Show S GUN G at 1 r c INDIAN HE D I I 4 t i. I 7 I I V. V I s S 9 I EW people realize just how great greata a test the big guns which s go to tomake tomake make up the tho equipment of oC our battleships must undergo before I the they can earn tile the right to Uncle i Sams Sam's firing line Those tests i mn mado e at the naval proving grounds Indian Head Maryland a n secluded ot bt on the banks of at tho the Potomac river put out twenty five miles from Wash Wash- ton Here the tho United States gov- gov t owns l 1200 OO acres of land and most every ever day a 0 bloodless battle tween guns uns and armor 1 is h wa waged ed on one ono ono o e o river front This conflict is Jeal- Jeal tho the public The Tho Theace sly I guarded ed from eye ee lace ace is Js absolutely closed to visitors uI ld only those who ho are arc fortunate fortunato I ough h to to obtain a pass from the buiu bu- bu au iu of oC ordnance at Washington are aro to look upon the technical ts to which the guns and armor are L The Tho government tug is tho the ily Iy boat allowed to make a landing f tho wharf hart There Is a corps of oC vat val o officers at Indian H Head ad and andese andese ese esc men and arid their families famille reside on one e C far end of the reservation avaT awa ava away T ini the thO valley alley where the firing is ise c e About civilians of whom L negroes are alC employed ed to carry carryon on dangerous not to say difficult work tho the lives Jives of our MIlas sail MIl 8 as at well as proving the awful we of ot our OUI modern guns uns Only those who have teen seen a n. gun go rough Its man many tests can fu fully reizo reizo retee re- re izo tee the havoc which is wrought by ie huge steel Instruments The Tho guns uns c brou brought ht b by tug to Indian Head Headon om on the gun factory at the Washing Washing- m n n. n navy y yard rard At the proving grou ground d harf harl a giant crane lifts them to a a. uck tick which runs on rails to a point Fear tar ear the spot where the tryout is to to- tobe be I ade de At this point another crane I its them Into position where a thor- thor ugh examination of ot the structural arts larts Is made b by the naval na officers on luty uh The hea heavy work worle Is done by th Colored es and as soon as the theun theun gun un un has been pronounced structurally the men begin to make read ready or the firing iThe The first trial Is a dangerous ex experIment exper- exper perm per per- m ment nt and accidents sometimes hap- hap ien en en and several se years ago a colored nan man an had his head blown oft off by the explosion of oC a 0 six Projectiles too sometimes perform strange an antics tics Special l precaution is taken to minimIze minim minim- Ize the number and extent of the tho dis disasters asters which might result through the freaks of ot the projectiles b by the use useI or of a a. siren whistle This is blown five I minutes before the test begins thus affording the worl workmen men who are at atthe atthe atthe I the works nearby or walking about the mounds an opportunity to seek shelter in m some of ot tho shacks erected for that purpose The whistle can be heard for tor tat mt least a mile and oven ovon the Inhabitants inhabitants inhabitants it tants of ot the tho village are prepared for forthe the ho concussion which Is little short of ot an earthquake The after effects of ot great gun fire are sometimes serious for the concussion frequently loosens from the tho ceiling of ot the houses In the vicinity and in one Instance in instance In- In stance several windows in the hotel of the village were wore shattered Nearly earh all 11 the officers officers' homes have hoe pressed Dressed I metal ceilings and man many of tho the buildings build build- ings have hae w windows made of ot a material known cnown as instead of ot glass Everybody E about the tho place has become 4 to the tho noise and the tremendous tremendous tre tre- tro- tro concussions occasion little ex excitement excitement ex- ex among the worl workers ers and the themen themen themen men in the administration building hardly look up from their books when the building seems to rock on Its foundation fou ion i The guns are aro fired tired b by electricity from rom a building building- In the tIle rear of or the battery battery bat- bat tery which is l known as the bomb P U UrI 1 t e I n I mJ t Z m i i tm t- t w. w I s Jo J t. t d i P I j 9 tJ Ao I h I t j J 1 t W v Ji t Df i C F 4 IT f 3 4 t y IJ 1 W f. f j w n f Ij Ji t r f tt y- y R h 1 tic I I t J E s. s L s. A P A J. J J l E r J f r I J 1 if il r v i u tf A I I J i g t. t ii CO ii rt f PI s r v. v it z 1 tI 1 l f Ji 11 4 hl w 7 need proof This building looks somewhat like a mausoleum It Is Js built of concrete concrete con con- crete and Its walls are five feet In thickness Itis the