TWO VIEWS OF 14-INCH RAILWAY ARTILLERY.
This type was evolved entirely by the Ordnance Department. It is an excellent weapon for coast defense and hurls a 1,200-pound projectile more than 18 miles.
16-INCH HOWITZER ON RAILWAY MOUNT.
A 1,600-pound projectile being loaded into the 16-inch howitzer from which it will be sent on a journey of approximately 13 miles.
16-INCH HOWITZER ON RAILWAY MOUNT.
This view shows howitzer in the act of firing.
In the design of railway equipment for high-angle weapons such as howitzers, two loads must be considered by the builders in order to provide a gun car of sufficient strength to hold its freight. One of these loads, the lighter one, consists merely of the ordinary weight of the gun and its carriage upon the car wheels. The other load, the so-called firing load, consists of the weight of the unit plus the additional weight of the down-thrust of the howitzer when it recoils. In the case of the 16-inch howitzer the firing load is 748,231 pounds. The weight of 748,231 pounds must be distributed along the tracks by the numerous sets of wheels at the instant the gun is fired.