press observes that in 1868 artillery was incapable of piercing in
one-hundredths of an inch what it is now piercing in tenths of an inch. The
principle was formerly admitted, it says, that a shell should by right have
a thickness equal to its caliber. Now, "the largest cannon in the world"
perforates a plate whose thickness is three times the diameter of the gun's
bore. What great progress! exclaim the German journals, and how jealous the
French and English are going to be! Jealous of that? Why, indeed? We are
not the least in the world so. How could we be? In the first place, we have
a gun of very great caliber--a 13¼ inch steel coast and siege piece. This
weighs 37 tons, and is 36¾ feet in length. Its projectile weighs from 924
to 1,320 pounds, according to its internal organization. Its conoid head is
very elongated, and by reason of this elegant form it always falls upon its
point, even at falling angles of an amplitude approaching 60 degrees. The
charge used varies from 396 to 440 pounds, according to the nature of the
powder. As for the ballistic properties of the piece, they are very
remarkable. Its projectile has an initial velocity of 2,132 feet, and the
maximum range is from 10 to 11 miles, say the distance from Paris to
Montgeron by the Paris-Lyons-Mediterranean railroad, or from Paris to
Versailles. Finally, the accuracy of this gun is much greater than that of
the 9½ inch steel one. Now, the accuracy of this latter is such that it is
impossible for its projectiles to miss a ship under way, and that we are
sure of playing with it against the enemy that game whose device is "We win
at every shot!" Well, we do not hesitate to say that these results appear
to us to be satisfactory--we mean quite sufficient--and that there is no
need of looking for a better gun. If there were, French industry would be
capable of producing weapons of any caliber desired. As regards this, there
is, so to speak, no limit; moreover, taking into account merely the
terrestrial conditions of the problem, we may be satisfied that the great
works of our country are more powerfully equipped than those of Essen, and
consequently better able to forge large pieces of steel.