GUNS.
The United States no longer depend upon foreigners for guns or armor, inasmuch as the circular issued in August, 1886, by the Navy Department inviting all domestic steel manufacturers to state the terms upon which they were willing to produce the steel plates and forgings required for ships and ordnance, has met with a prompt response. About 4500 tons were needed for armor, in plates varying from 20 feet by 8 feet by 12 inches thick, to 11.6 feet by 4.3 feet by 6 inches thick; and of the 1310 tons of steel forgings, 328 tons were intended for the 6-inch guns, 70 tons for the 8-inch, and 912 tons for the calibres between 10 and 12 inches, both inclusive. The rough-bored and turned forgings required by the contract were to weigh 3¼ tons for the 6-inch calibres, 5 tons for the 8-inch, 9½ tons for the 10-inch, 9¾ tons for the 10½-inch, and 12½ tons for the 12-inch. From the time of closing the contract twenty-eight 6-inch forgings were to be delivered in one year, and the remainder within eighteen months. All the 8-inch were to be ready within two years, and the 10-inch and larger calibres within two years and a half. The proposals opened on the 22d of last March showed that for the gun-forgings the Cambria Iron Company had bid $851,513, the Midvale Steel Company $1,397,240, and the Bethlehem Iron Company $902,230; and that for the armor-plates the Bethlehem Company had bid $3,610,707, and the Cleveland Rolling-mill Company $4,021,561. Subsequently the Navy Department awarded the contract to the Bethlehem Company, which agreed to furnish all the required steel at a total cost of $4,512,938.29.
The tests are so rigorous that a high quality of steel is sure to be produced. The specifications require the forgings to be of open-hearth steel of domestic manufacture, from the best quality of raw material, uniform in quality throughout the mass of each forging and throughout the whole order for forgings of the same calibre, and free from slag, seams, cracks, cavities, flaws, blow-holes, unsoundness, foreign substances,and all other defects affecting their resistance and value. While it is prescribed that the ingots shall be cast solid, latitude is given to the method of production; but no matter what method may be employed, the part to be delivered for test and acceptance must be equal in quality and in all other respects to a gun ingot cast solid in the usual way, from which at least 30 per cent. of the weight of the ingot has been discarded from the upper end and 5 per cent. from the lower end.
For breech-pieces each ingot must be reduced in diameter by forging at least 40 per cent.; in case tubes are forged upon a mandrel from bored ingots, the walls must be reduced in thickness by forging at least 50 per cent. Forgings are to be annealed, oil tempered under such conditions as will assure their resistance and again annealed, and no piece will be accepted unless the last process has been an annealing one. The forging must be left with a uniformly fine grain.
All these excellent results are the direct outcomes of the report made in 1884 by the Ordnance Board. 1st. That the army and navy should each have its own gun-factory; 2d. That the parts should be shipped by the steel-makers ready for finishing and assembling in guns; 3d. That the government should not undertake the production of steel of its own accord; 4th. That the Watervliet Arsenal, West Troy, N. Y., should be the site of the army gun-factory; and 5th. That the Washington navy-yard should be the site of the navy gun-factory. No action was taken upon the recommendation to establish gun-factories; but at the first session of the Forty-ninth Congress an appropriation of $1,000,000 was made for the armament of the navy, of which sum so much as the Secretary determined might be employed for the creation of a plant. Under this permission the gun-factory at the Washington navy-yard is now being established.
The construction of the breech-loading steel guns for the new cruisers has been energetically pushed. Slight modifications in the original designs were made necessary by the adoption of slower burning powder, which carried the pressure still farther forward in the bore, and, in the case of some foreign guns, caused their destruction. Though our guns have not suffered from any such accident, it has been deemed a wise precaution to give the 8-inch guns of theAtlantatwo additional chase hoops, and to hoop all other pieces of this calibre to the muzzle.
