The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1921-03-12

Tit itNtlAIHe aFFel. Ills outer opeil-
linz is in the font of the gun.
As the proiectile moves out through
the gun barrel the barrel itself is coll
tinning its rotary movement. The
force AMI speed with which the ball
leaves tie gun, therefore. is the re-
suitant of two forces. its radial force
acquired by its motion out through
tire barrel and the %peripheral force,
Which : the force acquired from be-
ing rotated about the shaft at a rate
Of. $40 feet n second.
When the muzzle of the gun barrel
has just reached the opening in front
he ball. due to the timing device
which let 1t 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 frcn its centrifugal motion.
For each RESOLUTION of the gun barrel
a single proiectile Is automatically fed
NJ the hreech block at a definite
point of the rotational movement, and
Is released from the breech-block and
permitted Il enter the barrel at an
other equally definite point of the ro-
rational movement.
1900 Shots a Minute.
The centrifugal gun, according to
the tests just made by the war de-
partment, is capable of firing about
2,Gm balls a minute. When it is de-
sired TO cease firing the feed from
tie 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 a decreasing range as the
motor slowed down.
The hopper is a patented container
with a revolving bottom fitted with
grooves. AS the machine gunner turns
a crank or handle the balls are ground
one by one into a 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
~ hdtiilil Nv liiB'ts diiu WV iioiN
men can transport the batteries.
Fire control with our gun Is con
slant" said Mr.. Moore. There Is no
smoke, noise or flash. Instead of q
600 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
ire or noise from u gun conceals
the position of the same and prevents
the enemy from ascertaining its To-
cation"
1t is q we'll known fact thai bullets
fired from a Il 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 a ball from the centrifugal
gun is approximately five feet for each
hundred feet that the ball travels, and
the vertical spread three feet for each
hundred feet. Thus. at a distance of
300 feet the centrifugal gun would
cover a street 10 feet wide for a dis
lance Of nine feet above the ground.
at the rate of 1000 shots a minute.
thereby rendering anybody's chances
of remaining alive in that area ex-
ceedlngly slim. The territory that
could be covered by the gun without
aiming it 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.