Wire Guns

Abstract

IN the last number of NATURE there is an interesting paper on “Wire Guns,” and incidentally various methods of manufacturing guns is mentioned. Apropos of this permit me to relate a curious fact regarding gunmaking which came under my notice many years ago, and which supports the adage that there is nothing new under the sun. In the autumn of 1841 Sir H. Gough took the batteries of Chusan by a turning movement and thus spoiled the Chinese preparations. The force captured a large number of guns, some very fine bronze ones, but there were also a good many smaller iron one, and as these were of no value they were ordered to be destroyed. The Royal Artillery tried to burst these without success at first, and only after sinking the muzzles in the ground did they succeed. It was then ascertained that the reason of the extreme strength of the gun arose from its strange manufacture. It had an inner tube of wrought iron, over which the gun was cast, anticipating by many years a somewhat similar plan by Palliser.