From a memorandum kindly furnished by Lieutenant Bradbury, United States navy, it is learned that the number and calibre of the new guns now finished, under construction, or projected, are as follows:
This gives a total of two 5-inch, one hundred and three 6-inch, ten 8-inch, twenty-six 10-inch, and ten 12-inch. In his last report, Captain Sicard, Chief of Ordnance, states that “for the new ships approaching completion we have eighteen 6-inch, three 8-inch, and two 5-inch guns finished, and three 6-inch and five 8-inch well advanced, together with all the carriages for theAtlantaandBoston, and all for theChicago, except the 8-inch.... With brown powder the following are the best results obtained in the 6-inch and 8-inch guns.
“It will be observed,” he adds, “that the muzzle velocities are as high, while the chamber pressures are considerably below those which the guns were calculated to support in service.”
During the preliminary trials afloat of theAtlanta’sbattery in July, a few minor faults were unfairly given an importance by the newspapers which led the country to believe that the ship and her armament were useless. Unfriendly critics vented their spite and aired their ignorance in condemnations which included all who had had anything to do,even in the remotest degree, with the design and construction of vessel and gun. Indeed, so bitter and persistent were they that for a time it seemed almost hopeless to expect any further good could come out of the Nazareth of public opinion. It was not a question of politics, for the journalists of every political faith ran amuck riotously upon the subject; nor was it a matter of morals, where, through intelligent discussion, better things could be attained, for with brilliant misinformation and dogmatic dulness each scribe stuck his pin-feathered goose-quill into the navy’s midriff—it being such an easy, such a safe thing to do—and then thanked Heaven he was a virtuous citizen. Finally, a board was appointed to inspect the ship and battery, and after a thorough examination it made the following report:
“In obedience to the Department’s order of the 22d instant, the Board convened on board theAtlanta, Newport, Rhode Island, on the 25th instant (July, 1887), and made a careful examination of the ship, guns, carriages, and fittings, and of the damage sustained during the recent target practice, as reported by the board of officers ordered by the commanding officer of theAtlanta. The Board proceeded to sea on the morning of the 25th instant, but were prevented from firing the guns by a heavy fog which prevailed throughout the day. The ship was again taken to sea on the morning of the 27th instant, and the guns were fired. No deficiencies were noted in the guns themselves other than a slight sticking of the breech-plug in 6-inch breech-loading rifle No. 5 (this disappeared during the firing), some difficulty in the management of the lock of 6-inch breech-loading rifle No. 4, caused by slight upsetting of the firing-pin, and the bending of the extractor in 6-pounder rapid-fire No. 5.
“The recoil and counter-recoil of the 8 and 6 inch guns were easy and satisfactory, except at the second fire of the 8-inch breech-loading rifle No. 1, when the gun remained in. (This was readily run out with a tackle.) The action of the carriage of 8-inch breech-loading rifle No. 1 at the first fire was due to want of strength in the clips and clip circles, and at the second fire to want of sufficient bearing and securing of the deck socket. It is believed that had the deck socket held, the carriage would not have been disabled by the giving way of the clips. The training gear, steam and hand, was uninjured; the gun was readily trained when run out to place. The action of the after 6-inch shifting gun No. 4 was satisfactory, notwithstanding that the front clips had a play of half an inch. The action of the broadside carriages of 6-inch guns Nos. 5 and 18 was satisfactory, except the breaking of clips, thestarting of the copper rivets in the clip circles, and the wood screws in the training circles.
“It is believed from the action of the carriage of 6-inch breech-loading rifle No. 5, when the clips were removed, that the carriages can be safety used without clips. The clips, however, give additional security and steadiness to the carriage, and assist the pivot and socket in bearing the shock of the discharge. The firing of the 6-pounder rapid-fire guns developed a weakness in one leg of the cage mount of No. 4, due to imperfect workmanship, and showed also the necessity of locking nuts on the bolts that secure the mounts to the ports. The tower mounts of the 3-pounder rapid-fire guns are unsatisfactory. They cannot be moved with facility; the line of sight of the gun is obstructed at ranges beyond 1600 yards, and the guns cannot be safely used as now fitted. For this reason 3-pounder rapid-fire No. 3 was not fired. The tripod mounts of the 1-pounder rapid-fire guns need stronger holding-down arrangements. The tower mounts of the 47-millimetre revolving cannon are like those of the 3-pounder rapid-fire guns, and have the same defects. The mounts of the 37-millimetre in the tops are satisfactory.
