Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-11-16
THE KRUPP AERIAL GUN.
Problem Now Is to Bring Down the Air
ships.

> THE KRUPP AERIAL GUN.
Problem Now Is to Bring Down the Air
ships.
The announcement that the United
States army authorities are about to
start practice in firing at balloons
and airships at Sandy Hook gives ad-
ditional interest to the announcement
made by the Krupps that they have
at last perfected what they consider
an efficient cannon for use against
aerial war machines. 1t will be re-
membered that in an account re-
Gently given in The Sun Of the scout
service performed by the dirigible La
Republique during the French army
manoevres it was pointed out that
the present immunity which enabled
the ship to fly low as she collected
her information from above the en-
emy's lines could not be expected to
last long. 1t was foreshadowed that
q form Of ordnance would soon be
devised to neutralize in some degree
the enormous advantages which a
we'll equipped balloon scout system
must give to the army possessing 1t.
Whether the Krupp gun will make
good can only be made certain In
actual practice, but at least in theory
1t meets all the requirements Of the
problem. The difficulty Of course Is
to invent a great gun whose aim may
be varied in all directions as rapidly
as a man can alter the direction OF
a shotgun which he holds to his
shoulder pointing at a bird In the
air. Scientifically stated, the prob
lem Is to hit a target moving In all
three planes Of space at the same
time. In other words, the problem
Of firing at balloons is the same as
that Of shooting a bird on the wing
Change Of lateral direction as we'll as
elevation is Indispensable UP to and,
including the instant Of discharge.
Both motions must be swift, easy,
regular and capable OF minute con-
troll.
1t is represented that the Krupp
gun meets these conditions. 1t con-
sists Of a tube of great length not
unlike a great inverted telescope set
on trunnions, which enable it to be
aimed at any angle from the horizon
tai up to rs degrees. Gun and bear
ings are set upon a swivel, which Is
capable Of making complete revolu-
tions which carries the man opera
ating the gun along with It, The
is so light and sensitive
in its operations that when the op-
orator points 1t with the aid Of his
telescope sights he can keep 1t In
motion so as to follow minute SEEM
ing object in the air until he Is sure
Of his aim and ready to fire with the
expectation of hitting it.
The cannon has a range varying
from 10000 yards on nearly horizon
tai lines to about 1000 when the
vertical is approached. 1t weighs
with it's mechanism about 1000
pounds It is mounted on a fifty
horsepower automobile which can
make a speed of twenty-seven miles
an hour, carrying sixty-two rounds
of ammunition and the full gun
crew.
The gun throws a projectile weigh
ing about twelve pounds, which car
ries besides it's effective charge a
flashing composition which is set on
fire by a special fuse at the moment
of firing and leaves in the air train
of burning gas and smoke visible
alike by night or day. This enables
the operator to follow the trajectory
from the mouth of the gun to its
apex, and thus correct his aim with
each succeeding shot.
A second fuse Of extreme sensitive
ness causes the explosion Of the pro-
jectile at the moment when it pierces
the envelope Of the balloon or air.
ship 1t is said to be great improve
ment over former devices for the
same purpose, which contained only
q flame producing chemical designed
to make the balloon destroy itself.
This was found to be often ineffec-
tive, for whenever the hydrogen in
the balloon remained unmixed with
oxygen 1t would not explode or even
catch fire.
10 rd
ed as an improvement on both the
others. 1t Is the Hartbaum, and it
contains a reservoir of liquid oxygen
which is released as soon as the en-
velope Of the balloon is penetrated
through the we'll known action Of
the hydrogen itself in raising to red
heat a particle Of spongy platinum.
This in turn sets off a Illuminating
composition; the wall of the shell
breaks and the oxygen Is set at lib
erty at the same moment; the oxy-
gen combines with the hydrogen of
the balloon and produces an explo-
sion which destroys the entire ma
chine.
Such Is the theory or the new
Krupp gun, but II Is admitted that
this ingenious contrivance does not
do away with all the difficulties of
annihilating aerostats by artillery
fire. Airships Of the largest size at
high elevation will always be mere
specks in the sky, no more easy to
follow or hit than a flying bird,
while the new gun presents none of
the adya antages that chOkehore bar-
rels and the scattering cloud Of shot
afford to the fowler. There is an
other difficulty, as is learned through
the experimental firing at captive
balloons; the projectile not infre-
quently passes entirely through the
balloon and far beyond it before the
destructive explosion takes place,
leaving mere punctures in the envel-
ope which only very slightly impair
the efficiency Of the machine.