The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-12-22 00:00:00

THE PORTLAND EXPERIMENTS.

The trials lately carried on at the Bill of Portland
niapplement thine of I nelikeith ;n certain respect&
At Inchkeith it wax sought to obtain A pint idea of
the effect .4 machine-gem and shraienel tin. on they
detacl .lit nerving a gun mounted en barbolfe
in nit emplacement of tolerably recent ,:esign. Dum-
mies were playavel round the gun in repined pneitiona.
and 11. M.tt Solon, under very favourable condition.
.1 sea and weather, carried mit come careful practice
at various range*. The results, aocurately recorded,
funiinbeel dala calculated to nerve an a correction to
mere conjecture. At Portland the objects sought to
attained were two. The merits of thy, Nfoncreeff or
" di.ppeetrine "principle of mounting gums for eziant
defence have been much discussed, and great salt-an
tagnn have been claimed for at with every ',how .1
reinon ; but no opportunity had ever been giy en to
the nyntem to practically demonstrate its defensive
Valli, It MIA, therefore, sufficiently denirable that
a practical experiment sh mild be arranged in which
" n.•rviee onalitions " thould be ofelerved Ad far as
p,ssible. at that there might Ini something definite
to net against prejudice either in favour of or twainst
the nystem. It Wan proliiimeil at the same tune, to
seek to obtain dqta all to the accuracy of howitzer
fire from a floating platform. Curve fire has bent-
fitted scarcely lene than direct fire tram artillery
progrs., and its etnploynient 'grained coast defence.
ban naturally found advocates. In his able
report on the operations in I.4typt in 1882, Cum.
mender Goodrich, United States Navy, statelY :
" The necennity of • thorough determination of the
ininsibilition of vertical fire mint lze pabent to the
most sand.n reader of thin report. It in hardly an
exaggeration to state that of all the directitynx open
to the development of ordnance at the present time,
thin iaby far the meet promising and important. The
writer feel', ntrongly the desirability, not to nay Mb
;wrack, obligation, of working out this old problem
tinder the new conditions of the moment, and
unlinvitatingly recommends it as worthy of serious
connidenttion. '
The want of enactment the direct fireof ships againxt
amen defences led some year* ago to the building of
nincial boats to carry mortars. By the end of the
Crimean war we had penbaced tar boats by the
dozen, which are now rotting in our dockyards. We
even went no far as to build frigates tat carry 13 inch
mortars. if, thervfonn, it IVAA worth while to build
special craft to carry ordnance which, to put it tnildly,
was barely able to land shelln in an average-sized
field, it may fairly be attended that the rifle howitzer,
as loch hen nhown remarkable accuracy on shore and
which n unquestiemably capable of great improve.
relent even with our present knowledge, wax worth
connideration an a weapon of naval attack. The only
coranivalele reply in, in tact, a simple Non pommies,
" You will never be able to hit anything with •
howitzer," • view which derives it.. inspiration from
the dark ages of snasoth-bonm. Unfortunately, on
acemant of naval difficultien, the howitzer experiments
luut to be postponed.
The Bill of Portland offers an almost ideal range for
the purpose. This Itah tround im the north ,ef the
inland—for Portland in an Plain' but for the wonder.
ful shingle hank which ties it to 'lee eliore—eleeliiie,
towanln the smith, forming a fairly ley el triangular
plateau almitt 3ft. ftlx,ve the sea level, Thu two
lighthionerm are well taut of &Miter leo huge.. firing in
not permitted ontaide certain hiuu.jtatd lwaringe
Comparatively few wee-oils NW near to the Bill, and
even the ulyiquitmay finhing boat., which usually con.
dire to madden the range officer, keep at a dieetnieed
A higher mite would In annuitable name it wool
introduce A ctunulituutui tutu favourabie to the target
gun. From the naval point .4 view, however, certain
drawback* ...int, drawleacke which would, 'n inehly
cat., lie felt equally by ships attacking actual coant
defences. The tide, on the eminent side especially,
;
runs very sarong ; the danger°. Shemblem hank, are
only about two mile. distant
while, on the went, the
del.th .4 wetter mak. anchoring nonirwhat
Near the Bill a circular pit was dew and moral over
at the ground level with plonking be repreaent the
I ~,, izontal oteel shield which it in propsied tat utzt'
with disappearing gone. Tlonmgh a rectangular
opening in thin ehatut olyield the dummy gun, a orertion
if w.ri and CAntll4, painted A dull mud rolour,
erne arranged to w.wk up and down. Hauling on
a n 0..., Iliwereill it kerbuw the nhielei, while minter
I weight.au rained it directly this rope wan nlatkened.
Thus, when the gut) wan down, there was nothing
whatever to indicate it it whereat., mt. tot the ship, Th.
gun iteelf, a asepy .if the new 10-inch limn:Meader,
g4lalwrian);"wialiiidte"twrra'ACl provided
noon 30ft. long, dieafinellml and realtlnared
iii
which Oithutn,l
with muck h.tu,ll o-eyu'n at r"
affreptlAr intervaln would not he
a a grans thin fel mg one 44 the n end ition. ttfl
likely ti bring .nat, the 'peels' advantage claimed for
the "dimppearing" principle. The dummy was tu
remain up and vinible for hell • minute and then to
disappear fog twouonl-half minute!, the time milli nvel,
on liberal estimate, to load it. To Gall attention t.,
the Ineitnn .4 the tan-get nun and toe i ttt i l net. its din.
elairge, a gum•eweler puff %VAX fired Clime tst the pit at.
tlor• moment of each e I bagel sunnier. WhisUter thin a as
any mil aid to the ',hip it perhaps questionable, for it
would he nyther tato for her to fire when the poll
lest on they lithe r hand, the. white smoke,
int:wring At intervals would Itelp to lie the institioll
of the unseen target nn the nimbi of the Penni.%
liUnn.'N_ •
employed nyecemively machine
suit rptick.firing guuuin, lebnich muzzleboaders firing
,ctuu,tiitttn shell and the seine gems firing shrapnel. The
I general result was practically nal as regards disabling
the gun or its detachment, .nttwitlsMandjng tbs.

