THE LATEST BIG GUN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LII, Issue 5168, 15 June 1891, Page 3

THE LATEST BIG GUN.

(From the San Francisco Chronicle.) Many army and navy officers think that John Hamilton Bcown, of Groenvillo, N.J., has practically settled the heavy ordnance mjCs'ion by inventing bis scgmentitl tube y?iro gull, Tbo Brown gun is essentially n i\ wiro gun. An fijnei" tube made up of numorif ou9 stool segments to vuutirj with ateol .wire is at a tension of 160,0001b to the Bflunvo inch, id l'his bo compresses tho gogincnts that nc id possible powder pressure will opon tho inner re Durfftoo of the tube. il In winding tho yiro a tension rogulalor ii il, omployod, by moans of wliiolj tho tension ul •y which the wiro ja wound io brought withii j£ oue-tontU o£ an ounco of uniformity through it out tho entire maw, To protect tho win

) from missiles of rapid-firing guns a cast stee; i jacket encases the wire-wound tube, and tc i this jacket tho trunions are attached, > Finally the completed gun is bored out to ■ recoivo the lining tube. This tube, however, ! is inserted only to receive the core, i Two si7.eß of the Brown gun have already ; baon dosigned, a Din and a loin gun. A sec--1 tion of the proposed Sin gun was tested at , Ford Wadsworth. Tbe section teßted was a i cylinder 20in long. At each end a steel cap hud been sunk around the segment of th« ate, land into this was screwed a breech-plug. Pressure gauges were screwed into tho inner face of one of the breech plugs, and by these the pressure was measured und recorded, the primary object of tho tost boing to show that the Brown gun can bo subjected without strain to a greater pressure than any other higher-power gun, thus securing preater energy and velocity than have heretofore been possible. The ordinary pressure of tbo high-power gun ia from 38,0001b to 48,0001b per square inch. At a private test of the Brown cylinder held with 31b and 4dz powdor, tho enormous pressure of 75,2201b to the Bquaro inch was obtained. After the last discharge the breech-plug uuscrovrod with as much easo as it did before the first fire, and the test was reported a brilliant success. The official test was not so successful as tbe private one. Viewed from one standpoint, nevertheless, tho Btrength of tho oylinder was demonstrated. When tho 3lb charge was touched off the lining of the tube cracked and the brsaoh plugs were found aoldored to tho cyliader, tho screw threads being completely molted. Tho cylinder will have to be brought to tho city and tho plugs bored out. Until then the pressure obtained by this charge cannot be learned. Inventor Brown thinks that it will exceed 60,0001b to the square in. Tbo proposed sin gun will be 45 calibres long (18ft 4iu.) over all and will woigh about 3i tons. It will tako 301b of powder for a charge, and 601b of ehot for a load.