“Careful observation of the effect of the firing upon the hull of the vessel failed to develop any damage other than the breaking of the cast-steel port-sills and the starting of some light wood-work. The shock of discharge was slight on the berth-deck, and observers there were unable to observe which 6-inch gun had been fired. The deck, hull, and fittings, with the exception of the port-sills, hinges to superstructure doors and vegetable lockers, and some of the light wood-work, have every appearance of strength and ability to endure the strain of continuous firing of the guns. The blast of the forward 8-inch gun, when fired abaft the starboard beam, will not permit the crews of the starboard 3-pounder rapid fire and 1-pounder rapid fire to remain at their guns. When the after 8-inch gun is fired forward of the port beam, the crews of the after 47-millimetre revolving cannon and of the port after 1-pounder rapid fire cannot remain at their guns. When the forward 6-inch shifting gun is fired on the port bow or directly ahead, the crew of forward 8-inch gun cannot remain at their places. When the after 6-inch shifting gun is fired on the starboard quarter or directly aft, the crew of the after 8-inch gun cannot remain at their gun. The inability to fire parts of the secondary battery under certain conditions is due to the great arc of fire given to the 8-inch guns. This can hardly be called a defect. It is thought that a screen can be placed between the 8 and 6 inch guns which will enable them to be worked together forward or aft.
“The pivot socket of the 8-inch carriage should have a broader bearing surface, and should be rigidly bolted to the steel deck and to the framework of the ship in such manner as to distribute the strain over a larger area. The clips and clip circles of the 8-inch and 6-inch carriage should be made of steel. The clips should have larger bearing surfaces, and should be shaped to fit the circle. The circle should have double flanges, and be bolted (not riveted) on each flange to the steel deck. There should be no appreciable play between the clips and the circles. All bolts used in the battery fittings should have the nuts locked.
“The clip rail of the tower mount should be altered to fit the mount. This change will make the compressors effective, and allow the guns to be used with safety. The port-sills should be replaced by heavier sills, made of the best quality of malleable cast-steel. The plan of testing the hull, guns, and fittings of theAtlantaarranged by the Board contemplated a more extended use of the main battery, but the weakness developed in the port-sills and in the sockets of the 8-inch carriages rendered further firing inadvisable.”
Whatever conclusion may be drawn from this report, there is one fact which may serve as an important corollary. In the latest drills of the ships on the North Atlantic station, theAtlantawon the champion pennant for the best gunnery practice, and this with guns and carriages which were said to be completely disabled.
The safe employment of high explosives for war purposes is looked upon by many as a solution of certain vexed problems, and much time and money have been given to the subject. From the nitro-glycerine products there has been a loudly heralded advance to melinite and roborite, of which the great things expected have not yet been realized. Among the most promising attempts to use dynamite in a projectile is that made with the pneumatic gun, perfected by Lieutenant Zalinski, of the U. S. Artillery, who has courteously furnished the following description of the system:
“The pneumatic dynamite torpedo gun is a weapon which has been evolved for the purpose of projecting with safety and accuracy very large charges of the high explosives. While a gun in name and form, it is practically a torpedo-projecting machine, the propelling force used being compressed air. The use of the compressed air gives uniformity and complete control of pressures and total absence of heat. This insures entire absence of violent initial shocks from the propelling force; it also eliminates danger of increasing the normal sensitiveness of the high explosives by heating while resting in the bore of the gun. Theability to reproduce, time after time, absolutely the same pressure necessarily carries with it great accuracy of fire. The torpedo shell thrown by the gun is essentially arrow-like, and is very light and compact compared to the weight of charge thrown. This is a matter of no little importance on shipboard, as a very much larger number can therefore be carried for a given weight and storage room. The torpedoes projected by this machine have a twofold field of action when acting against ships: first, the over-water hull, second, the under-water hull.
“The shell is exploded by an electrical fuse. This is brought into action if striking the over-water hull an instantbeforefull impact. If the shell misses the over-water hull and enters the water, explosion is producedafterthe shell is thoroughly buried, thus obtaining the fullest tamping effect of the water. The delayed action of the fuse can be controlled so as to cause the shell to go to the bottom before explosion ensues. This is needed at times when the torpedo shell is used for counter-mining a system of submerged stationary torpedo defences.