auTlß.itaill.;
• • • allowing the dummy gem to I. helplennly
r,11"""" r f wtl
13111/1111V Waa on contr.., 11113 • e o• •oo 1 vele*.
of the 'Mile, it preeented a art ial
leoadno,..
lanla.chinginp:rfili.:;iriabwhilet,heelnhOraullililen.gei'lliof.wnert
which no gun engaged With • angle ohlll
would ever el,. The shunting wan. an inventa
direction, quite a. goent ens C. 4114 have
expected. from any Ain eimilarly armed
similar conditions. In ...titillating the a guilieatien..
toile re-silt., on° 31....0nee of moth., it la lit to. reummi•
1„.,.„.4 that. an fir pp mnouraey oof Ann in C (1.“
aleenee if nny return lire coed...ire I ati ml wage .4
lino/ Had emit appearni.Ce of the target,
gun la-en ll itt I I.y a *hell Which nearrely
hase aVeicled hating the enor ttttt its sin k pr. ....
by the Ilerculen. and had well volle..ded
glifin and iplickfiring gum em Atop.. ra isi lilt ,ipp..r
deck mid cleared her top., there mglit have Iteen 3
falling 4.1 f in :term:try I fire. Adedlor
ads :maize, honvever. WA, ell the aille of the nlop.
When the target gm appeared it otonel few tla•r.arella
tiou half-in ttttt te ass 11111 l intakeable lebsek dine arraolloot
the nky. Thin would rarely occur in well•pla 1111 l 41 es.a•t
detente., where a suitable background, if not Pr.,' idest
by nature, can unually be created. Per cullira. it is
only fair to note. that the 'Minch gum. of 11.. r
Nlajenty'e ahip Herculen are t,„,1
probably the worn.. for wear, while. her machine..gmin
ab.lie can lon ranked an modern antimafia. Tll.. new
breerld.nuling gulss with their flat trajectories sie.l
high ~„. ,ohcionnly trader ge eater chain .• •
of hitting the olinaloolrearing gill. When 11.414. 1:op
h.,. again it in only pelt to state that theoemetili...,d
half.minute of vinibility in anything but enolet,at
Provided that a moderately high obnerving ntati.
is ins. met far from tlw gun, all the laying eau in
perform...l ley the aid of Major Wattagea position
tinder beton. the gun appearn. Thin admirable
inntr 11111 l hes rendered sights and g ruir.r•
Mean.. and the dinappearing gun need show itn.if
only to lire and wonl.l inntnntly disappear. 1.,.
down, the modern gut. would have A less chance ..f
damaging it than the old orrfunnre, itecolint th,.
trifling angle of descent of tl.eir projectilees at cone •
paratively long range..
Ti. alsssu liii the eon... with judieed fairnr.s, th,. port.
land ex 'ermine* fully bear len all that the champion.
Ili the disappearing 'lntern have annern-I ; while is..
opponents, if there are any such, 111• Int. perhore.• ;omit,
that at leant nothing whatever in proved againnt it.
Mooi than tine. however, appears to Ito indurated 1,3,
Cheese trial... There neems to In, erm y reason to heliete
that direct fire, whether of heavy or hem v nutehiee..
guns, againnt a din.. ppear nig gun a lien dais is I ter,,,,
away ; that in the 'Mort
need iw vindele it will require it very .nart cmi
captain on hoard xhip merely to lay een her ; that the
more the ninoke 4.1.1.4111-ea it Ilie better, pro, ided a
poeition finder iii tined ; and, finally, that to enemy..
two or three &Termed disappearing guns would In. a
heartbreaking tank for a 'ship. Probably th,.
chance of disabling gun* mounted on tida nystr.lll la
anal. elmoting (min the elbjemoder quick-firing gill,,
which can Ise hamlled almost an readily as a rifle,
But, its the other hand, it el.. not neeemarily
follow that a hit from the lsounder would have an
effect upon the dinappearing gun ; and, .41 the other
hand, the latter would lie able to get through afps.'
deal of nhooting before the li pounder wan all, 1..
en • into effect ivy. action. Again, the 1111 l oni
board ship would ..renumadely tint by the ibis...n.l,
1111 01.1,, which would den., rather Mere ;
to hile• even an lloworti to thew. wonderfully handy
little weaponn the disappearing system must slan I
superh lir to all other. In a turret or & ruin oh
than half the length of the ~,,,,jero loog Wing shunt
al way,. exp....el to fire.
All considerations, therefore, mein to point to the
disappearing system an the Mont neientitir Method
ever ph, ine•l for prttleeting shore wino, &MI Ilet
to ohlaintsl being Fn, great, it her...hies
worth while to tine es ery effort to bring the
disappearing un gto precticel perfection. Th.. „,,„„
difficulty ia to render the larger guns independently
automatic, and at present no gun larger than the S.
inch —the gun exhibited in the Invention* Exhibition
—hew been thine mounted in England. With the
heavier Kuria we shall in any cane be obliged t..
accept the ',Walli etIWIlle• and AC, 1111 l 1114(.1. Whether we
like it or not. iliven power, there does not seem to
1.. any real difficillty in extending the syt.teni to
ordnance tar heavier than the 8-iiich breechloaders.—
now.