The Washington herald., 1911-07-16


| the firing of the gun from horizontal, or
zero. to a vertical or 90-degree angle.
1t can be swung from zero to zero, CONS
pleting a full half circle.
Tracer of CoIored Gas.
For field service the gun Will be
mounted on a carriage similar to that
used by the field artillery. In :his case
also It will be so mounted as to permit
its being elevated to any angle froIn
horizontal to vertical
The shell used in this gun is a conf.
binatiOn of the best tracer shells used
by England. France. Germany, and Aus
tria, with a few Yankee improvements.
Its weight is six pounds The tracer
Is OF colored gas. ignited from the firing
pin OF the gun. 1t is charged with
smokeless powder and "dunnite" The
velocity OF the projectile is 2,4OO feet per;
second. The velocity is so great and
the shell so hard that the latter will
penetrate three inches of Harveyized
steel at its maximum range, between
twelve and fifteen miles.
would do II used in the forts about New
York against an enemys airships," said
an ordnance expert, picture a fleet Of
twenty aeroplanes of the six-passenger
carrying type being launched from a
feet of battle ships fifty miles at sea.
Then look upward through pair of field
grasses and see these mechanical birds
at height of 1000 feet and a distance
OF ten miles. flying in a flock toward
Sandy Hook or the upper part of New
York City. Then glance toward the forts
I'm and about New York and see a burst
Of fame and a hundred of these pro-
jectiles with little tails Of smoke trailing
them go plunging through space for the
air fleet
There IS a cloud of smoke. then n
fash of fame. In an instant, fragments
Of aeroplanes are dropping to earth or
sea. Nothing. minute afterward, re-
mains in the air, except a haziness. One
round from these 100 guns has sent 12O
men to eternity and 100000 worth Of
aeroplanes to nothingness."
Drastic Tests to Be Made.
One hundred of these guns and projec-
tiles mounted in Forts Hancock. Wads-
worth. Hamilton and Slocum would pre-
vent anything less than a fleet of 100
aeroplanes from getting a sight of New
York. Mounted on caissons and wheeled
along with an army in the field the
aerial gun would be invaluable, accord
ing to leading officers of the army. in
preventing an enemys aeroplanes from
getting near enough to estimate the
strength of the troops. For ordinary field
work the gun would be as serviceable as
the present field or light artillery gun.
Some tests of the gun have been made,
and they are pronounced most success,
full. The big test, however, will be made
at Sandy Hook some time in the latter!
part of July or the first part of August
Off the test, free and captive balloons
and box kites will be used These latter
Will be of man carrying size.
The gun will be fired from every angle
possible and at its maximum range, both
vertically and horizontally
The navy will make an aeropIane test
one month later on the Southern drill
grounds. The gun the navy will use is
the regular six-pounder remounted so as
to be fired at the same angles as the
aerial gun of the army. The army tracer
shell will be used. Balloons and box
kites will be the targets. These tests
will be made while ships are at anchor
and at slow speed, firing speed and full
speed. Firing will be from the bow and
stern.
Meanwhile Uncle Sans new aerial.
navy will steadily grow in size and per-
sonneL. Before the summer is over we
may expect to see two or three army
aeroplanes circling simultaneously over
Washington, manned by the little group
of instructors and pupils now at College
Park.