The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-04-16

violent shock to the loading position
with the muzzle again below the par
apet. This Is like bringing a racing
express to a stop within the space of
few feet.
The weapons that will count most
against foe at Panama are the IA
inch\ guns which the army has been
developing during the last few years,
and these are to measure strength
with the best that a foreign naval
power can offer.
The 14-inch guns, built and building
for Panama are of superior type.
These weapons weigh 137,300 pounds
each or trifle over 81 tons-less than
half that of the giant 16-inch gun. New
ertheless these newer weapons hurl
their 1000 pound projectiles with suf-
flcient velocity to penetrate at 5000
yards a matter Of 1871 inch Of Krupp
armor. This means that at that range
the shot Is travelling with velocity
Of 1860 feet a second.
The pent up energy in the shell at
the instant it leaves the rifle amounts
to the equivalent of a colliding force
of 58.52S foot tons. and the disappear
ing carriages which bear these weap-
ons must work smoothly and with
out injury when absorbing the recoil
involved. We stand alone practically
in the possession of this sort OF car
riage for big guns, While some Of
these carriages have met the tests
Of the proving grounds none of them
has been subjected at target practise
to the tax of their service charges,
and it is this latter which will rep
resent what may be expected In time
Of actual battle.
Only an Aeroplane Can See Them.
Because of their particular manner
Of action the mortar does not now
need disappearing carriage. Groups
of four of these weapons are placed
in sunken batteries technically termed
mortar pits and the enemy never has
chance to see them at all. AT
Panama the sea approaches to the
canal will be theoretically divided into
series of small squares, each of
which will have it's counterpart upon
a plotting board.
The range finders will locate the po-
sition of the advancing ships and at
the right instant four of these great
mortars will roar from their pits as
they hurl as many shells skyward,
seemingly, anywhere but at the foe.
But II the men responsible for spot
ting the target have done their work
well, the projectiles, after describing
the path upward. win start earthward
directly at their objective. If they
hit destruction will follow, for each
of the missiles will carry a heavy
charge of high explosive.
Perhaps you think this roundabout
way of reaching the target Is not a
promising one, but, according to the
official report of the war department,
remarkably accurate practise has been
obtained by expert gunners of the
coast artillery. They are trained to
fire at moving targets and, despite the
difficulties of aiming from hole in
the ground at an objective which the
gunners themselves do not see. NOR
tar crews have been able to make
the astonishing score of seven hits In
eight shots at long range Of nearly
six miles, or a distance Of about TO-.
900 yards.
No dreadnaught today would care to
invite mortar attack, because none
of them is proof against this sort
Of assault, and that means that they
must try to damage the Panama de-
fenses when lying farther seaward.