The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-04-15 00:00:00

lirtng ant Nabg.

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A return hes been forwarded to the Admiralty nub.
number of new vessels now building at Woolwich and
Deptford, and their present state of pr
West. In all
the navy yards the conversion of timber for ship-
building purposes has been suspended 'until further
Orders. Every egirtion is now bring used upon the
iron-cased frigates, Caledonia, at Woolwich, and the
Valiant ,building at the premien of Illosern Bailie and
Compbell, Isle of Dog*
Captain COIOS biss written a latter for the purpose of
showing that he invented cupola shields on the same
prinsiplet as this kfuniturao far imaisaa 1883. The 'wi-
dens, of this claim, if anybody dontita it, will be le_._nnd
no doubt* the retort of tlia Board appointed 1535.
by the Commander-in-Chief, to investigate the merits
of Captain Cole's -shot-proof rafts, guns, and snorters.
The Coles raft was i Monitor in prociple„if n in
details. Mr. Whitworth, who fabricate* instruments
of aggression, for the purpose of battering to pieces the
weans of &deem fabricated by our Coles and Ericasions,
statm that he is justitb3l by esti( riatents in asserting
that not only solid, but also hollow, flat-fronted pre-
iertd,s. cambia of bens* Dimmed with explosive or
ootubtutible compounds, may be Bred through iron-
plated vesseh at much greater ranges than those at
whish the recent action was fought between the
Monitor and the Merrimac. The Boys] Sovereign, 131
ana _it now being contorted into a 'l2-gun cupola
ship, on-Voters prineiplel and the Bulwark, 91. 1. also
to be areeedrffilited ; and also the Belvidere frigate.
It is father stated that In the, event of se difficulty
being raised on eke part of the 'professional advisers of
the depastineaditt is. proposed to cot, down several of
the threadeekett end plat* them. The Duke of Wel-
lington, the alder .hip of the Royal Sovereign, is to
be amongst Om auwber that is to be thus dealt
with.

