The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-03-21

TYPE VI
ism. He was not clad in the spick
and span uniform in which an officer
is generally supposed to enease him
self. He was there for business and
was dealing with mechanism which was
slippery with oil and grease and his
hands looked like those of foundry
man. Captain Wilbur looked equally
for his hands and arms
were grimy The artillerymen wore
blue dungarees. The breech was open
ed and the car with its 1040-pound pro-
iectile was wheeled to the opening, a
squad of men manned the great ram
mer, the proiectile was showed into the
breech, and then followed three bags of
powder, three-quarter discharge, each
bag filed with smokeless POWDER not
the black grained powder of earlier
days, but powder which looked like
two-inch lengths of split maccaroni.
The bags were thrust home, the breech
closed and the lanyard attached to the
primer.
Meanwhile, the spectators, army men
as well as civilians, scattered to the far
battlements and many wadded their
ears with cotton. 'Stand on your toes,
open your mouth, and put your fingers
on your ears,' was the suggestion of
an army officer. The workmen on the
emplacements left the dark interior
rooms under the broad platforms and
many retreated to the fringe of kiawe
trees Captain Platt took a last look
through the telescope, saw the sea- was
clear, and gave the order to fire. The
great gun roared deep, discOlored smoke
shot from the muzzle, the piece settled
back on its launches, as it were, while
all eyes were strained toward the open
sea-
A Scream and Roar.
"Ah," and everybody exclaimed as
column of water shot up from the sea
far beyond the entrance to Pearl Har-
Dor, remaining in the air for a few Sec
onds, as if suspended. The scream of
the prOjectile was heard until the water
shot up, then came back a. dull sullen
roar as of a train running across a
bridge, and then a far PUNK, the sound
of impact being the echo made by the
great projeetile as it hit the water.
The first test mad been successful
Two hundred and sixty-two pounds OF
powder had been used and the projec.
tile had been shot to seaward about
1000 yards The powder pressure in the
rifles was $4,000 pounds to the square
inch. And that shot demonstrated that
Uncle Sam has at last created bar
rier to the entrance to Pearl Harbor
Then came another projectile with
four bags of powder, the charge
amounting to 275 pounds and the shell
this time went six thousand yards, OIL
more than three miles, The first CUR
had done its work perfectly, and the
emplacements had hardly been Jared.
Then the second gun was tested. The
first and second charges were used, the
projectile being fired diagonally away
from the fertilization and practically
half way between Pearl Harbor en-
france and Honolulu harbor.
Lamp Chimneys Jostled.
When the first gun was fred the air
suck created little havoc among some
of the wooden trestlework Immediately
before the emplacement and few tim
bers were wrenched apart, while an old
wooden tool box was split open. A
wortmen looked for his lunch bag there
and found that the top of the pail with
. in it had been pulled off. Down in the
classmates of the fertilization four lamI
chimneys which were on n shelf had
toppled off, and that was all the damage
in the entire fertilization. The result
of the test on the great emplacements
was triumph for the great works
which have been constructed under the
direction of Major Winslow of the corps
of engineers.
1t was explained that ono of the
reasons why the guns did not give bach
the conclusion expected, Immediately
in the vicinity of the brooches, was be
cause the platforms have been made
wide and extend far back, and are also
open at the back
General Macomb expressed himself
well pleased with the tests.
Barracks and Men Next.
just when these guns will be manned
by coast artillery forces is prOblemati
cal. There is heavy demand on THU
arm IF the service for officers and men
hut IL Is known that the war depart
ment is anxious 20 give Oahu It's full
quota. Al present there are no bar
racks for men, but these may be uI
within nine or ten months.
Half a mile away from the 12inei
gun battery which mas been named Bat
terry Selfridge. ia honor Of the young
lieutenant who lost his life while ex
perimenthig IN aviation. e q morta
battery under construction 70 b