The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-26 00:00:00

W S PA PER
^
IZA
leave for a lengthened cruise on the
0., .fir
.414
way, ytredcn, and Iceland.
The firing at the sample and experimeettal s
mour plates on the sides of the Powerful, target-
ship, at Portsmouth, under the superintendence of
Capt. R. S. Hewlett, C. 8., was brought to a close
yesterday after three days' practice. The firing at
the sample plates resulted in nothing of particular
interest to the general public or calling for any re-
mark further than that the plate supplied by Meesrs•
John Brown and Co., of the Atlas Steel Works,
Sheffield, undoubtedly carried off all the honours.
The firing at the experimental plates proved inte-
resting and important as far as related to the testing
of the two bent plates. The crossed planks of iron
bad.been tested in somewhat different forms, but on
the same principle, on several former occasions, and
have utterly failed, as they did yesterday, in resist-
ing the blows of the 68 pounder. One of the
earliest experiences gained in connection with ar-
mour-plating was that iron divided into small or
separate masses offered no serious resistance to shot,
in whatever way it might befixed on the ship's side
as armour. The crossed planks or plates of iron
fired at on the present occasion were each 6ft. long
by lft wide and nin. thick. Six of these were
bolted on the Powerful side by side in a horizontal
position, the remaining six being laid over them in
a contrary or vertical position, and the whole 12
thus covering a 61t. square space. A ship thus pro-
tected by divided masses of metal would be more
easily destroyed by the ordinary 68-pounder smooth
bore gun than a wooden vessel, and free from all
armour casing, could possibly be. The result of the
testing of the two bent plates must suggest serious
considerations in relation to the armouring of the
bows and sterns of our ships of war. The supposed
object of the Admiralty in making this experiment
was to ascertain whether any difference existed,
and if so, to what extent, in the shot-resisting quali-
ties of plates bent hot and cold, the latter being
doubtless the cheaper and more expeditious method.
For this purpose one of the 4-lin. a Royal Alfred
plates" was selected from the stock in store in Ports-
mouth dockyard, and divided into two parts, each
being then about 'lift. long by 3ft. 6in. wide. It had
had been intended to bend each of these portions of the
plate to a curve of 41in.from a centre line,but in bend-
ing the one part cold in tbe hydraulic press, the metal
began to open on the outer enrve when the curve
had only reached llin. out of the intended 4i.
Under these circumstances the plate was only bent
further to 2/in., just half the extent originally in-
tended. The other part was bent hot in the wedge
press to the same extent, but exhibited no opening
of the metal, and was apparently as sound as when.
first sent in from the contractors. The plates were
of rolled manufacture, and had been bent across the
grain. The first shot at that part of the plate bent
cold decided its fate, the effects produced by the
shot proving incontestibly that the very operation
of bending the metal cold had completely altered
the structure and nature of the metal, rendering it
to a great extent crystalline and brittle, and worse
than useless as protecting armour to the bows or
stern of a ship, for the broken parts would merely
assist the half-crumbled shot in its further work of
destruction, and, the ship's side once penetrated,
would cover her decks with broken and jagged
pieces of iron, acting as showers of grape upon the
gun's crews, and destroying all life within its reach.
The firing at the hot bent plate was attended with
as much interest. That bent cold, from the open-
ings exhibited in its bending, was not expected to
stand very severe hammering, although the way in
which it broke up astonished every one. The hot
bent portion, however, represented the sides of our
present armoured ships afloat and building, and
therefore strong hopes were entertained that it was
all right. The result showed that it was not so.
Tula plate stood but little better than the one bent
cold in the hydraulic press, and its structure was
also apparently as much changed as that of the cold.
bent plate by the bending process to which it had
been subjected. It is requisite here to state that the
plate selected for this experiment was from the
manufactory of one of the best of our armour plate
makers, Mr. John Brown, of Sheffield, a firm at
present unsurpassed, if even equalled, in the
uniform good quality of their plates. With,
therefore, this utter destruction by the pro-
cess of " bending" of all the rigidity and blow
resisting powers of an acknowledged superior de-
scription of armour plate, certainly more complete in
the cold than hot process, abundant material is
furnished for future and most serious consideration
in armouring our ships of war. If a correct judg-
ment way be formed from the result of this experi-
ment, than no armour plate can be bent hot or cold
without serious injury, and the more it is bent the
more it loses its power of resisting shot, until at
length the shot entirely overpowers any resistance
frem the plate, at which point the latter bedomes a
most destructive agent to the ship it was intended.
to protect.
The following promotions and appointments were
made yesterday at the Admiralty :—James W. Arm-
strong, master; and A. M. P. Mackay, master, to be
retired captains ;-Dr. John Munro to be on the re-
tired list of Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals
and Fleets ; Henry De Ridder, assist.-paymaster,
to the Cambridge ; and Wm. G. Atkinson, assist.
paymaster to the Hastings, for the Ferret.

