Semi-weekly herald., 1915-05-03
FAMOUS FRENCH "75"
is "SOME GUN"
(By Lafayette Young.)

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Readers of The Capital have undoubt-
edly heard of the gun used by the al
lies called the "75.. From this name
the reader might infer that the gun
was rs feet long, or rs inches in
diameter. But it is called the "75"
gun because it is rs millimeters in
diameter. Seventy-five millimeters al
most equal 8 inches.
Therefore the "75" gun is 3-inch
cannon little less than 8 feet in
length. 1t was invented in 1897 in
France and is the work of several
different officers, among them Colo
mel Deport and General st. Claire
Deville. 1t is made of the best steel
and it is claimed for it that notwith-
standing the heat incidental to firing,
it can be used for 5000 shots.
1t is said to be most effective
weapon and the French people regard
the gun highly because they think
that except for the use of the "75,"
as it is called, the German army
would have gotten into Paris.
Simple of Operation.
This new gun simplifies every op-
Grafton. Only few years ago the
opening of the breech of such gun
would have taken three movements.
Formerly the introduction of the pro-
jectile and the powder required sepa-
rate movements, formerly it took
three movements to close the breech,
and to explode the charge it was nee
essary to hang a quick match to a
cord. All the movements | have de-
one.
The case of ammunition is placed
near the gun. and the gunners may
remain at their post near the breech,
not being obliged to retire to avoid
the recoil. This absence of recoil,
which also represents the advantage
of maintaining the gun in battery
and Of surpressing the necessity of
taking another aim, is obtained by the
hydro-pneumatic brake, which is the
essential characteristic of the French
gun, and which experience has dem
onstrated to be superior to all appli-
ances heretofore used for the same
purpose.
Compressed Air Used.
The 75-millimeter gun does not rest
directly upon the carriage. 1t is at
tached to a moving cylinder filed with
oil, which itself is plunged into fixed
cylinder which is attached to the car
riage.
Between the two cylinders there is
a ring which is filled with compress
ed air. The rod inserted in the center
of the fixed cylinder, and carrying q
fixed piston, pierced with little orr
fees, runs through the center of the
Ioil cylinder. When the shot is fired
and the cannon recoils, taking with
it the moveable cylinder, the oil of
(which is driven through the piston at
the same time that the compressed
air chamber diminishes in volume; a
double resistance is produced which
absorbs the energy of the recoiling
movement, the expansion of the air
in the fixed cylinder, called the re-
cuperator, brings the moving cylin-
der back to its original position, and
the oil comes back to its place. The
gun thus finds itself automatically
replaced ready for another shot. The
length Of the recoil is less than 1-25
Of an inch.
How It IL Aimed.
| The system Of aiming the 75-milli-
meter cannon marks further progress.
Formerly the aim was taken by look
ing through an eyelet attached to the
breech. Under this system the gun
ner gave the angle Of height by turn
ing a screw which commanded the
inclination of the cannon, while ac-
cording to his indications gunner
controlled the direction by displacing
from right to left the butt of the
carriage. This was the old plan and
1t was impossible to proceed stimuli
taneously with the aiming and the
charging. With this new "75" gun
the process is different. Upon an in
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