The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1911-12-21
TEST BIGGEST GUNS;
Broadside Breaks Dishes and
Wrecks Deck Boat.
Trial Of 13N-lnch Piece Of New Gu
perdreadnousht Orion Marks New
STAGE In Art Of War-Most
Powerful WarshIp Ahoat.

Portsmouth.-The trial Of the 1871.
inch guns of the new super-dread-
nought Orion marks . new stage I'm
the art Of war. They are the largest
guns ever fred at sea-: There was
much interest in the question Of how
the ship would stand the shock.
The conclusion when the ten big
guns were fred at the same instant
broke many small articles on the ship.
but did nc damage to the hull.
The Orion is now the most powerful
warship afloat, but will not remain
long with that distinction. The Unit
ed States is building two ships of en-
tirely similar construction. which are
to carry 14-inch guns instead, Of 1871.
The test firing Of tho Orion took
place of Overs lightship. All tho
ten big guns are. for the arst time
in a dreadnought. placed or the CEN
ter line, to cur a full broadside
fire, and ever the inner guns have an
angle of fire of 10 degrees. First
with half-charges and then with full
charges Of common and armor pierre
ing shell each gun was fred singly,
and the mountings. which are nearly
half as heavy again as those Of the
12-inch ordnance. developed no de-
fects.
The supreme test, however, vas the
firing Of all ten big guns on the beam
with full charges. The seamen and
marine gunners and every person on
deck or the upper works had their
ears covered in with wool padded
leather flaps. The guns were fred ST.
simultaneously by pressing a trigger Of
a new patent appliance connected with
the range finders. and operated from
a f%re-control station at the apex Of
the solitary tripod mast and in cleo.
trical connection with each gun.
The 13.5-inch gun flres a shell of
1880 pounds-an enormous increase
upon the $50 pounds Of the 12-inch
gun-and the force Of the discharge,
10000 foot tons. would be sufficient
to drive the shell at the maximum
elevation from Dover to Calais. The
shells, however, were allowed to drop
into the sea in shallow watere near
Selsy Bill. The force developed by
the combined explosion would be sufl-
Gent. 1t Is calculated. to raise thirty
Orions a foot.
1t shook violently from stem to
stern. and yet the persons who were
least affected were the guns crew.
They scarcely heard the explosion,
and all they saw al the recoil. of the
gun through the six feet of space In
the barbette. which happened like a
lightning flash. The huge wire-wound
steel tube. weighing 76 tons. returned
to its firing position with equal We
locity under the influence of great
springs, whose work was controlled
by pistons with ports working in oil
cylinders.
Below deck all loose crockery and
pieces of lighter furniture had been
slowed away and they ratified omi-
nously and dozens Of plates, cups and
saucers, ETC., were smashed by the
force Of the conclusion, which was
even sufficient to burst open tins Of
W ny AA SA0 SoASS0As AAC null lI6Cll
withstood the shock well, and showed
no signs Of damage.
The thick glass Of dozens Of sky
lights and port holes was splintered.
though the skylights were protected
by armored plates fastened down
tightly with butterfly screws. The
most amazing damage Of all was that,
under the force of the conclusion,
chiefly from the central barbette, the
bottom Of a boat fell clean out.
The decks were practically undam-
aged. The area over which the flashes
passed vas specially thickened with
armored steel to resist the tendency
to buckle under the plunging shock
of the discharge Of hundreds of
pounds Of cordite, and the injury done
was merely superficial.
The force Of the conclusion was 30
tremei-d ous that the windows of the
houses at Southsea, over IL miles dis.
tant, were heavily shaken in their
frornoo