Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1905-04-06
THE NEW WIRE GUN.

THE NEW WIRE GUN.
second more than any gun of similar
caliber in either the army or navy.
A ten-inch gun of the same pattern is
guaranteed by its maker to have car
rying range of SO miles. Think of it!
A gun which will have a tangential
strength at the muzzle capable of with
standing a powder pressure Of between
10000 and 100000 pounds to the square
inch, or about 10000 pounds more than
any coast defense, or any other gun in
existence. Among the extraordinary
features claimed by the inventor for
this mighty engine of war is not only
that its projectile has a greater velocity
than that of any other gun, but that
itcannot be burstwith gunpowder, mark
ing for that reason limit of possibili-
ties in gunmaking.
Uncle Sam, through his board of ord
nance and Notifications, recently APP
propriated SAL 900 for the construction
and testing of the six-inch Brown wire
wound gun whose performance was
witnessed a few days ago at the Sandy
Hook proving grounds. AS a result of
the initial firing test new international
record was made for a gun 80 calibers
long. Under Lieut.. Charles S. Smith,
in command of the United States prov
ing grounds, the new gun has devel-
oped a velocity of 1920 feet a second,
or fully 300 feet a second more than
any gun of similar caliber in either the
army or navy.
This performance is but a prelude to
2S5 shots yet to be fired Owing to
the tremendous power pressure in
volved in these tests, and the volcanic
detonation, numerous complaints have
been registered by residents on the
south shore of Long Island Even at
that distance plaster has been shaken
from ceilings, and windows not only
ratified, but broken with the peace OF
every one within radius of ten miles
of Sandy Hook.
Briefly forecasting the possibilities of
this new ordnance wonder, it is said
to promise the absolute impregnabil-
ity of the metropolis against any bonn
harding battleship or squadron equipped
with the mightiest guns now in commits
sion. Six of the new guns, mounted so
as to command the sound and harbor
approaches to the city augmented by
the powerful chain of forts extending
from Fort Rodman, near New Bedford
to Fort Hancock, on Sandy Hook,
would, according to reliable authori-
ties, afford a barrier impossible of pas
sage.
Speaking of the new artillery record
breaker an ordnance officer at the prov
ing grounds said The full significance
of these figures will be realized by COM
pairing them with the ballastic of the
6-inch, 50-caliber navy gun designed
for a muzzle velocity of $500 feet a
second when firing proiectile OF the
same weight Yet the figures tell their
own story, and to anyone who has fol-
lowed the development of modern ord
nance it will be seen that no other gun
has approached ,204 foot tons of en-
ergy per ton weight of gun, the nearest
to it being the Krupp 50-caliber l2-inch
gun, which develops GAG foot tons per
ton weight of gun"
Briefly, the new gun now being tested
at Sandy Hook has fundamentally a
forged steel lining tube, with an electric
limit of $4,000 pounds and an ultimate
resistance of 100000 pounds to the
square inch. This tube extends the full
length of the gun, or 26 feet inch, and
it is enlarged from a six-inch diane
ter at the bore to nine inches in the
powder chamber, layer being added 10
layer by wire wrappings until the gun
IS a finished engine of war.
In speakingof the new gun, Col. Smith,
of the Sandy Hook proving
grounds, said: 1T has number of
good points, excellent points, in fact
put. to my mind, its real value cannot oe
determined until we have thoroughly
tested 10 and 20-inch guns Of che same
pattern. Since the best and surest cure
lor war Is its prevention, and since
he best preventive Is to be always for
nidably equipped for war, We as a ma
ion need more big guns, rather than
mailer ones. believe, after consider
lble study and experience, that 10 and
pinch guns, accurately aimed and de-
iberately fred, are far. far more damag-
ng than guns of smaller, cay, three, four
md slx-inch caliber. This has been
cry effectively shown in the Manchu-
ian campaign"