The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-11 00:00:00

RUSSIAN ARMOUR-PLATES.

On Saturday afternoon the first of a series of
enormous iron bars, ordered to be rolled by the
Millwall Iron Company for the Russian Govern-
ment for the construction of a powerful iron fort at
Cronstadt, was rolled most successfully in the pre.
Bence of a large number of visitors. It is now some
years since efforts have been made to induce our
own and various Governments to sanction the adop-
tion of iron instead of granite in important laud
forts; but it is only recently, and since the con-
struction of the ironclads have proved the value of
the system, that the proposal has been entertained.
Armour-plates of immense thickness are now being
made at Messrs. Brown and Co.'s Works at Sheffield
for the Belgian Government, to be used in the
construction of some additional iron defences at
Antwerp. France, it is said, intends similar works
on all the more important
.points of Cherbourg's
sea defences, and now Russia has ordered the
materials for an iron fort at Uronstadt. The enor-
mous advantages which iron possesses over stone,
not alone in its utter impregnability, but in allowing
the guns the widest range while limiting the open-
ing of the embrasure to little more than the width
of the muzzle of the ordnance, has long been seen,
and the general adoption of iron for land defences
has only been checked by the difficulties of manu-
facturing such enormous masses sound throughout.
But, with the experience gained in the manufacture
of our armour-plates, the great foundries through.
out the kingdom are improving every day, and con-
tracts are now eagerly sought for which, four years
ago, every firm would have refused, as requiring
manufacturing impossibilities. The bars rolled at
these works on Saturday, however, were in advance
again upon what has been hitherto done, and the
result was looked forward to with some doubt,
for each bar when delivered was to weigh six tons,
to be 13 inches square, to be tongued and grooved
in the rolling, and to be perfect in its soundness
throughout. The furnaces were opened at 3 o'cleotk
and the immense mass of metal was drawn forth on
to an iron truck, heated to a brilliancy that was
almost blinding iniits intense whiteness, and in-
stantly changing the temperature of the vast fac-
tory to a scorching sulphurous heat that was ineep.
portable. Directly it was out, workmen,
Melding
their faces as they best could, swept the impurities
from its surface with long brooms e
'lnked in water,
but which nevertheless lit like trow the instant they
came in contact with the ire:d,
like a gigantic firework. It which was sparkling
was then let down the
incline to where the
largest fly- wher: rollers, turned by one of the
is in the kingdom—more than 100
tons
and nearly 40ft. in diameter—was
waiting
to crush the mass into its required form.
Thi-
o was the critical moment ; for an instant or
cwo the rollers failed to grip it, but at last they
caught it, and tho whole machinery moved slower,
as amid loud cheers from the workmen they began
to wind it in. As it was slowly crushed through,
the refuse melted iron was squirted out in showers
in all directions, and as the mass emerged from the
rollers on the other side it lit up everything with a
bright, lambent flame, said to be caused by the pres-
sure to which the bar was subjected. This was
only the first roll, but it bad to be passed through
three times to reduce it to its proper thickness. It
was not, however, as in the case of ordinary armour-
plates, a mere question of reduction, as these bars
have to be rolled, tongued, and grooved to fit into
each other. Thus in the rolling they have to over-
come all the peculiar difficulties of their construction
almost in two operations, which must be done while
is in a half melted state, or the whole is spoilt. The
bars, RS we have said, are 13 inches square, but each
of these presents a most difficult section. In the
first place the lower part of the bar has a projecting
rib, and in the upper part is a groove, correspond-
ing in size with the rib on the lower half, so that
the projection of one bar may fit into the groove of
the one beneath, thus making a solid dove-tailed
wall of iron. Beyond these, also, is a rid at the back
of the bar, farmed to dovetail again into projecting
masses of iron in the rear supports of the fort, and
in the process of rolling all these departures from a
plane and smooth surface have to be formed, and to
be formed with so much accuracy that each part fits
in'o the other without the necessity of any machine
planing of surfaces. To give to the mass of metal
the required section the rollers of the mill are
grooved where the raised surface is required, and
sunk to produce the projecting ribs. It took three
rolls on Saturday before all was finished, and at the
completion of eech the workmer, who seemed in-
tensely interested in the success of the experiment,
cheered -loudly. The last operation was effected by
lifting the bar into a bed, so to speak, made be-
tween two masses of iron, and then passing over it
an enormous iron roller, which removed the curved
form the bar had received in passing between the
rollers. Now that the success of the first bar has
been achieved, the rolling of the others will go on
every day until the whole order is completed, When
the fort is erected in Russia it is intended to test

Sir,—The balloon left the earth at 4h. 7m. p.m: ;
in three minutes it was I,oooft. high, and moved
very evenly upward, at the rate of I,oooft. in three
or four minutes, to the height of 11,000 ft. at 4h.
38m.; it desce*ndedat the rate of 500 ft. per minute)
till we were within 1,500 ft. of the earth at 4h. 59m. ;
we then descended very slowly, were I,oooft. high
at sh. 4m., and reached the ground at sh. 18m. We
were accompanied by our friend Mr. F. Norris, who
has been up with us on several occasions.

