Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/430

* GUNS. 380 GUNS. blinded the people to the value of the rifle. Many Farrott rifles were made and used in the navy, liut it was never a favorite j?un. After the close of the Civil War the development of ordnance in o n"Ball. calibre of 13 inches and wrought-iron cores in- serted, and these were in turn bored out to a diameter of 8 inches and rifled. In the develop- ment of the new ordnance (1880-85) all sorts of dilHcultics were met, the chief of which was the crop of ideas which the mistaken views of the preceding twenty years had fostered. The Dahl- ren and Rodman smooth-bore guns had become an article of faith with the American people, who had been taught to believe that their naval suc- cesses were due to cast-iron smooth-bore guns, instead — which was the fact — of being won in spite of them. Numerous inventors and manu- facturers apjieared before Congress with ideas based upon our previous mistaken practices, but the breech-loading, forged-steel, built-up gun con- (luered its way past all attempts to supplant it. The slotted-screw breech-block was used in all the new guns. The design of these pieces was prac- tically the same as that of the be.st foreign jjraetice, and included a tube extending the full length of the bore; a lieavy jacket in one piece extending from the breech end of the t-ube for a little more than half its length; over the jacket a row of hoops; and over the tube beyond the 1900i 6" Breech Loading Rifle ie«37."2* Projectile 1902 ■, l^" Breech Loading Rifle DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING PEVELOPMENT OF orss AND PROJECTILES IN U.S. NAVY FROM 186"2 TO 1902. ,,. . ,^ t T *i * Charge of Weight of Initial veloe- -„„-„_ TVPEOFGPN Weight ot gun Length of guu g,K ^f;^„ jty per second ™^j^Sy 15-in. smooth bore 1S.7 tons 16 ft. 7.0 ins. 36 lbs. 350 lbs. 1.600 ft. 7,997 n-in. smooth boi'e 7.14 •' 13 " 3.7 •■ 27 - 166 " 1,062 •• 1,300 8-in. muzzle-loading rifle 7.76 •• 13 " 3.7 " 35 •• 180 ■• 1.430 ■' 2.627 9-in. smooth bore 4.0 •■ 11 ■■ 0.0 " 10 " 70 ■■ 1.320 - 847 100-pdr. Parrott 4.35 •• 12 " 1.4 " 10 •' 100 •• 1,080 ■■ 810 6-in. breech-loading rifie 4.74 ■• 16 ■' 4.0 '■ 36 ■• 100 •• 2,000" 2,773 6-in •• ■• ■' 8.46 " 25 •• 0.0 " 40 " 100 •• 2,900 " 5,838 12-in. " '■ •• 53.4 ■■ 45 •• 0.0 " 360 " 850 " 2,800 '• 46,246 both army and navy ceased — largely owing to jacket, hoops extending part way or all of the lack of funds. Congress refusing to grant money way to the muzzle. The first guns were made of for new work. All sorts of repairs and make- 30 calibres length: between 1883 and 1890 the shifts were resorted to, such as cutting off the length increased to 35, after 1890 to 40 and 45 breech of Parrott rifles, putting on a larger hoop, calibres, until the last model, that of 1899, SECTION OF CNITED STATES NAVAL 121NCH GUN, .MARK III.. 1899, FORTY CALIBRES (493 INCHES) LONG. SECTION OF UNITED STATES NATAL 6-lNCH GUN, MARK VI., 1899, FIFTY CALIBRES (300 INCHES) LONG. A, B. C, D. E, hoops; F, jacltet: G, tube; H, powder-chamber; J, screw-box; K, bore. inserting a lining tube, and making them into brought out guns of 50 ealibre»-in the sizes below breech-loaders. (See Ordnance.) Eleven-inch the 7-inch. Dahlgren smooth-bores were reamed out to a The breech mechanisms used in the United