Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-20
ENGINEERS SEE
Big GUNS WORK
=
Philadelphians Guests OF
Government at Aber-
deem, Md.
PUT COTTON in EARS
Great Achievements of War
Shown to Visitors at Prov
ing Grounds
PUT COTTON in EARS
BIZ a sta6 Correspondent

| Aberdeen PROVING Ground, ND, teD.
| 20.--With cotton stuffed in their ears
and airplanes and observation balloons
overhead members of the Philadelphia
| Engineers Club today saw some of the
brilliant achievements CT the ordnance
department under the impetus of wars
extreme demands.
The demonstrations were made here
on the proving grounds. The visiting
club had been invited by the govern
ment as the most representative body
of PHILADELPHIA engineers.
The plugging of their ears with cot
ton permitted the guests to stand quite
close at the time CT firing the larger
guns, and they could observe the re-
suits of the shooting In the case Of
the biggest cannon the shells could
plainly be seen as they sped on their
way through the, sky.
Perhaps Last Demonstration
In what is perhaps the last general
demonstration before the gradual cur
tailment of the activities at this proving
ground nearly every type Of gun and
ammunition employed by the United
states In the war was tested for the
benefit of the visitors
The government has its largest prov
ing ground here. Achievements in
American ordnance development were
revealed which will rank our own ex-
perts on par with the more expe-
rienced ordnance specialists OF Europe.
There were guns fired of the largest
size and Of the most modern technical
Improvement. Ammunition of hitler
to unknown penetrative and explosive
force was used. All of the details were
not permitted to be made public.
Among the tests which were especially
impressive was that of the two forty-flve
Schneider model howitzer, the most
modern and high-powered howitzer
which the war has brought out 1t is
the most difficult piece Of artillery this
country constructed during the war 1t
:hrows a 356-pound projectile an eA.
pected range Of 1900 yards, compared
to a similar British range of 10000 or
10000 yards.
Another was an eight-nch howitzer
Of British design built solely in the Mid
vale steel plant. II was used by our
/ coast artillery in France. II weighs ten
tons and has a range of 10000 yards.
Its projectile could be plainly seen.
Some Rapid Firing
A three-inch antiaircraft gun fred ten
shots In twenty-nine seconds Three
contrasting types of the famous seventy
five were demonstrated. those of the
French, British and American design.
The range of the American gun eX-
ceeded the French by $500 yards. The
projectile Travelled 300 yards.
In the tests excess pressure was used.
Shrapnel and high explosive shells were
used. A small thirty-seven millimeter
gun fired explosive bullets. This gun was
adapted to the tanks.
Several hgh-powered rifles were shown
also. The hundred and fifty-fve how
itzer revealed great mobility and a range
of nineteen thousand yards. 1t is used
as a weapon to counter-attack other bat
teries and the enemys lines of communi-
cation. 1t is not used against personnel
Many other interesting tests were
shown The guests enjoyed luncheon in
the large mess hall, which was filed to
its full capacity of six hundred. Imme-
'iately afterward they continued their
tour.
Especial interest was taken in the fuse
| tests.
| The fuse is used to cause the shra pnel
| TO function at a certain distance from
the muzzle of the gun. one fuse was
tested which fgpited at fifty feet from
| the muzzle. In actual combat this would
! result in the bursting of the shrapnel
at that distance. 1t is employed to repel
an enemy about to take battery. The
| French were able to effect a canister at
| no less than 200 feet.
In a seventy-fve millimeter gun the
| bursting shrapnel is equivalent to $50
men firing at point blank forty-fve
calibre automatic revolvers.
One could, of course, hear the whiz
and the bang Of the shells in the weird
sort OF broken chorus.
General Method Followed
| The general method followed in this
| test shooting is as follows: The gun is
aimed at certain field at particular
distance away. In the fieId are men
protected by bomb-proof shelters who
make a diagram of the hits They 60
out and dig up the shells which are
imbedded in the ground This is Very
dangerous part of the work The men
are called retrievers.
In the testing of the fuses men are
I stotioned In towers with stop watches
They record the time between the firing
OF the>load and the igniting of the fuse
AS each gun was reached Captain
Alvin Schaller explained to the groups
the test to be made and the mechanism
and characteristics of the weapon.
The special train bringing the Phila.
delphians left Broad street at S:27 this
morning. and arrived here at 1O:45. The
engineers were met at the proving
ground station by Colonel William A
Phillips. commandant of the grounds
and members Of his stan. They wer,
at once escorted TO the scene of the
tests.
j.. Franklin Stevens, president of the
Engineers Club, headed the engineers
delegation In cooperation with the gov.
ernment officials, The arrangements, OF
behalf of the club, were made by Louis
H.. Kenny.
Details Explained 80
The details of the demonstration wer,
explained to the engineers by govern
ment officials. The program was diyid
ed into four parts. In the main proof
battery there were tests of ammunition
shell, shrapnel time fuses and propel
lents in the folowing Seventy-fiyt
milimeter model eighteen ninety-s sever
French seventy-flve miiTimeter mode
nineteen sixten Amer can; seyenty-nvt
millimeter model nineteen sseyenteen
British four point seven gun model nine.
teen naught six one fifty-ive miilimetei
howitEer. one fifty-five milllmeter gun
eight-inch howitzer; two forty milli
meter howitzer; six-inch wheel mount
nine point two howitzsr mark; one
nine poipt two howitzer mark two
proof firing thirty-seven milllmeter, in.
fantry, ACCOMPANYING cannon.
In the tank field class were the eight
inch howitzer mounted on s. p. cater,
pillar mark one seveEty-fve millmetei
field gun on two and one -half,ton trac
tor Ford tank, Renaun tank, .five-tor
ordnance tractor ten-ton ordnance trac