Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-21
REACH LIMIT IN BUILDING
COLOSSAL GUNS FOR NAVY
New 16-Inch Weapon, Recently Test
ed at Indian Head, No More
Effective Than 14-Inch.
NATTER Of WORLD INTEREST
Future Increase of Power Will De-
pend Upon Discovery Of New En-
plosive or New Metal-Experts
Express Their Views.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch. ]

Especial to The Times -Dispatch.]
WASHINGTON. December 2O.-"The
limit of building colossal guns for the
navy of the United States has been
reached.
"a report has been ordered to the
department to the effect that the new
| navy siXtecn-inch guns recently tested
| at Indian Head. near this city. is not
more effective than the existing four
teeninch gun for the armament of the
super er-Dreadnoughts"
These two statements of world in
terest made to-day by officers of the
| navy. who are familiar with the af-
fairs of the general naval board. and
! the foreign Intelligence bureau of the
navy. Officials of the latter bureau de-
clare that Germany and England are
aware OF the Limitation OF the naval
guns. and their secret reports show
| that both those countries have decided
| upon a tiftcen-inch gun as the last
thing in gun construction.
The United States experts. there
, fore, differ by one inch In muzzle diam
eter from the expert opinion of the
European admir- ralties.
One OF the leading authorities in the
| Nevy Department tonight declared
that the future of effectiveness would
depend upon the discovery OF new
explosive or new metal. He said:
Two years ago. when Captain n. r.
Twining was chief of the bureau of
! ordnance. he drew plans for Il sixteen
inch gun, which has since been CON
structed. 1t was generally expected by
the experts that if the siXteen-inch gun
realized all that was claimed for 1t,
the limit would have been reached for
power, weight of shell and effect on
armor at Il distance of eleven miles.
But the expectations of the TwininS
gun have not been fulfilled.
1T is safe to say now, that we know
somewhat about the cohesive power of
steel. even the best of the present day,
the effect of tremendous missiles plOw-
ing through the bore of a gun, and the
volcanic power developed in the gun
chamber by hundreds Of pounds OF
smokclcss powder. that anything big
ger than the siXteen-inch gun would
destroy itself. The main power of de-
struction would be- I think, the terri
BILE and certain, although not neccs-
sarily immediate erosion of the bore OF
the gun. If such guns were adopted
they would be put out OF commission
by their own internal forces acting on
the bore and the chamber. Being alb
solutely self lf-dcstructive. it would re-
quire millions of money to renew them.
Our deliberate opinion Is that no gun
Will ever be constructed moro powerful
than the fourteen Inch guns OF our
super r-DreadnOughts. until some great
world-expert. such as Albert Michel
son or Thomas Edison gives us either
n new powder or a new metal natural
or compound.
OPINION KEPT SECRET
FOR LAST SIN MONTHS
One of the intelligence bureau Of
ficers said:
"The opinion that the limit both in
calibre and effect at long range have
been cached has been a secret with
us and with other naval boards for
probably six months. I would call Your
attention to the fact that when we
built the Iowa and Indiana. Masa chu :
setts and Oregon we believed thnt
when we put on them thirteen inch
guns we could go no further. We. our
selves. dug into the question OF weight.
armor plates, erosion of lining, powder
| chamber explosions and came to the
| conclusion that twelve:inc gun was
| q better rifle. and we proved 1t abso-
lutely. But the powder we used i'm the
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