The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-26
We GIVE UP IS INCH GUNS?
No MORE LIKELY TO BE MA DE
FOR COAST DEFENDERS.
judgment OF the Ordnance Experts After
tho Sandy Hook Experiments 10 That
Their Superior Powers do Not War.
rant tho Elk Oesslvo Cost OF Use.

| rant tho Eek Oesslv0 Cost OF Use
The ordnance experts Of the Unitc6
States Army have practically decided thai
the 10 inch gun, from which 30 much wa
expected, Is. not practicable as weapon
and decision by the War Department
to abandon the type Is looked for. Only
one Of these guns has been made 80 fai
and that one il now at Sandy Hook. The
experiments with this gun, while showing
that the gun could do all that was expected
Of 1t In one way, have nevertheless con-
WINGED the experts that as q weapon 1t ID
too costly.
Col. Greer. Chief Of Ordnance Of tho Do
partment Of the Fast, said yesterday that
while II had not been decided to discard
the gun now at Sandy Hook 1t was not
likely In his opinion that the Government
would ever have another made.
"The gun now at Fort Hancock, said
he. was ordered, think, about seven
years ago, when 1t was decided to increase
the caliber Of our largest weapon for coast
defense from twelve to sixteen inches
At that time England was having q num-
Der Of such guns made and great things
were predicted for them. All OF the nglish
pleted several years ago and has been
fired perhaps half dozen times In proving
1t. In one way 1t was . success, a. 1t has
done all that was predicted for 1t In range
and effectiveness. There Is no doubt OF
the result II II ever hit anything.
-On the other hand, however. every dis
charge OF the gun Is tremendously costly
In the amount Of labor required and In the
expense OF the charge. The gun Is little
more likely, perhaps to miss the target
than a smaller gun, and a miss La pretty
costly. Taking 1t all in all, it would seem
as though several guns Of smaller caGber
would be more effective than one 10 inch
gun. That IL the conclusion drawn. l
think, by most experts who have looked
into the matter. 1t ia not at all likely, in
my opinion, that the Government will ever
build another one, although, OF course, the
gun now at Sandy Hook will probably be
kept there
The Government had planned to build
forty such guns, eighteen to be placed at
Sandy Hook, ten at San Francisco, eight
at Boston and four at Hampton Roads.
The greet point made for tho gun was that
its projectile would sink battleship II it
hit. Its range was about twenty-one miles,
or in other words, IL fired with the proper
elevation, the gun could send projeotile
from Sandy Hook to City Hall Park. The
projeotle is a. inches long and weighs 2,s7o
pounds. The largest army guns In use
now are the ~ inch guns.
The 10 inch gun was built In Watervliet.
The steel ingot from which the breech
end was bored and rifled weighed 30 l-5
tons, said to be the largest piece OF steel
ever cast here or abroad. Its length being
10 feet inches. 1t weighs l26 tons, or about
1852 COO pounds, it's length being 49a feet
and the diameter at the breech feet 2
inches In the early experiments 1t was
found that more than half a ton Of powder
costing SOS, was needed to fire the pro-
jectile The latter cost $500. The Gov
eminent might have stood this outlay
were it not for the discovery that small
regiment Of men were required to handle
the piece properly and also that it was
next to impossible to get safe carria &c
for the enormous weapon. In the expert
ments the carriages or mounts Of ten and
twelve inch guns were used. but each time
the gun was fired the ordnance officers
expected to see the carriages wrecked
About three times as many III en- were re-
quired to handle the 10 inch gun as were
needed to care for ~ inch.
SANDY Hook, June 25-Co. Charles $,
Smith the commanding officer OF the prov
ng ground said this evening. "A service
carriage of the disappearing kind is being
designed for the 10 inch rifle, and 1t will
be mounted In some fertilization