During the whole day the sky was overcast, and
the wind was from the S.E. ; on leaving we at once
crossed over the river to Essex; at the height of
500 ft. the air was very misty, and the view very
limited, but Woolwich Dockyard, the town of
Woolwich, the river under us, the numerous ship-
ping, with so many upturned faces from their decks,
formed a very pleasing and interesting sight. The
mist increased in density as we rose. When at
2,500 ft. we entered a dense white cloud, and shortly
afterwards lost sight of the earth ; at 3,500 ft. there
was a very thin fine rain ; at 4,000 ft. the clouds
were less in density, and there was a great increase
of light ; at 4,500 ft, we saw the sun faintly, but
there was more cloud above; at 5,000 ft. the sun
cast a faint shadow, but we were still in cloud,
which decreased :in density as the balloon rose.
When at B,looft, high we felt the wind press against
us with a sensible pressure, and inferred that there
was another change of the wind, but we had no
means whatever of determining the direction from
which it came; the mist again increased till the
height of 9,000 ft. was reached ; we here heard
a train and supposed we were over the Chelms
ford line of railway. At the height of 9,500 ft.
the sun shone very brightly, and it was
quite warm ; at 10,000 ft. we were entirely out of
cloud, and there was a sea of white cloud dazzling
in its brightness, extending without a break or irre-
gularity in its surface as far as we could see all
round—that is, fur more than 100 miles on all sides,
N.3ar to us on the cloud, on the side opposite to the
sun, was a bright oval halo of immense extent, in
the centre of which was situated the shadow of the
balloon and car, but without prismatic colours ; this
all appeared to revolve with us, for it was constant,
and we knew wo were turning round by the sun
now shining at our backs and then in our faces ; at
the greatest elevation (11,000 ft.) there was perfect
repose, the sky was without a cloud, and of a beau-
tiful deep blue. Wo were, however, quite baffled
in our attempts to determine our direction, as we
could not see any iodination in the grapnel line.
Mr. Cexwell had been watching the weather all
day, and once during a break in the lower clouds he
had sent up a pilot balloon, which had moved to-
wards the east when at a high elevation, and, con-
necting this with the current we had met with, he
had begun to fear that the railway we had heard
might be the Southend railway, and, if so, we were
drifting out to sea. He therefore determined to
take adip downwards without delay, before attempt-
ing a higher elevation, so that if we found ourselves
over water we might have gas enough to keep up
for some time. We began the dip downwards, the
sky continued of a deep blue, the air free from mist,
and the sun hot, till we approached the height of
7,000 fr. and at 6,000 ft. we lost sight of the sun, and
were in a dense white cloud at 5,500 ft. high ; when
at 3,000 ft. fine rain fell and we caught sight of the
ca: ch at the height of 2,500 ft. ; we expected to find
I ourselves over Essex, but hills and a beautiful un.
dulating country presented themselves, and it was
evident we were at fault.

