Evening journal., 1918-04-24
Giant GERRAi GDHS
once ON BAITLESHIP
Officials Believe Cannons on
Western Front Will Soon
Have 100 Mile Range
2OO-POUND SHELLS
FIRED BY WEAPON

WASHINGTON. April 2l.-The giant
German guns now dropping shells on
Paris from distance OF seventv-ave
miles, are i5-inch naval guns. taken
from the Baitleshlp Hindenbure and flt-
ted with Inner tubes which reduce the
calibre to y'a inches, it was learned TO.
aay from ordnance experts OF the United
states army, who have been making a
close study Of the guns and their ef.
fects
These officials confidently believe that
very soon the Germans will be using
guns along the western front that win
nave a range of zoo miles or more.
The guns were dism0unted from thu
battleship during the winter and re-.
turned TO naval gun foundry where
ihey were expanded by heat and tbe
inner tubes inserted As the gun coois
it shrlnks and grips the inner tube and
holds it In place, notwithstanding the
tremendous pressure Of the powder
charge
The she'll fred from this gun WEIGHS
ABOUT 200 pounds. Although Il has a
diameter OF only 0la inches h is pro-
Jected with all the force OF a i5-nch
charge.
This is accomplished by leaving the
/ powder chamber intact fifteen inches
In diameter. The powder used Is the
usual smokeless kind used IN naval
warfare.
with this supercharee OF powder
operating on the smaller shell, the muz-
zle velocity OF 6OO0 feet per second is
attained. The greatest velocity obtained
/ In six-inch naval gun Is 270O feet. and
/ IN a fourteen-inch gun on an American
botilcship the velocity is 25O0 feet a
second.
Additional muzzle velocity for the
German gun Is obtained by extending
the inner tube five or SIX feet beyond
the muzzle OF the ffteen-lnch outer
Jacket.
The guns bombardlng Paris are fired
at an angle OF IS degrees. The shells
rise to a height Of between twenty fve
and thirty miles, or between 10000 and
$4,000 feet, a stupendous flight vastly
exceeding any excursion heretofore
made by mundane material into the
aerial regions
The time consumed from muzzle 10
target Is between one and one-half and
two minutes, travelling say. Twenty-Five
miles hish and seventy-flve miles by
straight line.
They believe also that tho Germans
are building eighieen-lneh or twenty
inch guns with inner tubes reducing
The calihre to nine and one-half inches
These guns would have a range OF 100
miles, or even more. The Germans have
boosted for many months that they
would lombard British shores from
across the channel and the feat ls now
seen TO be both possible and probable
10 remains a feat, however, and nothlng
more. IL is not a menace in a mlliiar,
, sense
The Germans hope 90 invade Eng
land with the help OF big guns posted
on shore and on heavy barges iloate,
down from the Belgian coast. Theh
idea Is TO gain a foothold 40 some con.
/. venient point like Calais or Dunklrk anc
then by running out lines OF barge.
carry ti-inch howitzers 20 stand on
the British fleet. Thus a lane would b,
opened for the passage OF German
troops British naval unlcers smile al
this plan and express a wish that 10 b,
attempted They suggest that ihei
swiftly moving battle cruisers With IS
! inch guns would soon dispose Of tn,
German lire OF barges and any German
troops ships that might appear.