The Express.
London, England, 1868-06-19 00:00:00

AT SHORBURYNBBB.

ISHOZBURYNYSS, mar.
The experiments, so far as the Plymouth Break-
water Fort target and the 15in. iron plates are
concerned, closed this afternoon, and on 'Tuesday
next, others not a whit less important will be
made. To-day's work has not been so heavy as
on the previous days, but it has strengthened and
extended the conclusions which former results
made imperative. The firing commenced with the
Woolwich 12in. gun, from which a shell was fret
with a 761 b. pellet charge on the portion of the
target where the extra five-inch plate was
fixed. It struck fairly, penetrated snort
than 16 inches, and, aided no doubt be
the effects of shots fired on Wednesday, created a
series of cracks, extending altogether to a length
of nine feet. Towards the edge the plates were
much fractured ; indeed but for a firm nine inches
at the top an enormous piece of plate would have
been scaled completely off. Inside a bolt was
driven in three inches, the large horizontal bar
(Nein. by sin.), close to the roof, was broken
completely through, and the angle iron was much
bent. The Rodman gun, still at a 200 yards
range, was engaged with a full charge of 84#11is.
The 4601 b. ball bit the top of a bolt in the upper
plate, driving it in at least seven inches, and
cracking the plate itself slightly. The indentation
was but 51 inches, and within very little damage
was perceptible. Another shell was next dis-
charged from the 12-inch gun with tremendous effect.
Striking the curved plate that crowns the shield,
it shattered it 4enerally, and, detaching a fragment
that would weigh a ton, whirled it round upon
an obstinate bolt that acted as a pivot, and lodged
it upon the top. The charge was ordered so as to
make the actual range 1,000 yards. Viewed from
the exterior this was one of the most telling idiots
fired, and from within the point of the shell wield
be seen amongst the wreck, while the daylight
which it had let through revealed alp a broken
bolt. Keeping to the long range, a shell was
now fired from the 10-inch gun. It caught the
corner of one of the plates on the curve, and
smashed off a piece about a foot square, besidee
dislocating some iron washers at the back, and
giving the arch over the porthole • serious
shaking. The same missile was then fired at the
200 yards range, but instead of striking the plate
at which it was aimed, it cannoned againgthe gra-
nite-work at the bottom, and giant:mid upor
the iron-work only to star it. The abet
wee once more fired, but at 1,000 yards range, ful
at the target, and the force loosened some joints
and did considerable damage otherwise. Leavtni
thalislymouth target, the committee proceeded G.
teat the granite basement upon which the eatll
fort is to be reared. The American gun faced it
at 200 yards, and with full charge sent the bail
into it where the test was good. The height of this
granite work is four feet, its thickness is 14 foot,
and behind that there is a bed of concrete 22 feet
through. The shot sent the granite flying in all
directions, pulverising heaps of it as fine as flour,
and it penetrated the granite and foroed the con-
crete out into the interior. Practically speaking,
a foundation could not have been more effectually
undermined, and when this was seen some gentle-
men for the first time appeared to be aware that
however perfect the iron walls might be, they
would be of little service if the Rodman ball, to say
nothing of the shot and shell of the big Woolwich
gun, at the first fire could work such potent in-
jury. The remaining two shots were fired at the
15-inch iron plate, rolled at the works of Sir Jot=
Brown, at Sheffield. It already showed three ugly
gaps, but the penetration in neither was so deep,
nor the accessory harm so great, as in the lami-
nated structure adjoining. It was now tested
with a 12-inch shell, which, striking it not far
from the end, entered about 12 inches, and
shivered a portion off from top to bottom. The
Rodman shot, with full battering charge, was
then brought to bear, and, catehing it where
it had been riddled before, had but slight diffionity
in severing what remained.

The Plymouth target, which has an area about
as spacious as the side of a house, presented a
melancholy appearance now. It was marked with
18 missiles, two of which had, as Mated yester-
day, gone through; others had wrought deep
saucer-like indentations; others had shfvered
the five-inch plates, and strewn the heath
far and near with the fragments, and the white
powder from the destroyed granite base, to con-
clude the picture, had whitened the surface, an if
for the express purpose of showing how ghastly
were the cracks that radiated around several of the
apertures. If • the infineatialsgentlemen who came
down and held a kind of field-day on Tuesday
could have seen the target when the bugle gave
the signal for " cease firing," they would have
gone to their departmente and to their places in
parliament with a dearer appreciation of the exact
worth of the ooet than the comparatively harmless
e: eats of the first day would be likely to
allow them to entertain. However, the trials
were watched from first to last by practical
men, and they left the interesting practise-ground
this evening under the strong impression that
the forts in question would Were to be the subjects
of some very serious discussion before their iron-
armour was put on. Rxperimente like these are
capable of a variety of explanation and descrip-
tion, and when the authoritative returns which
have been taken with the utmost care from day to
day are blished, they may possibly prove more
fa e to the Plymouth fort plea of construc-
tion than unofficial observation warrants. That
laminated armour plating will net stand butting
as the solid rolled slab does is evident, but whe-
ther solid armour will efficiently check miiisfies
like the deadly shot and shell of the Woolwich
gun can only be determined by experimentalisin,g
upon a target similar to that whose oondannetion
will assuredly be asked for.
The trials yet to be made include an experi-
mental structure faced with iron of different thick-
names, and a peculiar gun shield, from which
much is eiected man by Mr. Hughes,
at the Millwall iron Company's works. The ex-
•ments have been d seeded by Colonel Baalley;.
Wilmot, of the school of gunnery, and in the pre-
sence of General Lefroy and other members of the
committee, of the directors of the Blackwell Iros
Company, and Mr. Bell, their manager of Mr
J. C. Bayley and Mr. D. Campbell, of the net
field works ; and of Mr. Hughes and Mr. Hughes
jun. (the fort contractors), of the Millvrall works

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