Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-04
ORDNANCE EXHIBIT
Latest improvements in
Engines Of Destruction.
SHOWN AT ST. LOUIS
MODERN MILITARY WEAPONS
AND oID-TIMERs.
1914 Models Alongside Of Armor-
Piercing Projec-
tiles.

| Probably no single exhibit at the Louisi-
| ana Purchase Exposition is more interest
| ing than that Of the ordnance department
| of the army illustrating all the latest i'm
| provements in military engines of destruc-
| ton One of the largest exhibits is full
| size model of the 18-inch breech loading
| rifle at the Sandy Hook proving ground
| The weight of this cannon is 100 tons. II
| fires a projectile weighing 2,4O0 pounds, or
| 100 pounds more than a ton, propelled by
| a smokeless powder charge weighing 51o
| pounds. The velocity of the projectlie as
| it leaves the muzzle is $500 feet for each
| second of time and the muzzle energy is
| SS,O50 foot tons, equivalent to that pos
| sessed by train consisting of one 1OO-ton
| locomotive hauling thirteen Pullman
| sleeping cars 100 miles per hour. The can
non has a maximum firing range of q miles
and during flight the projectile rises to
| height of 81 miles, equivalent to that oo-
| tanned by placing Mt. Blanc the hlghest
peak of the Alps, on Pixies Peak Near
| the breech of the model is one of the cast
| iron projectiles and a simulated smokeless
powder charge such as is USED IN the can
non. ,-.
| mountain gun equipment Is exhibited on
| five lay figures pack mues) and represents
| the method of transporting the gun, car
rage accessories and ammunluon. nc
equipment comprises q I5-mlIllneteF Nich
| ers-Maxim mountain gun, carriage, etc.
| battery of these guns was used In the CAM
| paign against the Moros IN the southern
| Philippines, the ammunition pelng very eL
| fectiye against strong forts erected by those
| people The first mule carries the gun, the
second the cradle, the third the tran ana
| spare parts, the fourth the wheels ana axe &c
and the fifth the ammunition, CONSISTING y.
| IL rounds In service the number OF mules
| for carving ammunition Is increased 80
| that a larger number of rounds per gun
can he carried The IL rounds of ammunl-
ton exhibited consist of four shrapnei iouf
shell and four case shot or canister.
Near by this gun equipment Is assem-
bled on its carriage for firing. 1t ordi-
narily takes a very brief time to unpack
| admits Of firing at high angles Of ele-
walton so that it's fire may reach be-
| hind earthworks. The ammunition used
| is mixed consisting of metallic case con-
! the rear end the projectfle. The pro5ectiles
| fired are shrapnel for use against troops,
| shell for against earthworks. etc, ana
case shot for use against troops at close
| one-half pounds, but heavier shell weigh
ing eighteen pounds is also used, for the
attack of strongly-fortified positions.
An Automatic Gun.
There is also exhibited on two lay figures
(pack mules) the colt automatic machine
gun with it's tripod. equipment, etc. Near
| these figures is the gun on its field car
| riage or on it's tripod the gun being cap
| able of attachment to either for firing pur-
| poses. Ordinarily the firing is done from
| the tripod. The Colt gun was used by our
troops in the Philippines, both in the field
| and on the army gun boats. 1t fires the
same ammunition as the present service
| rifle and the action is entirely automatic
| AS long as the finger is on the trigger
| the firing will continue until the belt
containing the ammunition is empty. Fir
| ing ceases soon as the pressure of the
| finger is released. The rate of fire is about
| 400 shots per minute.
Occupying one of the principal parts of
| the exhibit is the three-inch rapd-fire field
| gun on It's long recoil carriage, limbered
up, the harness being disposed on six lay
| figures representing artillery horses. While
| the mountain gun is for use in billy coun-
| try where wheeled transportation cannot
| be used, the field gun is confined in its
uses to country where horses can be en-
| plOyed to transport 1t. At fifteen degrees of
| elevation the gun has a range of $3.50
| yards and by sinking the trail into the
! ground sufficient elevation can be obtained
for range of 1900 yards The accuracy of
| this gun at 6,OOe yards Is as great as that
of the gun 1t supersedes at 1900 yards.
While the latter fired two shots per min
ute the new gun will fire twenty shot in
| the same time.
This great rapidity has been obtained by
| using fixed ammunition, quick-closing
breech mechanism, but principally by using
| a long recoil carriage. This carriage was
| designed by Capt. Charles H. Wheeler OF
| the ordnance department of the army and
| the principle involved in it's construction
is to provide for the gun recoiling on its
own carriage. instead of the gun and car
riage recoiling together, as in the super
seeded gun and carriage During firing the
carriage is secured to the ground by the
device at the end Of the TRAIL and the
shock of the recoiling gun is so gentle
hot mil IN, n
wheel during the firing of about four shots
without being disturbed by the shocks OF
firing. The labor of running the gun tc
the front after each round and training i,
to the right or left, so as to be aimed al
the target, has been saved in the gun ant
carriage exhibited The gunners are pro-
tected by a shield which will resist the
penetration of a modern service rifle firing
at range of 100 yards. The timber chest
contains a number of rounds of ammuni
ton of each kind, so arranged as to show
the kind of ammunition and method of Sc
curing it in transportation. The weight o,
the projectile fired in this gun is fifteer
pounds
The "Pompom" Gun.
Another feature of the exhibit is tn,
vickers-M Maxim 37-millimeter automatic
gun, mounted on its carriage. This gun /.
popularity known as the "pompom" gun
and was used a great deal in the Boer war
) 1t fires at the rate of IT'S shots per min
Ute, ana the lOdulnB ana HTlLS are per
formed automatically. Some of these gum
constituted the armament of the army gun
boats in the Philippines. and on account o
their accuracy and great range were yer.
popular for that purpose. Two Gatiini
machine guns for rife ammunition are ex
hibited side by side.
To show the penetrating effects of tn
armor-piercng projectile there is ex
hibted a 6-inch face-hardened plate whic
had been penetrated In the tests of sue
projecties. Near by are a number q
steel proJectiles which had been fire
/ through armor plates Near the armo
plate is grouped a collection of variou
kinds of ammunition used in the guns no,
| in the military service, and also the var.
Gus simulated propelling charges of smoke
less powders used in the guns now in tn
| service.