SHORT NOTES ON PROFESSIONAL SUBJECTS. 
183 
117.—Mounting two 11-in. Muzzle-loading Eifled Guns on West¬ 
morland Fort, Spike Island. By Lt.-Col. W. Denis-de-Yitre, E.A. 
Cork Harbour, 
1st April, 1875. 
(1) The two 11-in. guns for No. IV. Bastion, Fort Westmorland, Spike Island, 
were slung between two Admiralty barges at Haulbowline, and dropped oil the 
beach at Spike Island. They were parbuckled up to high-water mark, and then 
transported on a 2 5-ton drug up the glacis on oak skidding (steepest gradient 
1 in 10), into and along the bottom of the ditch to the foot of No. IY. Bastion; it 
having been determined to hoist these guns from the bottom of the ditch, by 
means of 66-ft. spars, on to the sill of the embrasure (height of the escarp, including 
skidding, 26-| ft.) 
(2) The Eoyal Engineers performed the following services :—The upper surface 
of the ditch was removed, and a bed of Portland cement concrete was laid to receive 
the shoes for the feet of the sheers to rest in, at 7 ft. from the plinth of the escarp 
Avail. The concrete Avas carefully laid, and the shoes bedded in it at right angles to 
the line of its face. As pickets could not be driven into the ground, two IJ-in. 
Avrouglit-iron eye-bolts were let into the foot of the Avail, for securing the feet of the 
sheers, and two rough timber decks Avere constructed for the Apaches. 
(3) The “ List of Stores for Eigging and Erecting Sheers for Embarking, Dis¬ 
embarking, Mounting, and Dismounting Guns of 25-tons ” Avas adhered to, with 
the following extra stores and precautions, rendered necessary by the adoption of 
66-ft. spars (diameter in middle, 2 ft. 1 in.) instead of 45-ft. spars. 
Uxt?;a Stores .—40 fathoms 4-in. white rope, for lashing head of sheers, 2 pieces 
of 4-in. rope of 12 fathoms each, for lashing straps for fore and back guys to spars; 
the 15-ft. straps being 2 ft. short to take a turn round these spars, one piece of 6-in. 
Avhite rope, 12 fathoms, to lengthen the 19-ft. sling for the main tackle fall. (This 
sling Avas lengthened about 7 ft., to alloAV of its receiving the main tackle blocks.) 
Two double 18-in. blocks were used for the front guy, which afterwards became the 
back guy; the sheers Avere raised by one single and one double blocks. The gun 
Avas slung Avith a li-in. holdfast 10 fathom chain, there being no slings, and two 
18-in. single blocks were used at the feet of the sheers instead of snatch-blocks. 
(4) The Avinclies to Avork the falls were bolted doivn to the timber decks, Avhich 
were sunk about a foot and weighted Avith the Avrought-iron platforms belonging to 
the guns. The feet of the sheers were in the ditch, Avhilst the head rested on the 
counterscarp and was lashed in a half raised position. The sheers Avere raised 
without a derrick, and Avhen up stood nearly parallel to the face of the escarp (angle 
about 5°), and the guns barely touched the ‘face of the Avail as they gradually rose. 
The time in hoisting the last gun, from taking the Aveight to lowering on to the 
skidding, was 1 i hours. 
The 66-ft. sheers are capable of lifting guns in this ivay 28 ft. 
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