The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-22 00:00:00

TSE IVARRI01?-EXPERIMENTS- AT
SHOEBUMNESS:

Some very'imp6rtant experiments in connection
with armour-coated vessels were made yesterday
at Shoe! uryness, on the Essex coast, by the direc-
tion of the Government. For several weeks past
there has been in course of construction, in the
practising ground of that garrison, a large target,
representing a perfect section of the Warrior's side,
in build, thickness, and strength, with the view of
testing its resisting power to 08-pounders and the
largest Armstrong guns. This target having re-
cently been completed at an expense of about
£2,000, the Duke of Somerset, the First Lord of
the Admiralty, fixed yesterday for an official visit
to witness its behaviour before an onslaught of the
new artillery. The noble duke, accompanied by
his private secretary, Capt. Moore; Admiral the
Hon. Sir F. W. Grey, and Rear-Admiral C. Eden,
and Captain the Hon. S. Drummond, Lords of the
Admiralty, Rear-Admiral Robinson, and the mem-
bers of the Government special committee on iron,
headed by Sir 3. Hay, the chairman, started from
the Fenchurch-street railway station at an early
hour iL the morning for Southend. The same train
contained a large party of gentlemen interested
in the experiments, including Mr. Rolt and Cap-
tain Ford of the Thames Iron Works Company,
who built the Warrior; Mr. Fairbairn, of Man-
chester, whose target upon a different principle
has recently been tried at Sheeburyness ; Sir
William Armstrong, the inventor of the guns
which bear his name ; Mr. Scott Russell, and
several military and naval officers of eminence.

At Southend there was a great muster of vehicles of
various descriptions to convey the company to their
destination, a pleasant ride of about six miles. It
was a fine autumn day, with a rather keen breeze
from the sea, but in every respect favourable for
the operations. Having passed through the garri-
son, in which a series of blocks of handsome new
buildings for the artillery have far advanced to-
wards completion, the visitors alighted at the
entrance of the practising-ground, where strict pre-
cautions were taken, but very courteously, to pre-
vent the admission of any one not properly autho-
rised by the Admiralty.
The " Warrior target " is 20ft. long, by 10ft.

wide, having in the centre a port-hole 3ft. 3in. by
2ft. in dimensions. It stands close to the shore, and
of course faces the battery which is inland, at a
distance of 200 yards. As already stated, the
target presents an exact copy of the side of the
magnificent ship which is now proudly riding on
the sea at Portsmouth; but in order that the effect
of the day's experiments may be properly under-
stood, it may be as well to give the details of
construction. Upon the exterior there are only
four armour plates, eaeh being 41in. thick,
and composed of the best scrap iron, ham-
mered by the Nasmyth hammer. The top and the
lower ones run the entire length of the target-
20ft.—the former being 3ft. in. wide, and the
latter 3ft. 12in. The two middle plates, which are
shorter in length by the extent of the port-hole,
show a width of 3ft. 7in. Behind these plates
comes a " backing" of teak 18in. thick, and then
the iron "skin" five-eighths of an inch, making
altogether a thickness of 23 in. The whole of this

solid mass is completely pierced by bolts, screwed
on to substantial iron ribs or frames in the interior.
The target rests against an immense mass of brick
and stone, which probably no amount of shot could
shake from its base.

Prior to the first firing, the Duke of Somerset and
the officials and spectators present narrowly in-
spected the target, and then retired, some into huts
and caverns in the immediate vicinity, and the rest
300 yards or more off, in order to avoid the splinters
which on these occasions are somewhat alarming.
It has naturally been remarked that these experi-
ments ought to have preceded the building of the
Warrior, and that to make them after she is afloat
and ready for sea is about as useless as closing the
stable-door when the steed has gone. In justice,
however, to the Admiralty, it must be said that
experiments were made to guide them in preparing
lz.sati at tha* e;. IUCI
and extraordinary power of the Armstrong guns
were not fully understood or recognised. Now,
however, other vessels on the same principle, which
will entail an enormous cost upon the country, are
upon the stocks, and it becomes a matter of the
greatest importance to ascertain whether that prin-
ciple of construction is the best that can be adopted.
Hence the decision of the Admiralty to resort to a
test on an extensive and satisfactory scale. As
might be anticipated, different theories have
been advanced by shipbuilders, engineers, and
men of science as to the most effectual
mode of building an iron-clad ship to resist shot.
The chief points of controversy relates to the
"backing" of the iron plates, and the fastening of
them to the ship's side. With regard to the
" backing," some contend that it ought to consist
of a solid elastic substance like teak, as in the
Warrior, which would deaden the blow, and thus
diminish its effect better than a harder substance ;
while others assert that a layer of wrought iron,
to the entire exclusion of wood or any other equally
yielding material, would offer a greater amount of
resistance. As to the question of fastening, some
object to the plates being perforated, and to the
bolts coming right through to the outer surface, as
in the Warrior, on the ground that this increases
the liability of the plates to crack under the in-

fluence of shot, and to bend or bulge. How far a
solution of these and other moot points has been
obtained by yesterday's experiments will be best

ascertained by a narrative of the firing and its
effect. The battery consisted of six pieces—three
100-pounder Armstrong guns, two 68-pounders,

and one of Armstrong's 120-pounder "shunt guns.'
First of all, the three 100-pounders and the two
68 pounders were separately fired with shells filled
with sand, the spot aimed at being a large white
mark on the left side of the target. The first shot
was so nicely accurate as to entirely obliterate the
mark, but apparently without doing much injury.
The other two 100-pounders went very near the
same place ; the two 68-pounders seemed to do
more execution, the parts struck remaining foi a
few seconds red-hot, and emitting much yellow

smoke. A splinter from one of the latter went

whistling in an erratic manner along the coast, and
warned those exposed on the field to retreat further
back. Upon the bugle signal that firing had ceased,
every one rushed anxiously to the target. It was
found on inspection that the Armstrongs had made
only slight indentations on the plates; one of them,
however, exhibiting a minute crack. The two 68's
had made round holes—one, lin. and 6-10ths, and

the other lin. and 5-16ths deep—both being be-
tween 9 and 10in. broad. This singular disparity
between the effect of the guns is accounted for by
the fact that at short distances the 68's go with
much greater velocity than the. Armstrong's, the
full power of which is only seen at ranges of 700
or 900 yards. The only other damage done was,

hat in one of these two holes a bolt had been

slightly started. The whole teak and framework
inside was totally untouched, or rather scarcely

shaken. The next round promised a little more de-

struction. Live shells, with percussion fuses, were
discharged one after another from the same five
guns. These, at a distance, seemed to have done
little more than blacked the plates ; but upon ex-
amination it was discovered that the eye had been

deceived—one of the 68-pounders had indented
considerably the lower side of the upper plate. The
hole varied in depth from 11 to 3 4-Bth in., the
side of the hole being turned up like a lip, but the
same place had been hit before. The other 68 had
made a similar but less jagged hole, about llin•
deep. From the three Armstrong's the plates
had again sustained very little injury, the shot
having only just stamped the surface with their
well-known seal. The effect of some of these five

blows was to produce cracks in the old wounds,
but the framework was still untouched. The other,

or right side of the target, was now operated upon
with solid cast-iron shot from three 100-pounder

Armstrongs, one 120-pounder Armstrong, and two

68-poanders.

The first shot missed, and struck the stonework,
sending it spluttering about in all directions, and
unsettling a heavy mass of brickwork. This, how-
ever, vas the only shot thrown away, and with this
exception the firing was wonderfully aceuxate, the