New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-20

b cause very great DETECTION IN the sbot The range,
according 70 paced measurement was 800 yards, and
by inning the travel OF the shot, estimated Ii az
about l,~9 yards. The brass cannon used on thu
oceasion was rfei TO make the ball turn
once in twelve feet after leaving the gun 1t was per-
fecty fresh from the foundery, 80 she trial was really
al experiment The powder with which, through nm.
pardonsbe neglect, Mr.. Hotchkiss had provided HIM
self was poor that it burnt uueveny and prevented
the possibility Of good work. With exactly the same
elevation in two successive discharges the ball Of one
hit The bulls eye and that Of the other fell short more
than five rods and ricocheted high over the target.
With charge of Is ounces of this bad powder, the
rihed cannsn at an elevation of 81 degress cent the
Hotchkss proectie, weighing l4l pounds through tie
mus target and over nearly mile Of sat marsh, TO
The water, on which il richocheted twice-making in
all about two miles and half of travel. Mr.. Hotca-
kiss subsequently procured good powder from Mr.
Bishop, who had bis breech-loadng gun the ground,
and with only powder did much better
With charge Ct 81 Ounces he claims that he send
ball five miles. The elevation being too little al one
discharge Saturday the ball struck Short aud at the
first rcochet buried itself in the soft earth Of the salt
meadow to distance Of nine feet and depth Of fifteen
inches This bali was dug mp by gentleman present,
and showed the great superiority Of the Hochkiss pro-
jectile over those of Sir VIM. Armstrong or Gen.
James. The two last-named balls are covered with
lead which, being forced through the grooves of the
gun, seadies the ball in its passage out and by conn-
ing the gas causes the powder to exert its full force
upon The proectile. But after the shot leaves the
muzzle the unequal centrifugal force and momentum
of the iron and it's eaden envelop cause separation
a. Htin nA
the travelling ball often makes great havoc among the
friends Of the soldiers who fire the gun. The Arm
strong gun has been known to cause great loss of
life in this way in the British ranks when the
advance of force being protected from behind by
firing their heads at the distant enemy, and this
must inevitably be the case with every ball that is
covered with metal of greater Or less density than
itself The Hotehkiss ball, hatbottomed aud sharp
pointed, IL made in two paris 20 to shat in upon IT.
self TO certain distance like a telescope the point
being covered with thick band Of lead The butt end
being placed next the charge, driven forward by the
telescope (so to speak,, shuts up, at the same time
squeezing the lead outward and into the rifle grooves,
through which the ball travels to the nuzzle. The
lead being held to the ball by the jaws into which it
has been forced in the compression cannot ny from the
center Of gravity and hence lead and iron travel TO-
gether their place OF destination The lead on the
ball that dug mp Saturday showed the pitch
Of the raing in the plainly as if il had been
melted and poured into the grooves.
rhe target practice on Saturday, up to 6 p. M, at
which time we left the ground not satisfactory
evidence Of the merits of rfed cannon for accurate
shooting. Out of sixteen shots that fired, only
three hit the target, and two the bulls eye But with
bad powder high wind, and unskilled gunnen, it
would be difficult to show the capabilities of any gun
however perfect it might be. number Of military
officers of them from the British Army, were pre-
sent the trial. Late in the afternoon Mr.. Blunt Of
the Union Defense Committee, reached the ground and
conducted the firing. II is but fair to say that under
his direction the performance Of the gun became much
more perfect.
Mr.. G. w. Bishop, Of Brooklyn, was present with
his excellent breechoadpg gun, and fired few shots.
As this article s specially devoted to red cannon,
propose notice bis invention at appropriate time.