“Experiments against iron plates have shown that it is essential to have the initial point of explosion at the rear of the shell. When explosion takes place by simple impact from the front end, the injury to the plates is actually less than when a blank shell is used.
“For these reasons the fuse has been arranged so that the initial point of explosion is at therearof the shell. No attempt has been made to make a shell which can perforate armor before explosion. To do so would involve thickening the walls to such an extent as to materially reduce the weight of the charge carried. Besides that, it is very doubtful whether a shell fully charged with gunpowder can perforate any considerable thickness of armor without previously exploding its bursting charge. Much more will this be the case where the bursting charge is one of the more sensitive high explosives.
“The pneumatic torpedo-gun system has various fields of usefulness as an auxiliary war appliance. Among these are the following:
“1st. On swift-moving torpedo-boats; 2d. On larger war-vessels, for general use and for defence against surface and submarine torpedo-boats; 3d. In land defences; 4th. For use in the approaches during land sieges.
“Torpedo-boats carrying the pneumatic guns can commence effective operations at the range of at least one mile, as compared to not more than three hundred yards of the boats carrying the Whitehead torpedoes. Their torpedo shell cannot be stopped by netting, as is the case with the latter. The charges which can be thrown are also much greater. The guns to be carried on the pneumatic dynamite-gun cruisernow building for the United States government will throw shell charged with 200 and 400 pounds of explosive gelatine. These guns can be fired at the rate of one in two minutes, and indeed even more rapidly if required.
“In the defence of a man-of-war no other means can as effectually stop the advance either of submarine boats or submerged movable torpedoes. This is due to the ability to explode the large charges when the shells are well submerged. Their radius of action will be so great as to avoid the necessity of making absolute hits. The chances of stopping the attack are thereby very much increased.
“A tube of large calibre can be fixed in the bow, so as to be of use when advancing to the attack with the ram. An 18-inch shell, containing 1000 pounds of explosive gelatine, can be thrown 500 yards in advance of the ship, and that, too, without danger of running into the explosion of its own petard, as would be the case in ejecting directly ahead ordinary torpedoes. This will be made more clear by the statement of the relative speed of the two classes. The pneumatic-gun torpedo has a mean velocity of 400 knots for a range of one mile, as compared to 25 knots for a range of 200 yards of the Whitehead torpedo. Furthermore, there is no danger of the shell turning back, as is sometimes the case with the latter.
“The opportunities of making an effective hit will be much greater with the torpedo shell than with the ram; it will be easier to point the vessel fairly at the enemy’s broadside when at the range of five hundred yards than to bring the ram in absolute contact with the enemy’s side. The gun-tubes used are very thin (not exceeding three-quarters of an inch in thickness), and may be of sections of any convenient length. The other portions of the supporting truss, reservoirs, etc., are also of comparatively light weight. They could be of large calibres, and the destructive effects producible by large charges of high explosives will doubtless have a demoralizing effect upon the defence.”
Upon September 20th of this year a public trial was successfully made with the gun, the target being the condemned coast survey schoonerSilliman. After firing two shots to verify the range, the gun was loaded with a projectile which was five and a half feet in length, contained fifty-five pounds of explosive gelatine, and was fired under an air pressure of 607 pounds. The torpedo rushed from the muzzle of the tube with a loud report; in thirteen seconds it plunged into the water close under the starboard quarter of theSilliman, and exploding almost instantly, threw a great volume of water one hundred and fifty feet into the air.
For a moment the schooner was hidden from view, but when the mist cleared away it was found that her main-mast had toppled over the side. At a distance this seemed to be all the damage inflicted, but a closer inspection showed that all the wood-ends on deck had been loosened, that the cabin fittings had been thoroughly shaken up, and that water was running into the hold.
Soon afterwards a fourth shot was fired. This landed very close to the starboard side of the vessel, and on explosion seemed to lift theSillimanout of the water.
