PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 



429 



through the stock n, burstinu- 

 the paper B, and shoving the 

 powder ^, into the large 

 chamber Mof the gun, and also 

 forcing the wad in and allow- 

 ing it to expand into such bore, 

 so that it will retain the pow- 

 der. The loader is now with- 

 drawn, and the projectile intro- 

 duced in the ordinary manner. 

 This avoids the trouble whicli 

 might otherwise be met in fill- 

 ing the chamber M, with pow- g 

 der, while the gun is in a hori- § 

 zontal, or nearly horizontal po- w 

 sition • o 



A pivot carriage adapts this 

 gun to be used on the deck of § 

 such ships as the Vanderbilt or g 

 the Niagara; and if the speed a 

 of the ship was greater than g 

 any iron clad, this gun would ° 

 enable us to defeat all the iron- ^ 

 clads in the world. The gun S 

 is susceptible of such adapta- § 

 tion, by increasing the size of o 

 the chamber,and proportionately § 

 the length of bore, as to > 

 give the highest possible velo- ^ 

 city to the shot; and, by the 

 principle of compensation, can 

 be made of any required size 

 practicable to be carried on a 

 ship with perfect immunity 

 from bursting. By placing the 

 nut of the elevating screw on a 

 spring, the muzzle of the gun can 

 conform to the direction of the 

 shot as it passes along the bore 

 without breaking off the muzzle, 

 heretofore shown to be a fault 

 of guns as ordinarily mounted. 



When a shot is projected against iron plates from a rifled gun, it is 

 duced in length and enlarged in diameter, so that it would fasten in 

 hole it had made in the plate. The 

 shot here shown in section is con- 



structed with its largest diameter 

 at the front end, and the main body 

 tapers toward the rear end, except 



re- 

 the 



