New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-01

ference will result in the breech being held
| in the gun as we'll as II both sets OF threads
had been left continuous and the breech labo-
riously screwed into place by great number
Of turns To open IL the breech block is
turned the other way and the block can then
be pulled out Actually the block (Which Is
slightly larger in diameter than the bore OK
the gum is set on a hinged frame, which can
be swung to one side. thus taking the block
away from the breech and leaving the bore
open 10 receive charge. This is the SIM
plest kind Of mechanism Of this type. For
larp, guns il is more intricate. This breech
system is applied to all navy guns, except
the small rapid-fre guns, and to all army
guns az well, both with us and in England
and France. Only the French 75s have a
different breech, Of very ingenious design,
and as different from the one just described
as it is from a Krupp breech
! II would again be too technical 70 explain
in any detail how the gases are prevented
from escaping 20 the rear. Briefly stated Il
( il done by gas check, 50 called, which con-
sists Of a mushroom-shaped block Of steel
81 the forward end Of the breech block, be-
/ hind which are pads Of asbestos and tallov,
the compression Of which against the breeca
block seals the opening completely. In fixed
ammunition the cartridge case has rim ike
n rife cartridge which acts a. a gas cheek.
The firing If the charge is done b. primcr
lin laymcn's terms, a cap. which be placed
4 50 as 70 be in contact with the charge, and =
/ fred by pin or 0y electricity IN guns vita
! separate ammunition. In fixed ammunition
there is usually cap a. the base Of the metal
case, exactly as In a cartridge Of shotgun
or rifle. and this is fred by pin or plunger
/ in the breech block
| Formerly all guns we're Of bronze. cast iroa
OF cast steel To-day a naval gun is built Up
| Of tube OF steel, on which various jacket.
/ and hoops. as they are called are shrunk-
This shrinking is done when the metal Is roI
hot, and in a manner very far superior .
PARROTS early efforts In fact. 80 bcaut-
fully il the work done that when al tbs
necessary hoops and jackets are in place Ito
gun is almost one piece OF metal The thick
ness end length Of the jackets are scientih-
cally worked out, just as Dshlgren had done
with the metal used in his guns it being, %
course, just as necessary 70 make the long
barrel of XlV-inch gun strong enough TO
stand the pressure Of the powder as II Is %
make the breech strong enough 90 resist the
gigantic pressure there eXerted when the gun
is fired Again is all this work done with
marvellous skill and precision, and a gun Is
produced which has no flaws and which IS
so accurate that il will hurl thousand
pounds Of steel fifteen miles or more practi-
cally on the same spot again and again.
Range Finding
, In my article on batteships referred 70
the finding Of the range % a target On
many guns there are telescope sights Tor
the largest guns range finders are used Now,
those of my readers who graduated from coll
lege, as did the writer about forty years
ago no doubt recall more or less vaguely
unless they have had especial reason to
keep the subject fresh in their minds tina.
there is branch OF mathematics called trig-
onometry. Trigonometry teaches that II you
know the length of the base Of triangle
ard the two adjoining angles you can easily
calculate the height. This range finder
does mechanically. The base of the triangle
may be a horizontal tube Of possibly twenty
feet in length, with lenses az each end, 50
arranged that when an operator who IS az
the middle of the tube sights target, the
lenses being turned toward II, he reads from
n scale the distance Of that target, that pont
being the apex of the triangle. Up to quits
considerable ranges such an apparatus Is ae-
curate but the further away the target IS the
greater the unaFOlldp4e eEiot ~ SNNi
mechanism becomes. Then the sighting has
10 be done by human eyes and human iudg-.
mont. as have explained and IL is here thai
the training of our men comes in.
American Supremacy
We always have been good shots real
American not only uses his body, but ms
brain. in all sports. He instinctively thinks
quickly and naturally trains himself 20 guess
what the other man is going 70 do whether 4
be in sailing, baseball football tennis, or
Whatever other sport. Expert marksmen and
spotters are necessary and a great many such
men are developed on all our ships, and good,
cool Judgment becomes all important DID, So
tirating ranges The best shots are the mca
with the steadiest nerves under FIRE, and, IS
7 have said before, | believe our men VII
prove that they have the best nerves. i has
been printed in the English accounts o. naval
enoacements that the Germans on their large
ships have very efficient system OF ootaln-
ing the range accurately. The English have
suffered severely from the first savos. bh
II seems that as soon as an enemy sAos
begin 70 get homo on a German ship The IS .
tenn. whatever il is breaks down. This is
curious fact, but apparently it is fact
What the German system is has not been er-
planned. and, possibly, the English do nos
know what it is. | have not the shghtest
doubt but that our system will prove matca
for any we may encounter, because We nave
the best officers and men ahoat