Mr. Cozwell then decided upon anchoring, and we
did so on the outakirts of a pine plantation, near
Sevenoaks, in Kent, on the estate of the Marquis
Camden, and we found the direction of the wind
here S,E., the same direction as at starting. The
temperature of the air was 46 deg. on leaving, at
the height of I,oooft it was 411 deg., at 1,500 ft it
was 40 deg., at 2,000 ft, 37 deg.; at 3,000 ft it was
34 des.; from 3,500 ft to 4,000 ft there was nn varia-
tion from 33 deg.; this was the lowest temperature
met with ; at 5,000 ft the temperature increased to
36 deg., and did not change for 500 ft, then decreased
to 34 deg. at 6,500 ft, at which point it turned to
increase, and was 40 deg. at B,oooft ; it decreased
to 34 deg. again at the height of 9,000 ft ; it then
increased, on leaving the cloud below, to 36 deg. at
11,000 ft, and rapidly to 46 deg. while between
10,000 ft and 11,00uft high. The highest tempera-
ture observed was at 8,00011, on descending, when
it was 47 deg.; from this point the temperature de-
clined, on descending, to 40 deg., at 1,500 ft high,
being nearly the same as on ascending, and to 46
deg. on the ground.
The temperature of the dew point, or that tern.
perature at which water, in the invisible shape of
vapour, is deposited as water on substances of that
temperature, was 7 deg, below that of the air on
leaving the earth, and this difference was the same
up to 2,000 ft. it then decreased to 1 deg. on enter-
ing the cloud, and was from 1 deg. to 3 deg. while
in the dense cloud. On leaving it at B,oooft this
difference suddenly increased to 10 deg., and varied
from 14 deg. to 24 deg. between the heights of
8,000 and 11,000 feet, and decreased on again en-
tering the cloud to 5 deg. and 6 deg.
There were 2,1 grains of water in a cubic foot of
air near the ground, about two grains in the cloud,
and about one grain only above the cloud.
The humidity of the air, "eherefore, increased from
the earth to the centre of the cloud, where it was
all but saturated, and decreased rapidly above the
cloud, where it was very dry.
No ozone was detected by Schonbein, Moffat, or
Lowe's papers during the whole time the balloon was
in the air.

The lines in the solar spectrum were very nume-
rous and well defined. The spectrum itself was very
long.

The goat was very uneasy, and continued bleating
till we passed through the cloud and into a warmer
atmosPheae, when it was quiet and happy.
This ascent was intended to have reached to five
miles high, but in ascending from London or Wool-
wich, Mr. Coxwell's tactics are put to the severest
tests, especially if the sky be overcast as it was on
this day, although the visible mass of vapour floated
away in a north-westerly direction ; yet some indi-
cation during the day led Mr. Coxwell to conclude
that there was an upper westerly current, and it was
this induced him to descend. It is impossible to say
how far we went into Essex, where we re-crossed
the Thames, or how far we penetrated into Sussex,
or if we reached Sussex at all; but it ie certain that

On Saturday all the metropolitan bankers, bullion
dealers, and Money changers, were served with a printed
notice 'oy the City detective force, at the instance of the
rk.jalvage Association, Lloyd's, offering £3,000 reward for
such information as may lead to the recovery of 68 bars
and 11 boxes of gold, valued at £50,010, stolen from the
treasure in the sunken steamer Golden Gate, off Manz i.-
millo, near San Francisco. The bills contain an accurate
description of the bars and boxes, with the mark and num-
ber of each bar, the name of the assayer, weight, and value.
Twenty-five were assayed by Messrs. Hewston and Co,, 16
by Messrs. S. Molitor and Co., 8 by G. W. Bell, 5 by
Messrs. H. Harris and Co., and the remainder by Messrs,
B. C. Gevasey, Greenwood and Newbain, Rodens and
Ruhling. There is also one bag of foreign coin missing,
and several express parcels containing bullion. The Golden
Gate was an American steamer, and was wrecked in July,
1862, when a great loss of life took place. The total summit
of gold and specie on board was about £150,000, consigned
to several firms in New York, London, and Paris, and the
whole of it was insured. The underwriters, on hearing of
the wreck, dispatched a special agent to the scene of the
wreck to recover, if possible, the treasure. After conside-
rable exertions a large amount of the gold was discovered,
but owing to the dangerous character of the currents and
climate a great many lives were lost in the enterprise.
Saveral expeditions went to the wreck ; some failed, and
others were unsuccessful, and the gold in question was re-
covered by one party, who immediately decamped with the
valuable store. It is stated, however, that one of the gang
has been arrested. The gold when shipped on board the
Golden Gate was packed in boxes, and marked thus :—F.
A. S., No. 454; Lazard Freres, No. 217; B. D., No. 12;
H. L. and Co., Paris, No. 141; J. A., No. 28; B. and Co.,
Paris, No. 4; A. G., No. 1, It is believed that much of
the gold has already arrived in London, and that some con-
signments are expected,

Several Fires and Great Loss of Property,

On Saturday and yesterday several fires took place in
different parts, some being as far as six or seven miles from
the others,

One ffre happened at 2 in the morning in the premises of
Mr G. H. Attwood, wholesale clothier, 27, Turnpike-road,
High-street, Stratford. The family and servants had re-
tired to rest, when a constable noticed a dime in the front
shop, He alarmed the inmates and sent off for the
escape and fire engines, several of which quickly attended.
The flames, however, soon fired the whole of the building,
containing about. a dozen rooms, and filled with a costly
stock in trade, and were attacking No. 28, belonging to
Mrs Wayland, a milliner, awl No 2(3, belonging to M
IL L. Wayland (private), when plenty of the East London
Company's water having been procured the firemen went
resolutely to work, but the fire could not be extinguished
until the building and the two adjoining were seriously da-
maged by it. The loss will fall upon the Sun and (,]lobe
Fire offices.

