Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/835

 GUN

GUN

iron or any other metal is in proportion to its fubflahce. 2. That the leflfer quantity of powder fired in a fpace it fills, has proportionally lefs force than a larger quantity. So that if two pieces a large, and a final 1 one, be made in the fame proportions to their refpective bullets, and fired with a pro- portionable quantity of powder, the larger piece will be more {trained, will heat more, and recoil more than the fmaller f. [ f Ibid. p. n, 12.]

On this fcheme, our prefent twenty four pounders wll! be eafed of fix or eight hundred weight of ufeicfs metal ; and ■ fome pieces of a lefs calibre, as g and 6 pounders, would be fometimes eafed by 14 hundreds. Hence much larger guns of the fame weight might be borne. Thus inflead of 6, 9, 12, and 18 pounders, our thips might carry 12, 18, and 24 pounders s. £ s. Ibid. p. 14.]

Guns wouid be kept cooler and quieter, and would be of more fervice in many refpects, if their ufual charge of powder were diminiihed. See Charge.

The author here quoted is of opinion, from his own trials, that a much greater reduction of the weight of fhip-guns might fafely take place, and that one fourth, and even one fifth of the weight of the buliet in powder, if properly dif- pofed, would be fufficicnt for naval purpofes ''. [ h See the faid ^ Treatifc, p. 22. and the note.]

Gun is alio a name given by the miners, to an Inftrumcnt ufed in cleaving rocks with gunpowder. It is an iron cylinder of an inch and quarter thick, and about fix inches long, and having a flat fide to receive the fide of a wedge, and a hole drilled through it to communicate with the infide of the hole in the rock. The hole is made of about eight inches deep, and in the bottom of it is put about two or three ounces of gunpowder ; then this gun is driven forcibly In, fo as to fill up the hole, and the wedge is driven in on its flat fide to fecure it. The priming at the hole is then fired by a train, and the orifice being fo well flopped by this gun y the force of the powder is determined to the circumjacent parts of the rock which it fplits. See Mining.

GuN-Roam, in a fhip, is the apartment under the great ca- bin, where the mailer gunner and his crew rendezvous, get ready their cartridges, &c. and do all things belonging to

. their bufinefs. ., . . :

'GUNNELLUS, in zoology, the nanie of a fifh caught upon the Corn ifh fhores, and there called the .butter-fiih. It is always very fmall, and is of the anguilliform, or eel like clafs. It feldom arrives at fix inches in length, or above one finger's breadth, and has a flat and thin body ; its colour is fomething various, being either of a reddiih brown and white, or elfe of an olive colour and white, and is varie- gated all over with lines of thefe colours. At the root of the back fin it has very beautiful round black fpots, furrounded with a circle of white on each fide 5 thefe are ten or twelve in number, and run at equal diflancejs all down the back. Its head is fmall and flatted, its nofe mort, its mouth wide, with only one range of teeth. Its eyes are fmall, and it is covered with fine fmall fcales.

GUNNERS-Trt^/i?, in a man of war. See Tacklle.

GUNNERY. See the Appendix.

GUNPOWDER (£yd.)—h is generally afierted by hiflorians, that gunpowder has no explofton within the vapour of the Grotto del Cane in Italy, and every traveller who vifits that place, returns with the fame opinion, which lie fuppofes he has had ocular demon ilration. of, as one of the experiments made there by the people who fhew the grotto, is always the fnapping a loaded piflol within the body of the vapour, and this never gives fire. We owe to Lamberti the clearing up this piece of curiofity, and it is found from his experiments, that the vulgar opinion is erroneous. This gentleman on making the experiment feveral times himfelf, and that with great care, always found that the piflol indeed miffed fire, but that this did not appear a defect in the nature of the gunpowder^ but in the fire ; for he took noticed, that all the Tparks flruck off by the flint and fleel, became extinguifhed by the vapour the inflant of their appearance, and not one of them ever reached the powder in the pan, in its fiery Hate. It appeared now no wonder that gunpowder ihould not go off in a cafe in which fire never touched it ; and to try whether the vapour here would prevent its exploiion when really kindled, he caufed fome gunpowder to be wetted, and. made into a fort of pafle, in which cafe it does not ex- plode all at once, but burns away gradually. On lighting a parcel of this in the open air, and throwing it while on fire into the body of the vapour, he found it continued to burn under, or within it, as well as elfewhere. After this he tarried the experiment yet further, by placing feveral heaps of dry 'gunpowder within the Vapour on the ground j front one to the other of thefe a train was laid, and then a par- cel of the wetted gunpowder being fired and thrown into the vapour, near the train of the dry powder, the firfl fpark from it that touched the train while on fire, fet fire to the train, and all the heaps exploded at the fame inilant. Act. Erudit. Anno. 1717. As to the theory of gunpowder. See the Appendix.