main place of at refuge refugo ref ret ugo uge during the firing Iring and is also a storehouse for tor the powder to bo be used during the da day Giant scales are no used to weigh out the tho powder charges which are poured Into muslin bags bag's read ready for the guns Juns The utmost precaution precaution precaution pre pre- caution Is used for toJ nothing is taken for on granted and er e every move mo is noted b by the officers When hen ever everything is rend ready the officers retire to the hill hili In Inthe inthe the rear of tho the battery batter the signal nal is given n and the man at the electric ke key presses the button Tho The flight ht of ot the shell Is most carefully observed This I is done over o and over again for Cor each ench gun un large or small Is fired at least five lyo times with increasing charges chares of ot powder until the maximum chamber pressure Is one and one-fourth one times that required for actual service This I Is followed b by the elevation and getting getting getting get get- ting it pointed on a fixed mark after which It is fired over the river range and the officers note noto the places where the shells fall Calm weather is Js preferred preferred preferred pre pre- for this work for wind and at atmospheric atmospheric at- at conditions sometimes change the whole routine of ot a test Much ruch might be written from a technical point of ot view on the smokeless smokeless smoke smoke- less powder used and as to its general general general gen gen- eral effects but man many of oC these facts th the nav navy authorities prefer to keep to themselves This powder which looks like pieces of ot perforated horehound cand candy is Jl all nil manufactured at Indian Head Head about about a dozen buildings being used for tor the tho purpose J The Tho effect of ot the concussion on the mount or gun carriage Is also carefully carefully care care- fully rully watched because tho the carrier must b be strong enough to absorb the recoil recall to a certain extent as any great yielding yielding yield yield- ing or stretching might affect the range of ot the tho shot and the correctness of oC the fire tire All this requires repeated and In one year ear more than shots have been fired at Indian Head in proving pro out guns This did dill not Include the small arms The velocity elocH of ot the shell as it is hurled through space is another problem lem and this is It worked out b by the aid of the chronograph o. a delicate lu instrument In the office of ot the tho administration administration administration ad ad- ministration building When the speed of the tho projectile Is to be tested tho the gun gunIs gunIs gunis is sighted on two screens which are suspended in tho the air all feet teet apart These screens are connected b bv by wire with the chronograph in the a quarter of a n mile awa away This Instrument instrument ment or rather Instruments for tor I there are arc three in number each working on the same gun In the the- following manner manner man man- ner A long rod lod coated with silver soft sort enough to allow dents hangs by bya a magnet which Is In circuit with the first screen When the gun is ih fired tired tho the shell tears the wires of the screen tho connection Is Js broken and the tho rod begins to fall As the next screen is Js pierced reed it releases a second rod which touches a spring causing a a. knife knite to shoot out mal making a mark on the first rod the distance between this mark and the initial mark accounted for beforehand beforehand be be- forehand Is la the measure of or tho the distance fallen by tho the rod while hilo tho the shot Is passing o over or r the tho distance distance- from Crom the first to the second s cr cn By the known Jaws laws of oC gravity the distance fallen by bythe bytho bytho tho the rod together with the distance Istance between the screens furnishes the basis for calculating calculating- the velocity of oC the tho projectile Tho The speed varies aries from 1500 to feet per er second the tho shells of or our newest guns making the la latter lat lat- t- t ter tei speed The chronograph is the In Invention Invention Invention In- In of a n. Frenchman n. The chronoscope which is also In thu office Is 15 oven a more delicate piece of ot machinery and records the time from tram the explosion in the powder chamber chamber cham cham- ber to the Instant the shell leaves lea the gun This is Js done by a C spark on tho the machine as the powder is exploded and another when the projectile passes the muzzle and in so doing breaks the small wire in connection with Ith the In instrument In in- strument A drawing Is made mode of ot evor every test and later Inter transferred to blueprint blueprint blue blue- print paper and put on record Now that tho the strength aiming it ity