GUNS. 385 GUNS. pedestal nioimts, Ijut siiiipliT, tliou{;h fully ade- quatv U) their purpose. Kail mounts consist of qu sockets bolted to the rail or upper works of a sliip in which tit the stalks of tiie top-carriages of light guns. Mounts for light guns in military tops run on a rail inside the top-rail, and the force of the recoil is received l)y a damp <'.tcn.l- ing over the top-rim. Turret mounts are by far the most complicated of any fitted in ships. For small guns llu'v differ ehieflv in the ammunition hoist and training mechanism, which latter is necessarily effected by top of the turret ) who attends to notliing else but means of a motor — electric, steam, hydraulic, or keeping the guns directed to the proper part of compres:,ed air — as the whole turret and contents the enemy's vessel, following the directions of the turn when the gun is trained. In turrets for turret officer. The gun-tirers are in the side large guns the sv/.e of the guns entails numerous hoods. Each has controlling meehanisin for ele- special appliances. The shell and powder-charge vating his own gun and the siglit. which in our made in short lengths separated from each other by disks, which are free to move with the springs. The annnunition car, hoisted by a wire rope, the motive power usually electric, carries an entire round — powder and projectile. It is stopped in rear of the open breech and the shell, and then the ])owder pushed in by a sectional rammer, also operated by electricit.y. The training is done by a turret trainer in the central or forward hood 1 an armored lookout large enough for the head and shoulders, and rising about a foot above the PEDE8T.L MOU.NT. .MARK VII.. TOK G-ISCH BBEECH-LOAUINU RIFLE, MARK TI., CXITED STATES NA W.— LilSllITirmNAL SECTION. 1. Pedestal : 2. top carriage rest on ball-bearings : 3. pivot ; 4, 5. composition rings ; 6, vertical rollers ; 7, gun- flrers' platform : R. hand-rail : 9. bracket ; 10. sleeve through which gun recoils; 11, recoil cylinders; 12, recoil cylinder piston-rods: 13, elevator wheel; U. elevator shaft; 15. elevator shaft (horizontal) ; 10. elevator worm- wheel ; 17, elevator worm-wheel shaft : 18. elevator worm-wheel uut connecting to lug (24) on gun by two arms (25): 19. training shaft ; 20, training wheel ; 21. training worm ; 22. telescope sight ; 23, training gear-wheel nhich trains gun by working in rack (26) ; 24. 25, see 18; 26. see 23: 27, n-coil band to which recoil piston-rod is attached. are both too heavy to handle, and power appli- naval service is invariably of the telescopic type ances are necessary, not only for hoisting them up and carried on a side arm which is given the from below, hut for loading them into the gun. proper direction by a system of parallel motion Nevertlicless. in the general arrangement of recent connecting with the trunnions of the gun-slide, turret mounts much has been borrowed from the The magazines and shell-rooms are grouped about lighter deck types. The gun is generally balanced the base of the turret shaft leading below, and on extension's (called Iciiife-rdficn) projecting are fitted with shell and powder trolleys for from the trunnions which are shaped like V's, bringing ammunition to the ammunition car the sharp edge (not very sharp by the way) rest- when it is down: and the men handling the am- ing on a hard steel bar. The latter is supported munition are under the orders of the turret at the ends, and gives sufficiently, when the gun officer. is iired. for the trunnions to drop .02 of an inch Bibmography. For further information on and bear against the heavy trunnion seats. As naval guns, the reader should consult the follow- the gun is normally supported on the knife-edges ing works: Annual Reports of 0/Jirr of Naval and is quite accurately balanced on them, it is InlcIUficitce (Washington); Proceed i it (js of the easily elevated and depressed by hand gear. The Viiiled SItates Naval Institute (Annapolis. Md. ; recoil is taken up by four recoil cylinders cm-rent) : Animal Reports of the Chief of Bureau equally spaced about the gun and containing of Ordnnuee United tytales Navif : TngeranU. Text- pistons working in a mixture of .SO per cent. Hook on Ordnance and Ounnerif (.Vnnapolis, glycerin and 20 per cent, water; the cylinders l.SilO) ; Brassey. Naral Annual (London, annii also contain the heavy counter-recoil springs ally) ; the Naval Pocket Book (London, annual-
