| Show THE ENGLISH GOING AHEAD OF US IN ix ARMS arnis it is stated in some of the papers that orders have been issued for arming the whole of the british infantry with breech loading rifles experience peri ence in our war lias has shown that this would be equivalent to increasing their numbers at least five fold we have been accustomed to consider the english government as very conservative of old methods and slow in adopting improvements but if the above statement is correct correct it would seem that they are more prompt to profit by our experience than we are ourselves in heavy ordnance too the british government is making malting gigantic strides the strange favoritism shown to the absurd breech loading system of sir william villiam vii armstrong so fondly supported by the leading daily dally press has been shaken b by the intelligent criticisms of the mechanics chanice cs magazine mine zine and engineer and is now being overthrown by the results of extensive trials the english are not following our practice at all in heavy i cast iron ordnance their heaviest guns of this material being of 8 inch caliber while we have them in use of 9 10 11 1 1815 15 and 20 inch caliber in england the attention of the Govern government men and manufacturers seems to be directed wholly to the use of wrought iron or steel or to combinations of these two materials for the construction of heavy ordnance the largest gun yet made of wrought iron is 13 inches caliber and weighs 22 tons this is the gun that sir william armstrong chooses clio eilo oses to call the we sup suppose ose on the ground that a bolt iiii might t be e put into it of sufficient length to weigh goo pounds it is rifled but with a turn ur of only I 1 in 56 and it is found that this is not sufficient to prevent an elongated bolt from tumbling over its most destructive effects have been produced by a shell nearly spherical weighing pounds and discharged by 40 pounds reya 0 ds of powder but the delusions in regard r d to sir williams humbugs humburgs hum bugs though supported by the most powerful of the daily press are being rapidly brushed away by bythe the costly lessons of experience and the enlightened discussions of the mechanical journals our na Is the best form and material for heavy ordnance will doubtless be arrived at and then th tha enormous enor appliances of the english workshops will enable them to turn turnout out cannon equal in quality to any that can be made in the world the strange supremacy which this country has so long enjoyed in ordnance was wag doubtless owing to the contempt in which our naval and military e establishments s were held by the fighting monarchies of europe this contempt is now in a measure removed and our advance will be watched with bealo jealousy by all military powers england englan france prussia and other nations are constructing heavy ordnance of wrought iron and steel and we shall need all of our skill and energy to keep pace with them england is even taking a stride far in advance of us in infantry arms an advance that will render of her troops equal of ours in in an any engagement we trust that our government will allow no other nation to get the advantage of us in the all important in matter of arnis arms scientific american |
