The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-09
Tiff OF BIG GUNS ARE SHORT;
CAN ONLY BE FIRED GO TIMES


ing develops the tendency is toward a
smaller number of pieces and larger
guns"
What becomes of the old guns? Do
YOU, throw them away on the junk
heap?"
Refining Old Guns.
"By no means. By spending $500
each we can refine them, bore them
out, fit in new tubes and then rifle
them, which will make them as good
as new. When the rifling of a gun
wears out it does not make it danger
Gus, it does not weaken it, but only de-
stroys it's accuracy"
"How many 12-inch guns have we?'
about 200. scattered along both
coasts"
where is the most powerful gun in
the world?'
The Most Powerful Gun.
Down at Sandy Hook waiting to be
mounted 1t is As feet long, 16-inch
bore and weighs 120 tos. Heretofore
the largest caliber, weighing about III
tons each. have been mounted for sew
eral years to guard the approach to
Spezzia, a naval station south of Genoa.
But ours is larger, and fires a heavier
projectile with higher velocity. With
charge of $40 pounds of powder it
can carry a prOjectile weighing 2.2OO
pounds at velocity of $500 feet sec
Ond distance of nine miles, as far as
man can see an object to shoot at. This
gun has been successfully built and
tested, and there is no reason why guns
of 16-inch caliber should not be adopted
for our coast defenses The design of
a 14-inch gum weighing Ill, 900 pounds
and carrying a projectile Of 1000
pounds. at a velocity of 2,15O feet per
second, with a charge of $50 pounds of
powder. has been laid down in this Of
fee and we are studying it. By reason
of the lower velocity required and the
smaller powder charge it is possible to
make the 14-inch gun proportionately
shorter than the 12-inch gun, and the
smaller charge of powder also involves
less diameter of the gun. These
elements of economy are so cOnsidera
BILE that the weight of the 14-inch gun
becomes actually less than that of the
Pinch gun, but its muzZle energy will
be about Is per cent greater. Such
a gun can be fired 240 times before
it's accuracy is impaired, which would
carry it through about six and a half
hours battle, while the cost of the
charge of powder will be $40 less than
we are now using for the 12-inch
guns.
Yes, we are up to the rest of the
world in gun making and have had
some very important developments re-
Gently. The changes in the science of
gun making ran parallel with the de-
velopment of steelmaking, beginning
about % years ago and cOncurrently
with the process of building up guns
in pieces by shrinkage. If we put the
pieces together while they are hot the
steel contracts as they cool off and the
problem was to determine how large
and thick the outside pieces should be
to secure the highest degree of strength.
THAT was worked out by the mathe-
NAUTICAL calculations of a Russian named
GadOlin, and a Frenchman named Yer
gile worked out a set of formulate on
the same subject. Their methods have
been modified and improved by suisse
essentially solved the problem. The
method we use in the United States at
present is that of Vergile and Clavarino
Gan Italian). modified by Col. Roger
Birnie of our army.
Larger Gun Proposed.
1--WE have been running after high
velocities." continued General CroZier
| land have not stopped to think what
| they cost us, both in the expensive con-
struction. in the weight of the gun and
| in the rapid dissipation of the energy
| of the projectile which the high veloci-
| ty gives it. Now we propose in oul
| coast defenses to modify our previous
methods and obtain the same energy
| from a larger gun. firing a heavier pro-
| jectile at a lower velocity. In this way
| We can get lighter and a cheaper CUR
| that will strike a harder blow at Ions
range, and one that will last three OF
| four times as long as those we have
been making.
Those are the guns we propose t.
make hereafter. The only advantage
We give up by the change is that the
path of the projectile is more curved
and not so direct. Consequently it is
more difficult to hit the mark when the
range is unknown. For that reason
the navy people do not intend to follow
our example. They will make no change
in the guns they have. 1t is more
difficult to find a range from floating
ship than on the earth. The navy can.
not tell ranges as closely as we cam
Are our coasts now we'll protected p
| l asked
Coasts Well Fortified.
Yes" replied General Crozier, "oul
guns are as effective as those of any
of 1,aY. x-@l1 g i