Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-02-28
ELECTRICITY IN FUTURE WARS
Will HurI ProieetiIe With More Force
Than Powder.


| increasing Importance in modern war
fleets. 1t is the moving spirit of the
| fire. control system which has done so
much in recent years to improve the
shooting Of the British navy; guns are
maneuvered by it's agency, and wire
less telegraphy depends upon it.
It is now more than likely that we
are within measurable distance Of the
electric gun. AS a matter of fact, an
experimental weapon on a small scale
has come through a series Of trials
very successfully.
IT. on a scale demanded by existing
conditions of naval warfare, the gun
should prove as effective as its inven-
tor claims there Is no doubt that it has
marvellous future. The gun itself Is
of the simplest construction. 1t con-
sists of plain brass tube, open at each
end. Over the tube a number of coils
Of copper wire are placed, the wire be-
ing wound on bobbins and the coils
slipped on separately with the end of
each coil projecting from the end Of
the bobbin. One set Of ends Of these
coils, Of similar polarity, are fastened
together and led to a switchboard,
where they are attached to a metallic
brush. The other ends are separately
led to the switchboard, each being fas-
tened to adjacent pieces of contact me-
tai lying fiat on the board. In the cir
cult at convenient point is the source
Of the electric current.
If the metallic brush be now rapidly
drawn across the face of the metallic
segments, increasing in speed as 1t
goes, the current is passed through each
of the successive coils at correspond
is of cast iron, and fits easily into the
tube, is inserted at the lower end. 1t
is at once drawn forward by the first
coil, then caught up by the second, and
so on, advancing toward the muzzle at
an ever-increasing speed until it leaves
the barrel and starts OH it's deadly er-
rand. For heavy guns some slight
notifications of the arrangements
would have to be made, but it will be
seen that the idea Is about as simple
as could we'll be imagined.
If once the weapon can be brought
to the practical stage, the advantage
Of its adoption-more especially for
coast defense-would be enormous. In
the first place, the cost is absurdly
small, being almost entirely that of the
copper coils and the battery arrange
ments. AS to the working cost, it is
estimated that large battery of guns
could be worked continuously for an
hour at cost Of 60 shillings. compar-
ed with the e2S which it costs, in
powder alone, to fire an ordinary
twelve-inch gun.
Then, again, it 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 number of rounds-70 or 80
with full charges-after which, owing
to the wear caused by friction, the
weapon has to be refined. With the
electric gun, on the other hand, it has
been proved that the effect of the coils
is to keep the projectile quite central
in the tube, leaving a slight clearance
all around and avoiding wear altogeth-
er.
With regard to other important mat
ters, it has been calculated that for a
given caliber and weight Of shot (the
actual figures taken being respectively
II centimeters and 80 kilograms-the
details for the German 67 inch gun,
firing a shell of 1872 pounds) the cleo
trio gun will be nearly so per cent
shorter, will weigh less by nearly 20
per cent, and will discharge its projec-
tile with a velocity of almost as high
again as with the ordinary gun-l,36O
meters a second, as compared with
9S5 meters.
Another point Of the utmost impor-
tance in these days, when gun manu-
facture has reached such a stage as to
take actually longer than the building
of the ship to carry it, is that the cleo
trio gun of the heaviest caliber can be
built in a couple of months at the out
side.
There are other military advantages
claimed, however, which are of the
very greatest account. The gun is
quite noiseless, there is no flash and
no smoke. 1t would be absolutely i'm
possible for a ship to discover the po-
sition of a hidden battery of whose po-
sition it was not aware beforehand.
With regard to the actual firing, and
apart from it's noiseless and evidence
lacking character, there is no recoil
whatever to be expected from the
heaviest electric gun, so that 1t could
be mounted on the smallest ship with
out the danger Of the vessel going as
tern as the charge is fired-as occurs
now with some of the training gum
boats at Portsmouth. Also, since the
projectile travels down the center of
the tube and Is not in contact with its
Sides there is no friction, the barrel
does not get heated, and the gun can
be fired continuously as long as the
ammunition supply holds out. With
small guns it is estimated that no few
er than 5000 rounds a minute could
be fired, and with the heaviest guns.
the twelve-inch, nearly 100. equal so
times the present rate Of firing, and en-
ceeding the average life Of the wea-
pom under present conditions.
One of the most important features
claimed for the gun is it's capability of
throwing projectiles containing the
most powerful explosives.
On account of the shock caused by
the explosion of the charge only such
explosives as lyddite can now be used,
and these are not much stronger than
ordinary powder. With the electric
gun there is no difficulty on this point,
as the speed commences gently and
keeps on gradually and easily increas-
ing until it leaves the muzzle of the
gun at it's highest velocity, quite quiet
ly and without shock.
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