The Opelousas courier., 1907-08-17
|BIG GUNS At SANDY HOOK
COAST DEFENcEs INSPECTED ay
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS.

on Gun-Making, and, Not Least Ap.
prer1ated, a warming Up" In the
Engine Room-The Big Ten-inch
Rifle a Costly Affair-Tests at the
Proving Grounds.
Ihey said at Sandy Hook that 1t
was the biggest train that had come
down the point since the Spanish war.
Probably 1t was the biggest party of
visitors that ever went there, as ten
cars carrying over 500 members of
the American Society OF Mechanical
Engineers were switched from the
Central Railroad of New Jersey at
Atlantic Highlands to the Government
tracks, running down to the proving
grounds and Fort Hancock, taking
the men right into the heart of the
best coast defences Of which Uncle
Sam boasts.
Incidentally, the visitors had an OPP
~portunfty to find out what winter
weather is like on this bleak sandbar
which pokes its nos defiantly out into
the Atlantic, for there was a thirty
AAAAC O4VCAC Wlll0lI1AS, ofCI kAC Dos
from the northwest, which shook and
bent the sturdy little cedars, flung
| the sand I'D IN the visitors faces,
and threw the waves rolling in from
the ocean back upon themselves in a
shower of spray. The party was fas-
cinated by, the close inspection which.
was allowed of all the Governments
defences, although not SO much so
but what all hands were glad to avail
themselves OF the opportunity to enter
the "furnace-room, where the machin-
cry of the gun lift was shown to them
in the afternoon.
There We're two sides to the visit.
The engineers wanted to see the
/ sights, and that was one. The other
was that the War Department was
solicitous to get such an influential
body of men interested in it's coast
defences, as it feels that they are IN.
| dermanned, and a bill is to come be-
| fore the present Congress to increase
the artillery force OF the army by
5000 men.
IL WOu1u UC kyohluS q Slll-AolGC AA
the mouth to figure up the exact
amount which Uncle Sam spent In ex-
hibition volleys from his immense
| guns, but the single shot which was
fred from the 'ten-inch rife cost $270,
| while Gems. Murray and Crozier came
I'D from Washington to talk to the
| visitors. The former told them that
six a ago., at 1000 yards, it was
| possible for our artillerymen to make
so per cent. of their shots effective.
Since then, by increased practice and
better mechanism, they were able to
score practically 100 per cent at a
distance increased to 1000 yards. On
this basis he figured that the effective
ness of our s63, 000, 900 coast equip
ment had been increased thirty times
within the present century.
The first sight which the engineers
were afforded was the mammoth six
teen-inch gun which is mounted in
solitary grandeur towards the south
ern end of the Hook, and is the first
object reached In coming down the
point on the railroad. This is the big
gest gun in the United States. 1t
is almost six feet in diameter at the
breech, and points its long black nose
forty-nine feet seward, guarding,
Cerberus like, the gateway to the
city.
In explaining the gun, Gen. Crozler
said that it was the only n OF IT'S
kind. and was not only the biggest
which this country had constructed,
but probably the biggest which it rel
would construct, owing to the fact
that, recent improvements in guns n
powder had made it possible to 40
nm the enemy with arms of smaller
size. Even so, the ~sixteen-inch rlne
Is not an old gun, having heen turned
out only half a dozen years ago.
This huge rifle was put together IN
LAYERS. shrunK one upon anotner.
There are four of these at the breeen,
and two at the muzzle. The weight
Il 100 tons. As a rule big guns are
estimated to cost $1,000 a ton. but as
This was a single specimen, 1t ex-
ceeded that price somewhat. ine
charge weighs $40 pounds, n the
~nroiecttle 2,407. pounds. The cost OF
: single round is s793. The powder
pressure is 1856 pounds per square
inch the muzzle velocity 2,s4o zee
ner second, and the muzzle energy
81. $40 foot tons. -
This huge rife mas a Idnso Us
about twenty miles. The difncultles
Of sighting at such a distance are ooo
craat to make the range practicaple'
s,nwever. Five miles is about nne
limit of effective range with any guns
II present. The life Of this Digest
.,,n q said to be only 100 ROUNDS.
Possibly as many as twenty AVE Deen
fred. This number was not
for the benefit Of the engineers.
From the big gun the party were
taken to the proving grounds. Here
an : platform Of masonry looking oa'
over the Atlantic are ranged specr
mems Of practically all the cannon
Now used in the army. All the Dug
oranance is brought here to be test
ed before going into service.
upon reaching the proving grounas
the visitors were warned by mega.
ahene: .Please do not smoke around
This place." Later came the aoulce.
.Better stop up your ears.
nrhan there was a cracking report,