Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-14

set by hand-punch. The cartridge Is
also more accurate The cost of one
gun and carriage alone Is 100000. The
whole battery cost $4,000. 1t costs
$40 per shot to fire the now gun. The
pro5ectile weighs about 15 pounds.
| The shrapncl has combination time
and percussion fuse, so that 1t may be
exploded In the air, or. failing to do
| so. explodes when II hits. II Will kill
about 800 men in mass. and the ex-
! plosion covers wide cgg-shaped area
| The whole surface of the piece Is
| protected with bullet-proof armor
| tested by firing the highest power rifle
at 1t, at 100 yards. A section, including
one gun and two caissons requires
complement of Is men, horses to
the carriage and horses on each
caisson.
There are 10 rounds of ammunition In
the caisson body Each piece Is equip
ped With a complete set of tools and
spare parts for any part of the gun.
The crew does Its own repairing. The
battery has enough equipment to last
for months of field work.
A MODERN FIELD GUN.
The advantages of the new gun
were especially marked by officers
who had used the old gun. The old
3.2-inch rifle used to jump about
feet into the air and kicked back six
feet every time II was fired, and IL
had TO be moved back into its proper
place and aimed again before 1t could
be fired again. thus causing consider
able loss of time. The old gun was
fired by means OF a lanyard and all
members of the crew had to be at least
two feet outside of the wheels. But
the new gun Is fired with a firing
handle, and the crew can stay right
behind the gun, protected by the
armor from the enemy's shots instead
OF being compelled to fight in the
OPEN The new ammunition Is also far
superior to the old, which consisted
of shell or shrapnel and a bag of
powder The new projectIle is all in
one piece and is fred by a cap. like
an ordinary cartridge. so that 1t can
be reloaded by the crew.
The whole piece can be put out of
commission in an instant. In case of
capture. by removing the firing pin
from the breech, so that the gun can
not be afterwards used by the enemy
On each side of the carriage are two
carries for emergency shells. to be
used only when the ammunition in the
caisson Is exhausted. and the last two
shots are needed as a last hope. The
brecch block is wonderfully simple
and can be taken apart and put to-
gether again in two minutes Perhaps
the main advantage OF this new gun
is the fact that 1t is about as near
fool proof" as such mechanism can
be.
The men of the Utah battery had
their equipment in fine shape Monday
night.pnd every part OF the four guns
and eight caissons was as clean and
shiny as a billiard ball The new gun
does not reflect the light as brilliant
ly as the old-time piece, as 1t is paint
ed a dull olive drab which makes Ii
merge with the landscape in warfare.
thus keeping it from being easily seen
by the enemy But the boys had the
guns so clean that white glove could
be rubbed around any accessible part
without staining 1t.
The Utah battery now numbers
about rs men, but full complement
of 120 men is needed for the sum-
mer camp, and those who are interest
ed are welcomed as recruits.
Preceding last nights reception, the
batterys equipment was subjected to
the fourth OF Its semi-annual inspec-
tions by Lieut.. Col Clark of the
ordnance department of the regular
army. TO Judge from the appearance
of the equipment. Col. Clark's COM
ments can only be satisfactory. though
he offered no expressions. reserying
them for his official report. With the
ordnance Inspections and the inspec-
tions made semi-annually under the
direction of the secretary OF war. four
inspections of the battery by regular
army officers must be passed yearly