The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-08-10
BIG GUNS AT SANDY HOOK
COAST DEFENCEs INSPECTED BY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS.

preclated, a warming Up" in the
Engine Room-The Big Ten-lnca
Rifle a Costly Aftair-Tests at the
Proving Grounds.
\ They said at Sandy Hook that it
was the biggest train that had come
down the point since the Spanish war.
Probably it 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 Hanc cock, taking
the men right into the heart of the
best coast defences of which Uncle
Sam boasts
Incidentally, the visitors had an op-
portunity to find out what winter
weather is like on this bleak sandbar
which pokes its nose defiantly out into
! the Atlantic, for there was thirty
mile breeze whistling over the bay
from the northwest, which shook and
bent the sturdy little cedars, flung
the sand up in tie visitors faces.
and threw the waves rolling in from
the ocean back upon themselves in
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 lands were glad to avail
themselves ol ,he opportunity 10 enter
the furnace-room. where the macl.n-
cry of the gun lift was shown to them
in the afternoon.
There were two sides TO the visit.
The engineers wan.ed to see the
sights, and that was one. The o.her
was that the War Department was
SOLICITORS to get such an influential
body OF men interested in its coast
defences, as it feels tina they are I'M
dermanned, and bill is to come be-
fore the present Congo ss to increase
the artillery force OF the army by
5000 men
1t would be looking gift-horse in
the mouth to figure I'D the exact
amour, which Uncle Sam >,'ent in ex-
hibition volleys from his immense
guns, but the single shot which was
fired from the ten-inch rifle cost S21O.
while Gems. Murray and Crozier came
I'D from Washington to talk to the
visitors. The former told tlem that
six years ago, at 1900 yards, i. was
possible fer our artiilerynen to make |
so per cent. of their shots effective.
Since then. by increased practice ald
better mechanism, they were able 10
score practically 100 per cent at
distance increased to 1000 yards On |
this basis he figured that the effective |
ness of Our S63, 100000 coast equip |
ment lad been increased thirty times |
within the pre:ent 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 ceet in diameter at the
breech. and points it's long black nose
forty feet seward, guarding,
Cerberus like, the gateway to the
city.
In explaining the gun, Gen. Crozier
said that it was the only one of its
kind. and was no. only the biggest
which this country had constructed,
but probably the biggest which it ever
would construct, owing to the fact
that recent Improvements in guns and
powder had made it possible to do
up the enemy with arms OF smaller
size. Even so. the sixteen-inch rifle
is not an old gun, having been turned
out only half dozen years ago.s
This huge r..1e was put together in
layers, shrunn one upon another.
There are four of these at the breech.
and two at the muzzle. The weight
is $50 tons. AS a rule big guns are
estimated to cost $1,000 a ton, but as
this was a single specimen, it ex-
ceeded that price somewhat. The
charge weighs $40 pounds, and the
projectile 2,407 pounds. The cost of
4 single round is S193. The powder
pressure is 3S,546 pounds per square
inch, the muzzla velocity 2,345 feet
per second, and the muzzle energy
81 $40 foot tons
This huge rifle has range OF
about twenty miles. The difficulties
Of sighting at such distance are too
great to make the range practicable,
however Five miles is about the
init OF effective range with any guns
1T present The life of this biggest
gun is said to be only 100 rounds.
Possibly as many as twenty have been