552 



NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



little or no plant, a large portion of the work of 

 assembling and finishing was contracted for 

 with private firms : 



Except two 5-inch for the " Chicago," none of 

 the other calibers had been completed at the end 

 of 1890. The average time required for each 

 during 1891 was as follows : For the 4-inch, 48 

 days ; for the 5-inch. 55 days ; for the 12-inch, 

 270 days; and the estimated time for the 13-inch 

 is 360 days. 



Gunpowder. The Du Pont Powder Com- 

 pany has produced brown slow-burning powder 

 adapted to all calibers up to the 10-inch, and is 

 now engaged upon that for the 12-inch and 13- 

 inch guns, with every prospect of immediate 

 success. Each class and caliber of gun requires 

 a special sort of powder in order to obtain the 

 best results, and its characteristics can only be 

 . determined by trial and experiment. Other firms 

 are at work on these powders, and their products 

 have shown distinct improvement, though not 

 yet up to the required standard. A new kind of 

 square-grained black powder coated with the 

 slower-burning brown variety has been tried in 

 the rapid-fire guns, with good results. But the 

 greatest advance in this department is in smoke- 

 less powder. Prof. C. E. Munroe, the chemist of 

 the naval torpedo station at Newport, has in- 

 vented a powder of this kind which has been 

 developed and successively adapted to the vari- 

 ous calibers up to the 4-inch, with excellent re- 

 sults. With about half the usual charges, the 

 velocities obtained have shown a gain of 150 to 

 200 feet a second, without increase of pressure in 

 the guns. This powder is specially safe and 

 stable ; it is uninjured by repeated heating for 

 long periods, and even by boiling in water. 

 Commodore Folger, Chief of the Bureau of 

 Ordnance, is so fully convinced of the progress 

 made in the manufacture of smokeless powders 

 that he expresses his belief that in a very short 

 time the use of ordinary gunpowder will be 

 abandoned, at least in calibers of 6 inches and 

 less, for some form of the smokeless type. 



High Explosives. The use of high explosives 

 in the navy is increasing, and experiments look- 

 ing to their employment for the bursting charges 

 of shells are being prosecuted. Armor-piercing 

 shell with thick walls and small chamber capa- 

 city require a more powerful explosive than the 

 small charge of gunpowder they are capable of 

 containing. Gun-cotton offers great advantages, 

 from the simplicity and safety of its manufacture 

 and handling. The capacity of the apparatus for 

 its production at the torpedo station at Newport 

 has been doubled, and Messrs. E. D. Du Pont 

 & Co. have undertaken the establishment 

 of a gun-cotton plant,^timulated thereto by a 

 large order from the Navy Department, condi- 

 tional upon such establishment. Emmensite, 



the invention of Dr. Emmens, is another explo- 

 sive that is being experimented with. It seems 

 to keep well without deterioration, is safe to 

 handle, and is powerful in its action. Whether 

 it can be fired through armor before detona- 

 tion is yet to be determined, but its value for 

 many purposes seems beyond doubt. An experi- 

 mental 10-inch breech-loading mortar has been 

 installed at the proving ground for testing high 

 explosive shell. 



Rapid-flre Guns. The recent development 

 of rapid-fire guns in the United States has fully 

 kept pace with the progress abroad. The lead- 

 ing types used in the navy are the Ilotchkiss, the 

 Driggs-Schrceder, and the Dashiell. The Sea- 

 bury system is likewise being experimented 

 with, and promises good results. The largest 

 caliber considered practicable for fixed ammuni- 

 tion by our ordnance officers is the 5-inch, and 

 even in that the weight of the shell has been 

 somewhat reduced. The 6-inch is. extensively 

 used in Europe, but as the cartridge (powder 

 charge, projectile, and cartridge case) weighs 

 over 160 pounds, it is unwieldy and probably not 

 much more rapid to handle than if the charge 

 and projectile were separate in the ordinary way. 

 But the 6-inch gun will be fitted with some form 

 of rapid-working breech-closure, probably the 

 Dashiell. 



The calibers in service in the navy are the 1- 

 pounder, 3-pounder, 6-pounder, 4-inch (33- 

 pounder), and 5-inch (50-pounder) ; the quick- 

 firing 6-inch gun is only of the " rapid-fire " type 

 as regards its breech mechanism. From their 

 superior power and accuracy and less weight, the 

 1-pounder of 37 millimetres bore (about l - 5 

 inch) and the 3-pounder of 47 millimetres 

 (about 1*9 inch) have practically displaced the 

 revolving cannon of the same caliber. The 3- 

 pounder has fallen somewhat into disfavor, and 

 in turn is being supplanted by the 1-pounder 

 and the 6-pounder. It is regarded as an un- 

 necessary size for most vessels, the others giving 

 sufficient variation in caliber for all ordinary 

 purposes. Too many different kinds of projectiles 

 approaching each other in size are liable to lead 

 to confusion of the ammunition supply during 

 an engagement. 



One of the features of the batteries of recently 

 designed cruisers has been the extensive employ- 

 ment of rapid-fire guns of 4 and 5 inch caliber. 

 The 6-inch, of the usual breech-loading type, 

 which has been the standard cruiser gun, has 

 largely given place to them. 



Machine Guns. The musket-caliber Gatling 

 gun now remains the sole representative of this 

 type of gun, the revolving cannon being dis- 

 placed, as mentioned above. 



Naval Proving 1 Ground. In February, 1890, 

 a tract of 659 acres at Indian Head, on the Poto- 

 mac, 26 miles below Washington, was purchas-ed 

 and converted into a naval proving ground for 

 the tests of guns, armor, and projectiles. It has 

 been put in thorough working order, and all tests 

 are now conducted there. Its nearness to the 

 gun factory and the Navy Department, and ready 

 accessibility by water, have greatly facilitated 

 ordnance work. 



Torpedoes. Up to Jan. 1, 1892, no automobile 

 torpedoes had been placed upon any vessels of the 

 navy,' but it is expected that during the coming 



