The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-09-08

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the revolving barrel. This outer open
ing is In the front Of the gun.
AS the projectile moves out through
the gun barrel the barrel itself is con
tinuing its rotary movement. The
force and speed with which the ball
leaves the gun, therefore. is the re.
sutant of two forces. its radial force
acquired by It's motion out through
the barrel and the peripheral force,
which Is the force acquired from be-
ing rotated about the shaft at rate
of $40 feet second.
When the muzzle Of the gun barrel
has just reached the opening in front
the ball. due to the timing device
which let it into the barrel at just the
proper point In its revolution. Is at
the end Of the barrel and ready to fly
out in a straight line with the force
acquired from it's centrifugal motion.
For each revolution Of the gun barrel
single projectile is automatically fed
into the breech block at definite
point of the rotational movement, and
Is released from the breech-boek and
permitted to enter the barrel at an
other equally definite point Of the no.
rational movement.
1000 Shots a Minute.
The centrifugal gun, according to
the tests just made by the war de-
partment, is capable Of firing about
1000 balls minute. When it is de-
sired to cease firing the feed from
the hopper is shut off. stopping the
flow Of balls into the breech-block
Then the motor is stopped. Other.
wise the balls would continue to be
elected at decreasing range as the
motor slowed down.
The hopper is patented container
with revolving bottom fitted with
grooves. AS the machine gunner turns
a crank or handle the balls are ground
one by one into tube which leads to
the breech-block. Instead of grinding
them out by hand, the same power
that operates the gun may be utilized
to drive the mechanism Of the hop
per.
AS now designed two men can carry
the machine and tripod, and two more
men can transport the batteries.
"Fire control with our gun is con-
stant." said Mr.. Moore. '"There is no
smoke, noise or flash. Instead Of g.
900 men being exposed to enemy fire
and covering much ground and area.
less men than make up one squad
would be used in operating our gun,
and the fire control would come from
one central point. Distributing our
guns at certain intervals would cover |
an enormous front line. The lack Of
fire or noise from our gun conceals |
the position of the same and prevents
the enemy from ascertaining it's To-
cation"
1t is a well known fact that bullets |
fired from gun held rigid will not
all strike in the same place, but will |
show a lateral and vertical spread. |
Mr.. Moore has figured that the lateral
spread of ball from the centrifugal
gun is approximately five feet for each |
feet that the ball travels, and
the vertical spread three feet for each
hundred feet. Thus, at distance of
300 feet the centrifugal gun would
cover a street Is feet wide for dis
lance of nine feet above the ground
at the rate Of 1000 shots minute.
thereby rendering anybody's chances
Of remaining alive in that area ex.
ceed,ngly slim. The territory that
could be covered by the gun without
aiming 1t increases correspondingly as
the range Is increased.
Major Moore explained that he felt
free to discuss the mechanism and
principles Of the gun because the re.
strictions placed upon him not to re-
veal or discuss any details connected
with the gun have recently been lifted
BY the war department.