Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-04-20

u
protect, requiring thrice the number Of men
they could bring into the field. With such
a frontier to guard, how supremely silly are
al threats Of invading the North. g.r
In this contest the Gevernment has only
steadily, but firmly, to pursue the course It
has marked out and ultimate success must
follow with as much certainty as matter
obeys It's laws, .r5- ..t-3
TEe Armstrong; Gun aud Its Excellence.
This statement respecting the Armstrong
guns, was made to the Committee of Supply
Of the British House of Commons March ID,
ls6l:-s ss.. .o. t,.. .sl.l .1f1.
At the beginning of the financial year Of
ls60-6l, the number Of Armstrong guns is.
sued for service was l6s. In the year about
TO close there would have been 776 more
"pIoved," and in many cases also issued,
making a total of 945 Armstrong guns man
ufnetuTed. AT least 100000 of the present
estimates, for army and navy supplies,
! would be applied for those guns and their
} accessories. In the course of the year end
| ing the LIST Of April next 100000 rounds of
ammunition would likewise have been pro-
dueed for that description of ordnance. To
| the navy there had been issued sixteen one
hundred Founders, forty.two forty-pound-
! ers, sir twenty FIVE, Founders and twelve
| twelve FOUNDERS. Provision had been made
!
ture of 1867 Armstrong guns of the follow
ing calibers; Three hundred and thirty one
bundled Founders, $50 forty-pounders, I97
twenty. FIVE Founders and $50 twelve-pound-
ers. This was Independent of the large sum
taken to provide for the manufacture of a
muzzle loading gun for the navy, which was
to form the naval broadside, this species of
gun mot being altogether settled at the pres
ent moment. ,r... -.,.
OF late the price of the Armstrong gun had
very much decreased. The original price of
the twelve FOUNDER was f250; it was now
fl20. The price of the forty FOUNDER was
formerly f350; it had now been reduced to
f2Sb; and the cost of the ammunition was
likewise being reduced. no lI H.I..
A good deal had been said respecting the
guns used during the recent operations in
China. Those guns were inferior in range
and in accuracy, and in every way, to the
twelve-pounders now issued. They were
hastily equipped, without any of the inn
provements which were now being applied;
but still the practical test furnished of their
efficiency was eminently satisfactory, and
the manner in which they were worked did
the greatest credit both to the officers and
men engaged. .. .
An article in the Mechanics Magazine pur-
ported to give an extract from the report OF
an officer who served in China, but the in .
formation furnished to this periodical was
quite inaccurate. The statement was that
though the Armstrong guns, under the
most favorable circumstances, gave very &C
curate shooting the casualties to our outly-
ing ri1emen were so serious that the guns
had to be Withdrawn at the most critical
part of the action in which they were en-
: gagged. If there had been any foundation
for so extraordinary a statement, it would
, certainly have found its way into the Times
but there was not a word of truth in it. and
! aoonolfia- Of fna ind
Major Hay reports: "0n all occasions wheI
required, the guns, their screws &C., were
2 as clean and in as good working order a!
when in England.
!, "Their precision of fire, and the actual re.
: suits obtained by them, can not for moment
Z be doubted. They were the admiration o
a ALL" And again: "As compared with ou
presest guns, the superiority of the Arm
: strong guns is manifesto" to which he addet
> that they "were superior to the French gun
= !, in accuracy and rapidty of fire." Captain
= Milward, who was in charge of another bat
= terry, writing after the Decentralization a
= = Peh tang reported all the guns to be "il
g excellent preservation and fit for work, ant
u added, this is the eighth time the batterl
has been embarked or landed since leaving
= England each tine in boats, mounted ant
= dismounted, never once landed at a wharf
J, and at 0din Bay landed in a surf. Durinl
: the whole of these operations no seriou
!, damage has occurred to guns or carriages.
II In regard to the use of the guns in actus
y !, service, the same officer wrote:
"The battery in action at SiDgho on tn
I, llth of August, fred an average Of eightee
q rounds per gun, at l,200 and 450 yards, be
= sides two shells at 2, 100 yards, all with tn
= l. most excellent effect. The conclusion fuze
q acted admirably; the practice was entirel
\ against cavalry in open order, and quite pre-
q a vented their forming for a charge, which the
Il attempted more than once. The effect of th
!; shells was all that could be desired; the tw
~ fired at 2,l0O yards, dispensing large bod
= = of cavalry instantly"
q In point Of strength, the Armstrong gu
= had stood perfectly unique test. A twelve
!" FOUNDER gun was fired 200 times, accordin
- to the following programme:
- Ten rounds with service charge of one au
i q half pounds of powder, and single serviC
I, shot of twelve pounds ten rounds wit
y same charge and projectile equal to tw
!" service shot; ten rounds with same charg
a. a. and projectile equal to three service shot
y and SO on, gradually increasing, up to IL
u rounds, the last ten of which were fred wit
= a projectile equal to ten service shot, and {
n such a length as to protrude several inchI
y beyond the muzzle. The second hundre
u rounds were fired with double charges
II POWDER and with projectiles increasing {
before until they reached ten times Il
le weight of the service shot, and again e.
r tended beyond the muzzle of the qua. Tt
gun remained uninjured to the last an
1; would be issued for service. A forty pound,
Id OF the strengthened pattern had also bee
N tested in a similar manner, and had endure
s. without injury 100 rounds fred with seryi,
as charges and proiectiles progressively il
a. cressing in weight from 40 to 400 pound
d. the latter forming solid cylinders whiC
Is, filled the bore to within three inches of Il
y muZzle.
th These were tests which had never bee
OF stood by any gun before, and the Ordnan
m Select Committee were therefore right
saying: 1t may be easily assumed from Il
to proof that the Armstrong twelye-pound
" possesses degree of strength far beyoI
of any requirement of the service, and that
90 is practically impossible to burst it by ia
i'd means"
ce |