Evening star., 1927-10-07
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.
Stafi Correspondent OF The Star.

| STAFF Correspondent Of The star.
| UNITED STATES ARMY PROVING
! GROUND. ABERDEEN. Md. October
: Toms OF powder were exploded.
sending a pungent Od0r over the S1,oot
acres in this reservation and pro
pelling thousands of pounds ot steel
! proiertileS through the woods and
/ surrounding country, and even into
/ the adjacent chesapeake Bay. as the
| Army Yesterday passed IN review be
! fore approximately 10000 visitors Its
! latest developments in ordnance ma
terial. In what was described as the
most spectacular display since the
/ World War. the Army demonstrated
/ guns which sent great shells swIshinG
/ through the air to points miles ulS
! tant. and how guns, almost human IN
! their action. literally reached into the
! air at moving targets. their course
marked by tracer bullets. appearing
/ much like red hot rivets which may
! be seen cast about the framework OF
! steel buildings under construction.
The particular occasion was the
mobilization on the main front" OF
Army ordnance development for the
industrial powers of the country, now
engaged in producing materials for
the peaceful pursuits of the populace,
but whose factories would tie turned
into the production. in time of war.
of The very materials which were used
in the display yesterday.
1t was the ninth annual meeting OF
the Army ordnance Association, which
had participating With it the Society
of Automotive Engineers. the Amer
lean Society OF Testing Materials. the
Military Order of the World War and
! l,n I'm rita 81 q Il.
,ition, there We're present about every
ma jor general in the Eastern section
Of the country, hrI2adier generals and
c0iOncS innumerahle and uncounted
ma jorS and those Of lesser rank. Civil
ian official " aShington was repre-
scented by members of the cabinet and
their assistants. and practically the
whole staff of the War College went
over in special train.
Two Trains Move Participants.
Two long trains of the Army Prov
ing Ground Railroad were required 10
move the participants and their guests
about the big reservation in order 10
take in the eVenst in each arena, and
in addition there were hundreds Of au-
tomobiles official and private, rushing
from place to place to keep up with
the display.
The demonstration got under way
with a Zoom. when the largest gun in
existence. the 16-inch coast defense
gun, with terrific roar and a flash
sent its 1.34Q-pound projectile swish
ing through the air to its target in
Chesapeake Bay. 80 miles away.
Cotton was in great demand, and
thCusan nds of fingers went into ears as
4 shrill whistle announced that the
gun was about to roar.
Before the smoke had cleared away.
and perhaps about the time the pro
jectile from the 16-inch had hit. a
way gun, mounted on Il steel railway
carriage. which has steel jacks set
against the ground to take up the re.
coil. Then the party moved half a
mile to witness the firing of the charge
from a Pinch gun. mounted on a
gigantic steel railway car. rigidly
braced with steel girders, furnishing
q platform from the ground up, so
that the great strain is not taken en-
tirely by the trucks and the wheels Of
the car. 1t fires a projectile weighing
700 pounds.
Anti. Aircraft Firing Displayed.
The most spectacular and thrilling
aircraft firing Two planes, towing
long, red sleeve targets, flew over Il
fixed course. The targets We're five
feet in diameter and q feet long.
Back and forth across the range, the
planes flew. as guns of all types fired
what looked like hot rivets. and kept
up with the course of the target. This
target was slightly less than a mile
high, and plainly visible to the naked
eye. The 37mm. gun has a muzzle
velocity of 5000 feet second. and a
speed of 60 shots a minute. The go
caliber and 50-caliber machine guns
were then turned on the target the
speed of the latter being 500 shots a
minute, but they are mounted in null
tiples of four. and in their position
they rained at the target 1000 shots a
minute as the plane raced over the
course.
Then there came on another target.
this time a mile and a half in the
air and only visible at times to the
naked eye, but discernible as the 10J
nm. gun, new development, sent its
33-pound tracer ammunition reaching
like large arm Of red hot fire into its
course. This gun has verticle range
Of miles and a horizontal range
Of IL miles, at 60 shots a minute.
There is no one at the gun to train il.
the data obtained from the range
finders being automatically transmit.
ted. and the gun moving automatically
by an electrical control.
After this display. the three inch
gun, having a speed of 95 shots a min
ute, sent its 15-pound shra pneI-filled
shells bursting all around the target.
This gun also is electrically controlled
nd oil
Examination of the targets showed
that in 129 rounds there were SO
shrapnel holes. and in another. out of
80 rounds, there were IA shrapnel
holes.
Planes Demonstrate Bombing.
There was movement then to the
aviation field, when a Martin bomber
new high. and two men jumped over
IN parachutes, and then to the main
'front.', where Martin bomber
dropped five 500-pound bombs. and
one 600-pound bomb. which tore six
gaping holes in the earth, it being
explained that these were used to
deStroy ammunition dumps. and. with
delayed fuses, to be used against the
unprotected bottoms Of battleships. as
We'll as for the destruction of bodies
Of Land troops
smoke bombs then were dropped
from the planes ana then another
pane flew low across The field emit
tlhh heavy white smoke from its
exhaust. which completely enveloped
the field and the spectators.
rms completed the morning display
ana then started the real battle OF the
daE--the fight for food 1t was served
IN real Army style. except that in the
Army the troops don't have to fight for
II as the guests did yesterday Regula.