The hull was very badly shattered; the water-tank, which had been firmly fastened to the schooner’s bottom, was blown up through the deck and floated on the wreckage, and the stump of the main-mast was capsized. The bow was held above water by barrel buoys, and the fore-mast, which had heeled over to an angle of forty-five degrees, was sustained by the steel rigging that had become entangled in the pieces of wood floating to windward.
MACHINE AND RAPID-FIRE GUNS.
Of the machine guns, the Gatling, Gardner, Nordenfeldt, and Maxim systems are the best known. The adoption of the Accles feed in the Gatling eliminates largely the liability of cartridge jams, and increases the rapidity of fire at all angles to twelve hundred shots per minute; when this rapid delivery of fire is not needed, Bruce’s slower feed may be substituted. The Gardner gun is an effective weapon, but it has less rapidity of fire and smaller range of vertical train than the Gatling. The Nordenfeldt rifle-calibre gun has not obtained the prominence of the others, and the Maxim, in which the energy of recoil is ingeniously applied to the work of loading and firing, is growing in favor. The Hotchkiss revolving cannon was a wonderful step—the 37, 47, and 53 millimetre calibres firing 1 pound, 2½ pound, and 3½ pound explosive projectiles, with muzzle velocities of about 1400 feet per second. “The heavier nature of revolving cannon,” declares Commander Folger, United States Navy, “proved somewhat unwieldy, and the change to the single barrel of increased length, and using a heavier powder charge, was a natural one, and in keeping with the growing ballistic power of large guns. Though no longer denominated machine guns, the term now being generally applied to a cluster of barrels, the rapid-fire guns are a direct outgrowth of the larger calibres of machine guns, and areclassed with them as secondary battery arms. There are now in the service of all the great military powers rapid-firing guns of 47 and 57 millimetre calibre, firing respectively explosive shells of 3 pounds and 6 pounds weight, at muzzle velocity of about 1900 feet per second. This will give with the 6-pound gun a range of about 2½ miles at 10 degrees elevation. These guns will deliver, under favorable circumstances, perhaps ten aimed rounds per minute, and the shells perforating the sides of an unarmored vessel, and bursting, after passing through into, say, twenty-five fragments, each with energy sufficient to kill a man, we have here a weapon of unequalled destructive capacity. It is beyond question that the conditions of combat between ships and forts are definitely changed by the advent of these guns. Even armored vessels with covered batteries are at a disadvantage, as a hail of missiles will seek the gun-ports and conning-towers wherever an enemy, from the nature of circumstances, takes close quarters. Experiment abroad has also demonstrated that the projecting chase (forward body) of a large gun is extremely vulnerable, and liable to injury from the fire of the larger rapid-firing pieces.
“This system, which is just now so important an adjunct to the main battery of ships of war, is of but recent development. The first order received for a weapon of this kind by the Hotchkiss firm came from the United States, and the guns now mounted in the new shipsBoston,Atlanta, andDolphinwere delivered under it. Three calibres were obtained,viz., the 6, 3, and 1 pounder, as they are known in the United States navy, their usual names in other countries being the 57, 47, and 37 millimetre guns. Since their introduction the demand for larger calibres by most of the prominent naval powers has been so pressing that the Hotchkiss Company has produced a 9-pounder and has a 33-pounder in course of manufacture. It is believed that this last calibre represents about the limit of utility of the Hotchkiss system, though the gain in time by the use of ammunition carrying the charge projectile and fulminate in one case will recommend it for use with much larger calibres, even where two men may be required to handle the cartridge.”
The most important trials of rapid-fire guns during the past two years are thus described by Lieutenant Driggs, United States navy:
“The various systems now in use, or being developed, are the Albini, Armstrong, Driggs-Schroeder, Gruson, Hotchkiss, Krupp, Maxim, Nordenfeldt. Of these the Armstrong has not been favorably received on account of the cumbersome breech-closing arrangement. This consistsin two side levers attached to and turning about the trunnions; a cross-head connects the two levers, and by an eccentric motion one of them is pressed against or removed from the breech of the gun, thus closing or opening it. TheBausanhas two of those guns, but with that known exception few, if any, have been put in service.
