VI. Fire a piece against another, muzzle to muzzle, or the muzzle of one to the chase of the other.
VII. Light a fire under the chase of a bronze gun, and strike on it with a sledge, to bend it.
VIII. Break off the trunnions of iron guns; or burst them by firing them at a high elevation, with heavy charges and full of shot.
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54. State how to unspike a piece.
If the spike is not screwed in or clinched, and the bore is not impeded, put in a charge of powder ⅓ of the weight of the shot, and ram junk wads over it; laying on the bottom of the bore a slip of wood, with a groove on the under side containing a strand of quick-match, by which fire is communicated to the charge. In a brass gun, take out some of the metal at the upper orifice of the vent, and pour sulphuric acid into the groove, and let it stand some hours before firing. If this method, several times repeated, is not successful, unscrew the vent piece if it be a brass gun; and if an iron one, drill out the spike, or drill a new vent.
55. Explain how to drive out a shot wedged in the bore.
Unscrew the vent piece, if there be one, and drive in wedges so as to start the shot forward; then ram it back again in order to seize the wedge with a hook; or pour in powder, and fire it after replacing the vent piece. In the last resort, bore a hole in the bottom of the breech, drive out the shot, and stop the hole with a screw.
56. What is scaling a piece of artillery?
Flashing off a small quantity of powder to clean out the bore; about 1-12 of the shot’s weight. The practice is discontinued.