The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-05-29

-
b TIE FLEET
E8 HL--It,
b BY Frederic
60 ce1assrs1nannana
The one best bet of the United
STATES In case Of war with a first
class power is the big guns OF Its
navy They are the most formidable
objects that would stand In the way
Eof an enemy who might attempt 20
invade American soil The premier
among them is the great fourteen
inch gun that has been mounted on
the New York and the Texas for the
first time on any ship-rhe gun that
has become the standard for the navy
and will be the chief armament
aboard the Pennsylvania and the
Arizona-those greatest OF dread
thoughts in all the world, when they
are completed
American authorities state that this:
is the best gun in any navy They
hold that this claim is pa> based upon
pride of their own service nor pa
triotism. but upon known facts There
is but one bigger kinds of gun in the
navies of the worId-that mounted
upon the Queen Elizabeth and her
three sister. British ships, and which
mas been taking leading part in the
reduction of thesforts of the Dardan-
leIles This English gun has fifteen
inch bore as against IA for the Amer
lean gun. American naval men state
that they have the exact facts may be
accom- p1ished by this British gun
They claim to know that their four
reen-inch gun has superior range
and penetration They state that q
broadsfde from the Pennsylvania with
her twelve fourteen-tnch guns IS
much more to be dreaded than
broadside OF the eight ffteen-fnch
guns of the queen Elizabeth.
There is definite way of figuring
the relative power OF such broadsides.
Queen Elizabeth. would weigh 1920
pounds and broadside from her
eight guns would therefore weigh
$50 pounds. a she'll from the
fourteen-inch guns
weigs 400 and a broadside from
twelve guns would weigh 16.8OO
pounds, or about 10 per cent more
than the broadside from the Queen
Elizabeth. Even waving the advan-
tage in range of the Aemrican ship.
it is figured that the weight OF It's ire
would give it the advantage
The great size OF this I4-inch gun
is hard TO appreciate. The mere bar
rel of 1t weighs sfxty-four tons and
would be an overload for freight
car. If it were possible to get wag-
on strong enough to hold it 1t would
REQUIRE sixty horses to haul IT, 1t IS
forty-eight inches across the big end
of this gun barrel and the walls OF u
are seventeen inches thick. 1t IS
fffty-two and one-half feet long and
twenry-four inches across the muzzle
at the little end.
American made guns. have proved
! the best in the world II IS acknowi-
edged abroad that the American mas
| a genius for making guns better than
ANYBODY else This ability is attr1bu-
ted to his originality and daring. sup
pIemented by the fact that the great
/ est steel works in the world are IN
this country In the 14-incn gun, the
masterpiece OF the American, no care
,r expense is spared The highest
class OF wroughrsteel is used An in
iferesuing fact has been developed IN
the use OF this steel in such a way
as to make it capable of resisting the
greatest possible pressure at the time
OF firing 1t IS. found that II the steer
is put on IN layers. it VIII make a
much stronger. seventeen-inch wall
than If it. is in solid piece So these
gun barrels are built up One Is
! made chat is an. inch thick and allowed
to cool Then another is made Just a
little bigger and intended to fit over
The first. The bigger barrel is heated
| to a Very high temperature, and, wn1le
expanded by this heat. is slipped over
the smaller one. 1t coolS and con
tracts. gripping the inner barrel with g
! terrible force. A third hot envelop is
/ put on over the second and so on until
/ the barrel is completed and given
greately increased strength
These guns. now mounted aboard
the New oYrk and Texas, are capable
of shooting across the English channel
By pointing their muzz1es up into the
air it would be possible to drop shell
4 thirty miles away This ability IS no:
! considered of any particular value,
/ however. as an enemy ship could not
/ be hit at such distance The curve
] of the earth is such that an object
4 d5sa pears below the horizon at nine
7 miles distance The lookout stations
aboard ship. however. might readily
make out a vessel twelve miles away.
for rhey are elevated From the tops
4 OF The skeleton masts OF American
i bateieships it might be possible: on a
/ very clear day. to make out other
nasts up to seventeen miles
1t is therefore not unlikely that the
i 14-inch guns OF the American navy
would begin firing at an enemy deet
! at a distance between fifteen and
$if1-