IMPORTANT EXpiRtmENTR AT SLIORBURYNRSR.—
While all Europe is just now ringing with surprise
and almost consternation at his practical results of the
gram naval Curl between the iderrlmse end the Monitor,
we have to record still wore important experiences,
which are the eery opposite of them elicited by the
contest ia Hampeolorosda In brief, serne-esperimente
were triad at Shoeburyuest, On Ttundol slterno.tud wtlb
e now gun, of large size and great calibre, Whiol444lwed
at every diesharge that our beat andhithartocooddered
invulnerable forms, of iriessides were, so to speak,
almost as eisilY penetrated ky its shot as if thelergets
had. been of timber! For the last tem or three years
there has been a keen and wholesome rivalry between
the War-office and the Admiralty—the former striving
to devise irresistible artillery, the latter to build invul-
nerable ships. In the course of this emulation au
immense variety of experiments has been tried at Shoe-
buryness upon every possible combination of iron, iron
and . wood, iron and ladierulaber, iron and wire, and
ironand hemp. Not only have the inventions of every
eudoent engineer been tried at Shoeburyneas. but
sections of the ships which foreign Powers were building
have also been tested. It may amorists our readers to-
learn that even the eonatruction of the Monitor lan
not escaped the vigilance of our Gemernment A
section of it has been erected and fired at Shoe-
buryness, and proved to .be as vulnerable almost
as timber, even to mar eoiumonest muule.loading
guns. Eves new, that no chance may be neglected, •
target is , being made of railway bars dovetailed and
rivetted together in the mune ingenious manner as the
coaling of the fderrinuic, and this also will be tried in •
few days, and bevoad • doubt with much tbe same
results its attended the trials at the Monitor target.
The practical results' of all them experiments has been,
that the War-office has brought to perfeetion the
Armstrong guns, which, as rifled and breech-loading
orduanom are, the hest in the world, while, on the
other hand, the Admiralty has succeeded in turning out,
not only the fastest, but the least vulnerable ships
afloat. A short time since • target, 20 feet Imig by 10
feet wide, and made exactly of the came materials and
taigth as the Warrior's broadside, was erected to be
at Shoebnrynem. During the whole of sae day
and part of a second, it was subjected to the most tre-
'Random proof. Solid We, 100-ponnders, and 200-
pounders were fired at it singly and in sabres of three
and six guns at • time, but all in vale. The concen-
trated volleys flew- off in a hall of iron splinters. The
target rang, grew almost red-hot in parts, but no missile
passed beyond its iron armour. Ths Warrior, therefore,
and her Meter 'hips were justly deemed invulnerable,
and the War-office had for the time to admit that the
Admiralty had oonstrncted a veasel which practically
they could not injure. But the victory has
not remsined With them for long. Sir William
Armstrong has made • 300-pounder on his
own admirable principle of wrought-ton coils. This
gun is about 14 feet in length, its weight is twelve tens,
and its diameter at-the inmate 100 inches. It has net
been rifled, aad therefore, Miring the experiments of
Teesday, it only threw round solid shot of 1561 b weight.
11 rifled for the Arinstroog shot, which is about two
and • half 011111111 the length of its diameter, ii would be
a 300-pounder. The gun, unrifled, and, with solid shot,
wm,tried against that great champion of heavy weights
whieh hae hitherto mese off victorionsin all encounters
—the redoubtable Warrior target. The great interest
was consentroted on the effeot,of the bet shot. With
the high speed which. our Warrioreirreknovrote possess,
and therefore the quieknesa with which they can steam
peat batteries or iron ships, it.,, reasoned, with per,.
foci truth, that it was next to impossible in a running
fight that they isould be bit twice in the same place. If
the target kept out one shot, there WWI every hope of •
ship hemming out eIL Tin first shot, • 156-pounder,
was fired withareharge of 401 b. of powder. at • distance
of 200 yards.; This solved all doubt.. With an hide,
°ribald@ ornsth.that 'Mailed fearfully with the report
of the giamthe shot alma epee • comparatively unin•
jared ;late, chattering the iron mass before it into little
crumbs of metal, splintering the teak into fibres liter-
ally as small es piny and, though not paring quite
through the 'Woo yet bulging aad rending the inner
skin of the Adrian way that would have rendered it
almost impossible to stop the leakage. The seeond shot
(still with a. 40 lb. charge) struck close by the side of
toe first, making the previous damage tenfold worse, if
p issible. lics these who did not actually see the expert-
molts it would be difficult to describe the manner in
winch the iron opposite the minds was broken into
minute fragments like glee.; hoe the teak was 60
utterly disintegrated that it more resembled tangles of
fine trios than even the remains of woodwork; and
, bow, above all, the inner iron skin was ripped into gaps i
like torn paper. Theseetwo shots were quite *inclusive
AS 00 the power of the gnu. Had they struck an iron
frigate at the water line, no means could have pre-
vented- her from sinking in half as hour. Still,
however, the shot bad not gone completely through
the side, it WSJ the great object of the experi-
ments to accomplish. The aflame of powder was
therefore Unnamed from 4011,. to 501 b., and the gun
levelled at the uppermost plate of the target, which had
been left untouched in previous tests. On this plate •
white spot win paiated to guide the artillerymen, and
so true was their aini,—so exactly was the centre of the
mark stmoki—that every vestige of the paint was I
obliterated. With this increased *barge the shot
passed, not only through armour plate, teak, and inner
skin, but buried itself in the massive timbers that
support the target, and even loosened the blocks of
granite by which the whole is booked up. Had it been
the side of the Warrior against which this nais.ile was
directed, it would Sot only have gone through the side,
but nearly through the opposite aids,, well. Another
white mark was then made on the lowest plate of the
target, and again the artillerymen hit it with the
✓ane marvolloos precision, and with the same
result. The shot went through everything, and even
the fondest believers ha the invulnerability of oar
presentironsides were obliged to that against sash
artillery, at such ranges, their plates and Aides were.
almost as penetrable as wooden ships are sow to the
plain old-fashioned long 32's. Of course after eueh
decisive results, no further experiments were tried;
indeed, they could not be, as the 156-pounder evideetly
thought it bad done emiagh work for the day, and at
the last discharge recoiled so much as to get off its
wooden platform, and imbed the hind wheels of its
carriage in the stiff, yet watery clay, for the production
of which in the largest quantities at the shortest
notice Shoebtrryness stands unrivalled. But quite
enough had been accomplished, and Admiralty official.
sad armour shipleulders coedit only admit to each other
in a kind of confidential dismay, that artillery had at leet
proved too mush for them, and that if invulnerable ships
were to be constructed they must begin de sore. It
was Wear to all that the Warrior would not stand
the least chance against the new gun; men unrifled.
The Tisasssays:--It is understood-that the Admiralty
on Thursday contracted with Messrs. tioesuda for the
construction of one of the cupola iron ships-of-war,
under the Invention of Captain Coles, R.N. of which
I the Monitor is an imperfect imitation. The pries is
Sit 15e, per WAS, illolllClillg oVerythiag ' • and the vessel
is to be ready for launching on the 3rd of February
next, end to be delivered fit for sea on the Ist of Jena
following.