Another fire occurred on the premises occupied by Mr.
J. Shean, a marine store dealer, 51, Great Alie-street, Good-
man's-fields. The alarm having been given by the police,
Conductor Wood attended with the Whitechapel Royal
Society's fire escape, and found an aged female, of 75 years,
on the lauding, whom he succeeded in bringing down in
safety. The steamers by Shand and Mason attended, and
a bountiful supply of the East London Company's water
procured, but in spite of which a building of two floors,
used as stores, at the rear of the dwelling, was burnt out
and the roof destroyed.

A fire, which at one time threatened wry disastrous re•
sults, broke out from some unknown cause in the premises
belonging to Mr. J. Hatton, a cornehandler and seedsn►an,
situate at 26, Little Portland-street. The fl Imes when first
discovered were raging in the provender lofts over the
stabling, Brigade and ether engines attended, and the fire-
men, aided by 60 hired auxiliaries, managed to gct the mas-
tery over the fire, but not until several loads of hay and
straw wero destroyed, and the building seriously burned,

A SHIP ON FIRE AT BLACEIVALL.—About a
quarter before one o'clock a.m. on Saturday, a
telegraphic message was received at the chief station in
Watling. street, that a ship was burning in Messrs. Wig-
ram's Yard, at Blackwall. Capt. Shaw gave orders for the
engines to be despatched from sundry stations, and also
started himself, as did the Duke of Sutherland, Lord
Richard Grosvenor, M.P,, the Hon.. Stuart Wortley, Hon.
Captain Howard, and a powerful body of firemen, as well as
the land steamers by Shand, Mason, and Co. Upon reaching
Blackwall, Capt. Shaw found that the outbreak had com-
menced in the large ship under repair named the Princess
of Wales, Capt. Head, of the Hudson's Bay Company, of
590 tons register, which was burning furiously between the
midships. This large vessel was lying in Messrs. Wigram's
dry dock, and a fire raging amongst such valuable property
and in such a confined place caused great excitement to
prevail, and the floating engines of the East and West
India Dock Companies were brought alongside the ship, as
well as one of the private engines belonging to the
firm. These wore followed by numerous other engines.
The whole of this force was called into operation, and
floods of water discharged upon the flames, but being con-
fined below the hatchways it was a work of no little diffi-
culty for the firemen to reach the seat of the conflagration,
and it was found absolutely necessary to scuttle the ship
Large portions of the ship are destroyed, and she is officially
reported as being severely damaged by fire and the attempt
at scuttling. The origin of the misfortune could not be
learned.

STEAMSHIP COLLISION AND Loss OF LIFE.—On
Saturday the particulars were received of a Collision
which took place in the East Swin between the Florence
Nightingale and the Admiral, iron screw steamers, resulting
in the immediate foundering of the former and loss of two
of her crew, The Admiral was on her way to Newcastle,
from London, with passengers ; and the Florence Nightin-
gale, a new and powerful steam collier, was on her way
from Sunderland to the ThameP,
freighted with 600 tons
of coals. Between twelve and ono o'clock in the morning
of the 7th, weather fine, the vessels were proceeding in
opposite directions through the East Swin, between the
Gundeet and Sunk Sand light ship, when the Admiral
struck the Florence Nightingale just abaft !he main rigging
on the port side, with such force as to cut her down to the
cabin-house on deck. The ship immediately began to sink,
and in less than six minutes went down in deep water.
arcerisno le as c
lu whob
s. have
By
so Peon in
doing the
habit
of
Most of the hands succeeded in getting on board the Ad-
miral. The screams of those on board could be heard as
the vessel wont down. The Admiral's boat picked up one
paying weekly as
borrowers of Sewing
poor fellow, but two others perished. The Admiral
wellsus-
tainediaosa
n toa
C o, applyB
s at
ewi
xt
n
honceg
serious damage.
and become membersMoafch3ilneesssrwsil d
. Watts
they will not only save the
money they now foolishly throw away, but at the seine time
secure to themselves the possession of one of the best and
most celebrated sewing machines in the world. Every in-
formation given on application ; or by letter addressed, with
a stamped envelope, to Messrs. Watts and Co., 12, Beaufort-
buildings, Strand, London, W.C, where mein rs arc en
aolled daily between 10 and 4 ; Saturdays, 10 and%
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