and velocity of ot the shell of ot a gun have haye been tested the flight between It and the armor such as Is used on modern battleships begins Sometimes Sometimes Some Some- times an experimental target such as the tho counterpart of at the section of ot a battleship IH is set up and a against this various sized shells are fired tired in order to note noto tho the destructive effect on the interior Our newest battleship Is Js to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of oC and the I greater reater part of oC this exp expenditure goes Joea for tor guns runs and ar armor armor ar- ar mor and tho the latter is quite as rigidly tested as the former A searching chemical analysis of ot every evory piece I Imade la is lamade made a and nd It must undergo something like thirty different examinations A thoroughly hl equipped laboratory Is maintained for this purpose at Indian Head After the armor has been pro- pro 71 n. n p plate t Is set i up ip on r tho the tho proving r g grounds js usually about feet from the tho gun un which la is to try tr its po powers pon n of or reals- reals tance tanco This process is quite Quito as dangerous dangerous dan dan- rous if IC not riot more so 0 than th the test of a gun for steel splinters are arc lIk likely ly to o fl fly through h the air all and here again tIm the greatest precaution is taken and everybody Is kept out of ot the danger zone Toone After terrific crash and the shower of ot steel has passed away tho the result of or the I gun un fire on the armor armors tl is s examined b by the officers and a a photo photographic record made b bv hr tho the official official cial photographer photo Tho actual Impact has hns been beon photographed several times with more or less success and more or orIc oress orless Ic less ess s destruction for tor or photographic anI an- an I The camera was operated b bv by electricity In the expo exposure ur of plates Fantastic figures are arc often orLen formed on the he armor and as a result of ot one ono test the perfect profile of a woman appeared on tho the steel stel plate Later in inthe tho the dav tho exploded shells shoJI are du due out of the sand arid and carried to the tho shell dump Indian II ad has been the scene of or orsome some remarkable tests Recently the aeroplane gun un was sas tried out there thero And its ts success makes aeroplanes practical practical- lv h v useless In time of war It was fired tired at it on nn angle anKle of or five eighty degrees al almost almost almost al- al most perpendicular It has a ran range c of ot over three miles and can tire fire fifty shot per minute As no aeroplane hll has hasas hasas as ns vot attained this height It can be he herca rca readily understood how destructive this gun J will ill prove to an nn air craft It ItIs Itis Its Is s said sall that the navy nav department contemplates contemplates con- con templates the manufacture of ot a A. largo large number of or those these guns In guns In fact tact enough tn o place a battery of ot thorn them on the d dAck ck of every cry warship In the tho navy The Tho guns cuna are being built hullt at the tho eun wun factory factor in I n the na navy yard at nt Washington D ID C. C Fuses are arc also tested and on the bank of ot the river ri a plate plato of at the thinnest thinnest thinnest thin thin- nest armour such as ns is used for torI tor- tor nedo neda boats ha has been boen set up as a fuse tuse I t Loaded and fused shells are fired against this plato plate anti and the bursts observed Before this can cm be done a clear range ranco of seven miles must be bo had on tho the river There Is also a covered firing butt hutt containing a plate with a n number of screens behind it This is used not nol only to determine I the distance but also the character of at th the bursts hurst Our twelve Inch armor piercing projectile pro pro- is Raid said to we weigh gh little loss less than pounds but going at a n. speed of perhaps 2000 2001 an hour It can bo hel readily Imagined what the impact will be From a scientific point of view In Indian Indian In- In dian dJan Head Hearl Is full of interest but the 10 thinks only of the awful destructive destructive de de- de- de power of or these giant guns which lie He In the alley of oC the proving grounds Arounds their stamp stamp tho tho p Is I which official means menns largo large perfection per per- tCHon after ft n rigid test It It must be something something akin to be beIng being being be- be ing struck b by b a ton train said a 0 after atter he had congressman witnessed a agun agun agun gun and armor battle ale or worse Nothing Nothing- seems eem to be loft Ion undone and Uncle Sam Sam Eam is 1 hi his gal Jal gallent gat lent lant sailors wl with the best kest weapons skill shill and science can n provide n e. e |