“The Gruson gun is said to be very similar to the Hotchkiss in its mechanism, though not as good. The Maxim and Hotchkiss are both well known. The Nordenfeldt, which in Europe is the greatest rival of the Hotchkiss, is entirely different from the guns heretofore made under this name. In the single-shot rapid-fire gun the breech is closed with a double breech-plug, which is revolved in the breech recess by a cam motion. The plug is divided transversely; the front half carries the firing-pin, and has only a circular motion in closing and opening; the rear half acts as a wedge, the first motion being downward and the second circular, the front half then moving with it.
“One of the most complete tests to which guns of this class have been subjected was that conducted by the Italian government in February of last year (1885). The trials were made at Spezia, the following being offered for test: Hotchkiss rapid-fire; improved Nordenfeldt rapid-fire on recoil-carriage; Armstrong rapid-fire; and a rapid-fire gun made at the Government Works at Venice. The Armstrong gun was not fired; the others were fired in the following order: Nordenfeldt, Hotchkiss, and Italian.
“The guns were mounted on board a small ship (theVulcano) for firing at sea. A large target was fixed on the breakwater in the middle of the harbor of Spezia, and two smaller targets of triangular shape had been anchored, one 550 yards inside, and the other 550 yards outside, the breakwater. TheVulcanowas then placed 1300 to 1400 yards inside the breakwater, and fire begun against the large target with the Nordenfeldt 6-pounder gun, which was worked by Italian sailors. A first series of eighteen shots were fired in forty-seven seconds, for rapidity of fire with rough aiming. A second series of sixteen shots were fired in thirty-four seconds. The rapidity of fire with rough aiming and untried men was thus respectively at the rate of twenty-three and twenty-eight shots per minute. Afterwards, ten case-shots were fired with the gun almost level, in order to see how the lead bullets were spread over the range. Some of them were seen to touch the water 700 or 800 yards from the muzzle, and the whole range was well covered by the 150 lead bullets contained in each of the Nordenfeldt case-shots.
“The second part of the programme consisted of the firing at threetargets, respectively at 600, 1200, and 1800 yards, the ranges being only approximately known, changing the aim at every third shot, and firing under difficulty, owing to the movement of the ship. Twenty-one common shells were fired, seven at each target, with good accuracy, and the shells on striking the water burst better at the shorter than at the longer ranges.
“The firing at sea was closed with one more series of ten rounds, fired rapidly in twenty-six seconds, in order to see if the gun would act well after being heated by the eighty-five rounds which had already been fired. Four of the last series were ring-shells, and burst on striking the water at the first impact, breaking into a larger number of pieces than the common shells. The Nordenfeldt gun was then mounted on shore for tests of penetration. The plates used were: (1) a 5¼-inch solid wrought-iron; (2) a 4-inch solid (Cammell) steel plate; (3) one ⅞-inch steel plate, at an angle of fifteen degrees to line of fire. The two thick plates were backed by ten inches of oak, and at right angles to line of fire and one hundred yards from the gun. The perforation was in every case complete, both with solid steel shot and chilled-point shells, these latter bursting in the wood behind. The thin plate was then put at more acute angle to the line of fire, and only when this angle was seven degrees or eight degrees did the projectile fail to penetrate. The indicated muzzle velocity of this gun is 2130 feet, with a 6-pound projectile and charge of two pounds fifteen ounces.
“A few days afterwards the Hotchkiss gun went through the same trials and programme. For rapidity forty rounds were fired with rough aiming in three minutes, the rate being 13.3 per minute. The shooting was good, but the men serving the gun complained of being fatigued by the shocks from the shoulder-piece. The muzzle velocity was about 1085 feet, or about 300 feet below that of the Nordenfeldt. Last of all, the Italian gun was fired, but as it was designed for 1480 feet velocity, it was not brought in direct competition with the other two guns in power. The rapidity of fire obtained, however, was about twenty rounds per minute, and both the mechanism and recoil-carriage worked well.[57]
“The Hotchkiss and Nordenfeldt guns were tried in competition at Ochta, near St. Petersburg, in September last (1886). The reports that have reached this country are very meagre, but are unanimous in favor of the Nordenfeldt gun. From what can be learned, the fire was first for rapidity, in which the Nordenfeldt discharged thirty rounds in oneminute, and the Hotchkiss twenty rounds in the same time, the initial velocity of the former being 624 metres (2047 feet) per second, while that of the latter was 548 metres (1797 feet) per second.
