The Brunswick daily news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1903-1906, 1903-06-14


WY of accidents. involving loss
NM of life directly traceable TO
EM M the weapons in use. have
s----S occurred iii the United
| States Navy. Workmen were killed
and injured on Iona Island while un-
loading an eight-inch shell; the crew OF
the eight-inch gun turret of the battle
| shin Massachusetts was annihilated by
! the premature explosion OF an ex-
| plosive shell and three men were killed
and four wounded by the destruction
| of a twelve-inch gun on the battleshlp
Iowa. Though fortunately not attend
| ed with such terrible consequences,
thirteen-inch gun on the battleshlp
| Kearsarge and a thirteen-it1ch gun OH
the battleship Indiana were injured
through the premature explosion OF
shells and had to be replaced.
These occurrences have naturally
aroused the anxiety Of the authorities,
who have begun a MOST searching IN
vestigation and the more the probe Is
moved about the greater becomes the
certainty that so far as the equipment
itself is concerned the ordnance of the
Navy is as reasonably safe as may be
expected. The guns, with the excep-
ton of that on the Iowa, subjected to
accidents, have not been ruined.
The Iowa's twelve-inch gun Is one
of the oldest guns of that calibre now
In service, four of them being on this
battleship, four on the monitor Puri-
tan, two on the monitor Monterey and
two on the second class battleship
Texas. The gun ON the Iowa which
caused such damage had been fired at
least thirty-ive rounds more than any
other of the same date of construction,
so that the authorities are satisfied
that the others are in no danger of
causing a similar catastrophe. At the
same time they will be closely watched
and upon the slightest evidence of
strain they will probably be taken out
of the ship.
THE LIFE OF BIG GUN.
The life of a gun has never been
definitely ascertained, and this is a
point which many naval experts think
worthy Of special study by the Navy
Department Before installation on
board each gun is tested at the In
dian Head Proving Grounds, five
rounds at high pressure being fired.
Sometimes gun is retained at the
proving grounds for use in firing pro-
jectiles submitted for acceptance or for
trial of inventions, one of which caused
the destruction of a twelve-inch gun
several years ago. Subsequently the
gun is issued to the service.
Before it gave way the Iowa's gun
had been fired 125 times. but no signs
of stress had been reported. The fact
that the barrel of the gun broke off
about twenty feet from the muzzle is
an indication, however, that there it
was weakest, and an examination of
the plans shows that at this point the
gun had not the reinforcement given to
the part in its rear.
The extent of the strain a twelve
inch gun suffers will be appreciated
when it is known that every square
inch, upon the occasion of explosion
of full charge, is required to with
stand force of from fifteen to seven
teen tons; in other words, it expert
ences the shock of receiving this
weight if dropped a distance of one
| foot. Usually when a gun deteriorates
evidence of the fact is shown by dam
age to the rifling, stress of the metal OIL
even slight ruptures, but none Of these
| signs aDDeared in the case of the Iowa
THE PRECAUTIONS TAKEN.
''The first indication of the weaken
ing of gum" Rear-Admiral O'Neil
Chief of the Ordnance in the Navy,
said, SIS usually the wearing out of
the lining, when it becomes necessary
to refine the gun. In other words, we
fire a gun indefinitely until it shows
enlargement of the bore u some other
defect. We have small guns that have
been fired more than 100 times and
we will continue to fire them until the
lining is worn out. All the later guns
are reinforced to the muzzle.
1.-The Court of Inquiry which investi-
gated the accident on board the Massa-
chusetts reported that the ordnance
equipment was entirely satisfactory.
Before a gun is assembled at the gun
factory. the castings are purchased by
contract These are of steel, which
have been oil-tempered. All strains
are supposed to be removed by anneal-
ing; that is, the tube of the gun is
heated slowly and allowed to cool slow
ly. No one can say that all strains
have been removed from the tube be-
cause it is impossible to take specimens
except from the ends, and while the
metal is supposed to be uniform, this
cannot be stated definitely. At the same
time, every precaution which human
care and ingenuity can devise is taken
to make the gun as safe f,' the men
who handle it as possible. When gun
is assembled, it is sent to the Indian
Head Proving Grounds. where it is
fired five times with pressures reaching
as high as twenty tons. The maximum
pressure to which the gun will be SUBJ
| jected in service is seventeen tons.
| ONE OF THE vICToRs OF SANTIAGO.
Frequently. on board of the Iowa,
tAo HSioeiS VI tue crew VI TIE gun
that burst were to be seen Frightening
| it and holding their hands upon it af-
fectionately. and in every way showing
| their faith in the piece 1t was one of
the guns that brought victory at Santi-
ago and it was not to be spoken of save
In reverent tones. The natural effect
of the several accidents is to weaken
the faith of the men in their guns,
when this is NOT inStified II is fact