Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1918 — THE ENEMY’S LONG RANGE GUN [ARTICLE]

THE ENEMY’S LONG RANGE GUN

Nixon Is of Opinion That Liquid Air Is t'sed as Propeller and Cooler. New York, March 25.—Many ordnance experts issued statements here today dealing with the long range gun reported as being used by the Germans in shelling Paris from a distance of seventy-six miles. Lewis Nixon, Annapolis graduate and ordnance expert with the U. S. Steel corporation, advanced the opinion that liquid air might be used to propel and cool a shell during its long flight. “If such a thing as this long range shelling is really happening.” he said, “there must be some other propellant than powder. Liquid

air would give an enormous pressure when confined and be perfectly “Liquid air will eventually replace powder as a propellant and shells can be fired with it from rifle guns. The shell is liable to become very hot in its passage through the air at terrific speed, yet the same ingenuity that could harness the power of liquid gas could doubtless provide for the exudation of enough liquid gas to cool the shell.” Lieut. General Chikusi, head of the Japanese military mission now in this ciiy, expressed the opinion that guns with a seventy-six mile range might be made in such quantity and durable quality as to be of real military value.