“The fire of both guns was directed upon a target at 1800 metres (1969 yards) range. The Nordenfeldt scored nine hits, while the Hotchkiss made none. It is more than likely that this failure was due more to defective pointing than to any defect of construction.
“The trial closed with a very interesting and instructive experiment.
“Four targets were placed at 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 metres; each gun was to fire as rapidly as possible for thirty seconds, changing the range each fire, from the 600 up to the 1200 metre target and back. During this test the Nordenfeldt is said to have discharged fifteen shots in the thirty seconds, and to have made nine hits, while the Hotchkiss scored but two hits and only discharged eleven rounds in thirty-two seconds. Here again the element of inaccurate sighting may be largely responsible for the difference in the number of hits, but the great disparity in the number of rounds fired must be due to the mechanical defects in the Hotchkiss system by which the action of its breech-block is too slow. Notwithstanding the reported success of the Nordenfeldt gun in the trials, the Russian government ordered a number of Hotchkiss guns and no Nordenfeldts.”
Engraving of gunNEW 6-INCH BREECH-LOADING RIFLE.
NEW 6-INCH BREECH-LOADING RIFLE.
The latest experiments with large calibred rapid-fire guns were those of the Armstrong 36 and 70 pounder. The first piece differs materially from the new 33-pounder Hotchkiss; it is 4.724 inches incalibre, 14 feet 2½ inches length, and weighs 34 hundred-weight. It was fired with seven and a half pounds of powder ten times in forty-seven seconds, or at a rate six times faster than that obtained with the service guns of like calibre. The 70-pounder was fired with both twenty-five-pound and thirty-pound charges, at a speed of from eight to ten rounds per minute. In the latest mount for the 36-pounder the gun is supported on a rocking slide which pivots on transverse bearings, so that the piece moves only forward and backward on the slide; elevation and depression are given by a shoulder-piece attached to the slide, and the gun is secured at any desired angle with a clamp attached to the side of the slide.
This development of rapid-fire pieces opens anew the discussion as to the comparative values of large and small calibre guns. At the present stage of the question it is safe to say that, however necessary the large calibre may be in armored battle-ships and coast-defence vessels, its usefulness in thin-skinned, high-powered cruisers is questionable. Abroad, the long-range guns which constitute the primary batteries are being reduced in calibre, while the secondary batteries of rapid-fire guns are increasing so much in size that before the next sea-war a nearly uniform calibre of four or five inches will probably be established.
The reasons for these changes are not difficult to understand. In all sea engagements hereafter type will fight with type; that is to say, apart from the rôle which auxiliary rams and torpedo-boats may play, armored ships will oppose armored ships, and unarmored cruisers and gun-boats will, when intelligently handled, seek action only with vessels of similar character. To-day every unarmored ship afloat or under construction can be penetrated at the average fighting distance by a musket-bullet impelled with a little more than the ordinary velocity; and as there is absolutely no protection, it seems a mistake to arm such vessels with the unnecessarily large calibres now in use. Especially is this true when their employment is based mainly upon the remote assumption that such ships may have to attack fortifications. Smaller guns will do the work equally as well, if not better; for the greater intensity of fire secured by the certain action of a large number of easily handled small-calibred guns is surely more valuable than any probable advantage which might be derived from heavier projectiles fired under conditions that make their effectiveness doubtful.
Whatever may be said to the contrary by mere theorists, the difficulty of handling ordnance increases enormously as the calibres grow; and sea-officers, who alone are the proper judges, insist that the monsterpieces of the present day are so unmanageable as to be nearly useless. Of course, where armor penetration is vital to success, heavy armaments must and will be employed; but when this factor need not be considered, a great many light guns, easily worked by hand, are the demands of the hour. The problem, fortunately, is nearer solution owing to the development now in progress; and when this is coupled with the rapidly increasing popularity of the 5-inch breech-loading all-steel rifle, our country notably may congratulate itself that ordnance is reverting to a plane which other nations mistakenly and at great cost abandoned, and which the United States can readily attain.