2 
the bore pressures. General Wille gives the result of that movement in the fol¬ 
lowing table: 
Krupp Guns. 
Gruson Guns. 
Canet Guns 
3-inch 
of 27 calibres. 
3-inch 
of 28 calibres. 
3‘2-inch 
of 26 calibres. 
3’36-inch 
of 27 calibres. 
3-inch 
of 30 calibres. 
3*2-ineh 
of 30 calibres. 
3" 28-inch 
(bronze) of 26 
calibres. 
3-ineh 
of 32 calibres. 
Weight of gun. 
... cwt. 
6 
8-22 
8*08 
92 
7-2 
9 
8-73 
7*18 
„ projectile 
... lbs. 
9-75 
15 
15-4 
15*4 
15-4 
15'4 
15*4 
10‘12 
„ charge ... 
... n 
•946 
1-54 
1*87 
2-2 
i-54 
2-09 
1-87 
1-98 
Size of grain . 
... mx 
2 
4 
5 
5 
1 4 
6* 
4 
Muzzle velocity 
... f.s. 
1814 
1798 
1837 
1932 
1640 
1903 
1739 
I 2162 
* energy . 
ft. tons 
222 
336 
360 
398 
287 
387 
323 
328 
Energy per cwt. of gun 
It 
37 
41 
45 
43 
40 
43 
37 
46 
Max. pressure tons per sq. in. 
13 
14 
13 
15 
13 
13 
124 
15 
The relative energy of the German gun of 3•2-inch calibre which was 25 foot 
tons with large grain powder jumps up to 45 foot tons with Nobel powder, and 
after these two giant strides, namely from 13 tons to 25 tons, and from 25 to 45, 
we are only half way to the point General Wille hopes immediately to reach. 
The reader must bear in mind that we are only dealing with field guns. Cap¬ 
tain Moch gives a closely reasoned argument supported by figures to shew that 
General Wille cannot possibly attain the energy he desires without an extra¬ 
ordinary and impracticable increase of pressure. The General says we are only 
beginners in the matter of nitrogenous explosives and sees no reason why a 
velocity of 2625 f.s., or even more, should not be obtained without excessive 
pressure : and urges that hitherto the guns served with the new powders had 
been constructed for use with black powder. The General looks forward therefore 
to an improvement in powder, and would almost seem to share a common error 
among the uninformed that the new powders have suddenly appeared by a sort of 
spontaneous generation, and that another phenomenon of the same sort may any 
day occur. The fact is, gun-cotton and its first cousins have been studied for 40 
years, and a constant effort has been made to adapt them to ordnance. It was 
only after long methodical research in France that <c at the end of the year 1884 
a general method was discovered at the Laboratoire cent?'al des poudres et sal- 
petres for the regulation of their mode of combustion and of their adaptation to a 
weapon of a given calibre.That substitution has resulted in giving 
to the artillery the most powerful explosives known at present. The use there¬ 
fore of some other explosives than those selected could only result in some small 
improvement of detail, and a new step in advance, comparable to that just realised, 
could only be made by the discovery of explosives of an altogether different type 
from those which chemistry has now placed at our disposal.” 1 
There are certainly no indications at present of a new chemical change in the 
direction required for the fulfilment of General Wille’s conceptions. 
It is possible that some advance may be made in gun manufacture by means of 
steel wire, realising greater power of resistance and economy in construction. 
1 Memorial des poudres et saljpetres , vol. 3, pp. 11-12. 
