OF cRozIER GUN
House and Senate Committees 1m-
 pressed at Trial.

From Washington to Chicago Tribune. ri. re was a remarkable test of modern
 ordnance today at Fort Washington, which is situated on the Potomac, about opposite Mount Vernon, The War De- partment has made a practice of guarding the location and the general armament of its coast defenses with jealous mys- tery. Recently however, there have been concerted attacks made upon what is known as the Crozier- Burlington invention for disappearing gun carriages.
 To satisfy those interested that these carriages actually do what is claimed for them Secretary Root invited a select party to witness the actual firing of ten- inch gun with service charges and a standard projectile. There was a large contingent of. Senators and Representa- tives including the members of the Mili- tary Committees of both houses. de- tachment of engineer officers. and repre- sentatives of the artillery and infantry The test was under the general charge of Brigadier General Randolph, Chiet Of Artillery. and Brisadler General Gillespie Chief of Ensineers. Four rounds were fired from a standard ten-fnch rife, and the rapidity. accuracy. and marvellous ad- iustment of machinery was source of great interest to spectators
 The Crozier- Burlington carriage raised the huge gun without fthe slightest difh- culty fired the conical projectile weigh ing over 800 pounds. and returned the gun below the concrete parapet long before the shot struck the water some 5000 yards down the Potomac. Each time the gun worked with the same resistless accura- cv and the members of the Military Committees and of the House Committee on Appropriations were convinced by practical test of the extraordinary value of the disa ppearing carria"e They stood within fifty feet of the great gun and after the roar or the discnarge had scarcely time to get their fingers from their ears before the gun was in position below the parapet and the gunners opIn- ing the breach preparatory to another shot.
 No Target Presented to the Enemy.
 From the Potomac. where hostile fleet would approach, the location of the bat terv from which the government fired today would be absolutely impossible to determine. The parapet consists of smooth slenting hill of solid concrete faced bv al bank of earth on which small bushes have grown so that the battery absolutely cannot he detected at dis tance of few hundred rect Tn front or lt.
 The great advantage of the disappearing gun carriage, as demonstrated today. lies in the fact that there Is no gun nor shield to furnish a target to the enemy. Even when it Is fired the gun IS above the snokeless power is used there is no way in which an enemy at the ordinary range can determine the location of the battery More than that. the gun IS exposed to the ute while it Is above the parapet, and the only man who Is within the line or hre from the river at any time IS inc gunner at the sighting telescope. and ne 100, IS exposed only few seconds at the actual time of firing.
 The distinguished party which witness ed the test today was especially impress ed with the mechanical triumphs by means of which an enormous gun Is raised about five feet merely by the use Of counterhel- ancing weights. the reecoil returning the gun to it's loading position so that no cleo tric or steam power is needed during the entire operation.
 Congress Will Abandon Bar5ette
 System.
 The spectators we're satisfied, S the result of this test that a land battery with disappearing carriages is practically immune from the attack Of hostile fleet. while the test showed that ten-inch gun can he fred several times minute ar vet it's exact location remain unknown to the enemy,
 At Fort Washington, where the test was made today. there are at least six of these big guns. and Il is believed that this one fortiiicats>n Is more than sutfi- cient to protect the capital from the