GUNSHOT-fFbunds are attended with much worfe con- fequences than wounds made by {harp inflfumcnts, for

the parts are more mattered and torn, efpecially when -the fhot falls upon the joints, bones, or any confiderable part. Wounds of this kind have an. efchar formed upon them, and are therefore attended with little or no hemorrhage at firfl, .unlefs fome confiderable veflel is wounded ; but as fbon as this efchar falls off, the haemorrhage is fometimes fo vio- lent, as .to endanger the life of the patient unlefs the ready afliftanceof afurgeon can be had. For the five or fix firfl days there. is little or no difcharge of matter from thefe wounds j there is therefore no wonder that gunjhot-wounds exceed all others in violence of fymptoms, fuch as inflammation, pain,

fangrene, bv. , 'he efchar which is formed upon thefe wounds, is not occa- sioned fo much by the heat of the bullets, as by the rapidity .with which they, deflroy the. parts, and the violence of the ■fymptoms is owing chiefly to this manner of wounding. Neither is there any thing poifonous in thefe wounds, as has been by fome imagined, for nothing poifonous enters the compofition, either of powder or ball.

Gunjhot-wouwU are fome deeper than others, and in fome the mu.fcular parts .alone arc hurt ; in others the vcflels, bones, or vifcera, are wounded. Sometimes the ball paffes clear through, and fometimes it remains fixed in the wound, and frequently .carries part of the cloths, or wadding with it. From the, difference of thefe circumftanccs very different fymptoms arife. . ..

G ' unjhoi-wounds in the cranium, even the flightefl of them,. areattended with very great danger, and frequently bring on terrible fymptoms, by the concuflion of the internal parts, which they occafion ; infomuch, that it is furprifing to fee how fmall an external wound upon this part will bring on death, if not prevented by the trepan. , Internal wounds qf this fort are alio extremely dangerous, but if no large veffel is wounded, they are frequently cured.

When they, are inflicted on the bones or joints, they are attended with very bad fymptoms ; for in this cafe it is next to impofTible to efcape inflammation, gangrene, carie3» and dangerous nflulje, which either require amputation of the limb, or leave it without fqnfe or motion. If any part of the cloths, wadding, or any other extraneoUjS body, b.# forced into the wound, it muft be removed before you can attempt to heal the wound ^. and the fame caution is to be obferved in regard to any fplinters of bone : When. thefe are removed, the haemorrhage is to be flopped, then fuppuration is to be promoted, and new flefh encouraged, and care taken to procure an even cicatrix. Extraneous bodies are much eafiefl to be removed from thefe wounds at firfl ; for after fome delay, the tumor, and inflammation of the part, renders it difficult and painful : ,be- fide, the bullets will by degrees work themfelves deeper, and be buried under the mufcles, which will occafion fiflu- Ia?, rigidity qf the limb, and other inconveniences. In. ex- tracting balls that lie deep, you muff take great care not to lay hold of, blood veifcls or nerves \ which accident will be bed avoided, by introducing the forceps fliut, and not open- ing them till you feel the ball.

Sometimes the orifice of thefe wounds is fo narrow, that it is impofTible to come at the body you are to extract, without making a larger opening ; this then mull be done on the moil convenient fide, always obferving that no nerve, blood veflel, tendon, or ligament,. lies in the way. When the parts are very, much inflamed, and fwellcd, an opening of this kind is frequently of fervice ; for by this means the ob- flructed blood is discharged, and the bad confluences of the inflammation are prevented. When the extraction of" the ball is attempted, the patient muft be put into the fame poflure and fituat'ion that he was in when he received the wound. When the ball has penetrated fo deep, that it may be eanly felt with the finger on the oppofite fide, it is fome- times better to make an incifion there, and take it out in that place, than to attempt the getting it back the other way. If the wound cannot 'fafely be enlarged, nor the ball ex- tracted at firfl, without great pain and danger, it mufl be left in the wound, either till the pain is abated, or the wound is fo enlarged by fuppuration, that it cither can work itfelf out, or be extracted with leis danger. On the other hand, all other extraneous bodies are inftantly to be remov- ed, where there is danger of their bringing on pain, in- flammation, and convulfions, by being left behind. If a ball has paffed into the cavities of the body, it is heft not to attempt to extract it, _ but to heal the wound, leaving it there. Perfons have carried a ball thus in them for many years without inconvenience, and, at one time or other, it frequently happens that it will work itfelf into fome part of the body, out of which it may be extracted with lafety. Balls lodged in the bones, are either to be extracted imme- diately, or, if fixed firmly in the bone, to be left to. be let at liberty by the fuppuration of the parts ; but balls that are thrown into the joints, are always to be extracted with all poflible expedition, for delays are very dangerous ; and in- deed, in moil cafes of this kind, the amputation of the limb is found abfolutely neceflary. In wounds from large guns, the joint or bone arc frequently gricvoufly (battered ; and in this cafe, the moil prudent method is always to take off