THE ARMY.

The public works now in progress at Chatham,
as well as those intended to be carried out at that
garrison during the next financial year, will involve
an outlay of close upon £20,000, which sum will be
taken by the Government for the purpose in the es-
timates now before Parliament. The most impor-
tant of the works contemplated is the erection of a
gymnasium, the cost of which will be upwards of
£5,000, exclusive of the site on which it is erected.
Of this sum, however, only £2,500 will be taken
this year, so that the erection of the building will
probably occupy soma time. The importance of a
gymnasium cannot be overestimated, and the Army
Sanitary Commissioners have recommended the erec-
tion of such a building at all our large garrisons.
The site selected for the proposed building is exceed-
ingly appropriate, being open and easily accessible.
The Commissariat establishment, the works of which
are in a very forward state, is set down in the esti-
mates at £7,430, of which amount £2,600 has been
already expended, leaving nearly £5,000 to be
voted for the completion of the building. A portion
of the establishment has been already finished and
taken possession of by the Government, the whole:of
the meat required by the troops of the garrison being
killed and prepared by a number of the Commis-
sariat Corps under the superintendence of an offi-
cer belonging to that department of
The additional buildings now in coursotohfei ll erectionservice.this
and fur the completion of which a vote •
year be required, include a bakery, in which the
troops bread required for the will be baked
1 a
brewery, barrack-rooms, officers' quarters, and
buildings. Occupy
various blocks of buildings
eupy
aportio of the Government land on the outskirts
of the garrison. In addition to the other buildings,
the hospital for the wives and children of the troops
at Chatham, now in progress, will involve an out-
lay of upwards of I:;,3l,,Ohoeo,ebatiplnocrtteiodnexotpeNnisheiCohf hasre
already bten voted.
appropriating Fort Pitt 55 a hospital for the entire
garrison on the removal of the medical school and
invalid depot to Netley Hospital, is £l,OOO, which
sum will be taken this year. In addition to the
above upwards of £6,000 will be required to be
provide. to enable the Royal Engineers to carry on
tbeir works during the present year.
The annual distribution of the prizes and badges
to those non-commissioned officers end men of the
Chatham division of Royal Marines Light Infantry.
who have passed through their regular course of
e ()ffi
rifle musketry, and have got the number of marks
in the various classes to entitle them to the prizes
ie
oceffreareadn,dm
tookenplace h
the
at
division
ilsui
ol ln- darte ss
headquartersparad o fth
yester-
day morning. The companies having, been formed
1 under the command of Lieut.-Col i
. P. H. Fellowes,
the non-commissioned officers and men selected to
1 receive the prizes were callcd to the front. The
\ total number who obtained prizes in the Chatham
Idivision exceeds 200 ; the largest proportion being
in the third class. The best shot in the whole
division was Sergeant Denham, but since the prize
was awarded him that non-commissioned officer has
died. It was accordingly taken by Sergeant Wil-
liams, now serving with the detachment of Royal
Marines on board the Racoon, the second best
shot,