Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-01-06
TO STOP FLAREBACKS
INVENTION THAT WILL MAKE
WARsHIPs MORE SECURE.
Disasters Like That Which Occurred
on the Missouri Will Be Prevent
ed by Device of Two Ma
val Officers.

The navy department has adopted q
scheme for preventing flarebacks OF
the kind that occurred in the after
13-inch turret of the Missouri in April
last, killing 2S men and s officers.
The device is the invention of navy
officers and will involve the laying up
of every battleship and large cruiser in
the service at some navy yard for
period of from one to three weeks, as
we'll as the expenditure of big sum Of
money.
1t will be recalled that after the dis
astrous accident on the Missouri there
was more or less Generalization in the
navy for fear of repetition of that hor-
ror. The navy department issued or
ders that commanding officers should
exercise more care in firing drills, and
that reduced charges should be en-
ployed in order to lessen the danger OF
accident. At the same time board
of naval officers was appointed to ex
anime thoroughly into the whole Ques-
tion of smokeless powder, for it was
thought that the mysterious and chang
ing qualities of the powder now in use
had something to do with the mishap.
This board has gone into the most COM
plete chemical analysis of various kinds
of smokeless powders with the result
that the type used in our navy has been
materially improved.
But the most important duty of this
board was to develop a device for pre-
aO- -n1No : IN Grf 80
a rifle a certain amount of unconsumed
gases gathers and sometimes fingers in
the tube of the weapon. Occasionally
it is expelled in the shape of flame
which is seen at the mouth of the gun.
There is danger of this gas or flame be-
ing blown back into the barrel of the
rifle and of igniting the powder charge
prepared for the next firing. That is
what happened on the Missouri. Some
of the flames shot down into the am
munition room, killing or frightfully
burning the men below and the officers
and men in the turret.
A number of devices were submitted
to the board of officers appointed to
consider this subject, but one after an
other was found defective. At last a
joint invention of Lieuts. Knapp and
Sawyer proved successful, and has
since been adopted. 1t is a simple
scheme. but its application entails a
considerable amount of work. 1t con-
sists of drilling three small holes.
about the size of lead pencil, through
the rifle at the rear and leading into
the barrel just ahead Of the breech
plug. These holes are drilled diagonal
ly and connected up with pipe that en-
circles the rear end of the weapon.
Compressed air is applied for this sys-
tenn from the power in the hosting
room below. The mechanism works
automatically. AS the breech block is
withdrawn, the gas check pad touches
a lever which starts the pump to work
ing. Immediately powerful current
of air is forced through the three holes
and into the barrel. Everything in this
tube is forcibly elected, all gases, flames
or remnants of the powder-bag.
In the trial of the device at the
Washington navy yard pair OF overalls
and jacket that had been left by q
workman were showed into the barrel
When the force was applied the clothes
were shot out of the mouth with force
enough to carry them 30 feet across the
room. The mechanism is so arranged
that the barrel is cleared out before the
breech-block Is withdrawn, so that
there is no possibility of the succeeding
powder charge being fired by lingering
flames.