The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-06-03

new GUN.
Electricity Sent Through
Coils Speeds Missile.
No Noise, No Smoke and Very
Much Less Expensive
Than Old Way.

Electricity Is playing a pa-c OF
4rerincreAzing imponarce in modern
war fleets. 1t Is the moving spirs- Of
me fire control system which has
done so much in rec:'7t years to i'm
prove the shooting of the British
navy: guns are uncovered By ia
agency, and wireless Telegraph de-
psuds upon it,
II is now more than Likely hat
we are within measurable distance
Of che electric gun. AS a matte Of
fact. an experimental weapon On
small scale has come through a series
Of triab very successfully. says
writer in the Locdol Mail
II, on a scale demanded by exist
ing conditions Of naval warfare. me
gun should prove as effective a. lis
inventor claims there Is no dOub
that Il has a marvellous future. The
gun itself is Of the simpies. con
sruct!on- II consists Of a plain
brass tube, open at each end Over
the cube a number Of coils OF cop
per wire are placed, the wire being
wound on bobbins and the coils slip
ped on seperately with the end OF
rhe bcbbin. One set of ends Of hess
coils, Of similar polarity, are fast-
ened together ard led % switch
board, where they are attached to a
metallic brush. Tie cher ends are
separately led to the switchboard, eac
being fastened to adjacent piece Of
contact metal lyirg fiat on fhe board
In the circuit al a convenient point
is the source Of the electric currert.
IL the metallic brush be now rap
idly drawn across rhe face of the
me.allic segments, increasing in speed
as IL goes, the curreri. Is passed
through each Of the successive coils
at a corresponding increasing speed.
The shot, which is OF cast iron, and
fits easily into the tube, Is inserted
at che lower end. 1t l. at once d avn
forward by the frs. coil, Their
caught up by the second, and 50 on
advancing toward the muzzIe at az
ever-increasing speed until 1t leaves
the barrel and s.arts on its deadly
GRAND For heavy guns some slight
notifications Of the arrangements
would have to be made; but IL will
be seen that the idea il about az
simple as could we'll be imagined.
II once the weapon can be brought
70 the practical stage the advantage
N its sdcption-more especially for
coast defense-would be enormous II
the first place the cost Is absundly
small. being almost entirely thsf Of
the copper cells and the battery ar
rangements. AS to the working cost,
IL is estimated shat a large battery
Of guns could be worked continuously
for an hour at a cost of 60 shillings
($15), compared with the rs pound
(s140, which it costs In powder alone
To fire an ordinary Pinch gun.
Then, again, b. Is we'll known that
the Ordinary wire-wound gun used in
the British service can stand only a
limited number OF rounds-70 or 80,
with full charges-after which, owing
to the wear caused by friction. the
weapon has to be relired. With the
electric gun, on the ofher hand, II Is
proved that the effec. Of the coils
is to keep the projectile quite central
In the tube, leaving slight clearance
all around and avoiding wear al
together.
With regard to other important mat
tiers. 1t has besn calculated that for
given caliber ard weight of sho.
1.-THE actual figures taken being re-
specdyely II centimetens and so kilo-
gram2-the details for the German 81
inch gun, firing shell Of 1872 pounds(
the electric gun will he neany so
per cent. shorter, will weigh Ices by
nearly 20 per cent. and will discharge
Its projectile with a velocity almost
as high again as with the ordinary
gun
Another point of the utmost impor-
lance In these days when gun man
ufacture has reached such stage
az to take actually longer than the
building OF the Ship to carry it's tha.
the electric gun OF the heaviest cal
iber can he built in couple of
months az the outside.
There are other military advantages
claimed, however, which are Of the
very greatest account. The gun Is
quite Aoiseless. there Is no flash, and
no smoke. 1t would be absolutely i'm
possible for a ship TO discover the
position Of hidden battery OF whose
position IL was not aware beforehand i