Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-11-17
VOL. XVI.
Iron PIates ana New ProiectiIes.


Iron PIates and New ProiectiIes. i5.
The people of England are busiIy en-
gagged in solving the cd problem, off an ir
TesistibIe body meet an immoEable body
what will be the result q' 2 On the one side
is the Admiralty, building up formidable
ships Of war and determined to get some
system of plating that will be impregnable
On the other arethsordnanee makers, con.
stanuy improving and experimenting with
guns and projeetiles. and bound to smash
any and every targefthat can be construct
ed. A target is made that is announced
as being able stand any assault; up steps
Armstrong or Whitworth with new gun
and sends the target to finders. Between
the target builders and the target smash
ers, John Bull finds himself: in terrible
stew. a-aa
Two remarkable series Of experiments
at shoeburyness have just been added to
the history Of This investigation. The last
Of these took place on the 25th of septem-
Der, and the result, as reported in the Lon
don journals received by the Persia, shows
that the question is more hopelessly bsfog-
ged than ever. .eFhis subject says the
Times dis beset with difficulties. The iron
men believe that they can go coat a ship as
to practically render her invulnerable to
any shot; while, on the other hand, artil-
1erists are as firm of:opinion that they can
make guns which shah also be practically
equal to gripping any iron frigate that
ever foated.e
The fact seems to be that the Whitworth
lat-headed shell was driven through a
buflt-up section Of the Warriors side, pierre
ing the iron, shattering the inner lining Of
the teak, and making a'ragged opening
which would have produced an irreparable
leakin any vessel at seas and that the sold
sbOtOf the great Armstrong; smashes in all
the Warriortarigets that are made. The de-
strpetiye effect ofthe, WhftWOrth SpYOjsc-
tileis greater than that Of Armstrong; at
a distance Of three hundred yards, with
r
small charges Of powder; so that, accord
ing to the last accounts, WhitRorth is
ahead, and the irOn-plhted frigates are as
yet incapable. Of resisting the fearful pow
or Of his new prOjeetiles, The detailed
account Of the effect Of The FIRE upon Che
Warrior target is interesting
WThe first experimental shot was fred
with charge Of twenty-three pounds Of
powder and a solid hexagsnal shot weigh
ing one hundred and tWenty-nine pounds,
the piece being laid at half degree of-el=
eTatien. oItstruoki the left centre Of the
target within an inch almost of the white
spot at which it was aimed. At the instant
Of the ,tremendo Gus eoncussion Of the metals
q bright sheet Of fame was emitted, almost
as if q gun had been fred from the target
in reply. This shot passed completely
through the armor plate (four-an 5-a-half-
inch iron) shattering the teak beyond
eighteen inehesf into minute splinters,
and fell upon one of the massive Terticle
angle lines which tore it in half as if it
had been paper, sending its screw bolts and
rivets in all direetions The shot, howev-
er, did not pass through the target but re-
mained buriedEin the teak with its fat
head resting against the broken angle iron.
Butthe fracture It made it made was much
worse than mere penetration. It was a
smash. not hole, and the inner skin Of
the ship was bulged and torn wide in many
places, SO that in the case Of an actual Ves-
sci such shot striking on the water line
would have made q leak which nothing
could hare stopped Asregarded the effect
Of these aat-fronted shot on iron ships, the
experiment was conclusive. Such missile
agsinst a wooden ship would have gone
through both sides, making clean hole
and doing little damage, but the iron, with
eat protecting, offered only sufficient re-
sistenoe 10 make the fracture, if below the
wafer line, an irrem ediable mischief =
The next experiment was with live
shell loaded with three pounds and eight
ounces of powder The total weight Of
this proiectiIe was one hundred and thirty
one pounds, and it was fired at the same
range and elevation with q twenty-five
pound charge Of powder. The effect Of this
shot astounded every one. The previous
solid shot, at six hundred yards, was for
Whitworth nothing very extraordinary but
to get shell through a target at the same
range was regarded as almost an impossi-
bility. Yet the shell went completely
through everything, bursting apparently
when it encountered the last resistance of
the inner skin, which the explosion blew
completely away, lighting for a moment
the timbers at the back which supported
the target, and sending the bits Of shell
onward and over what, had it been the
Warrior. would have been her main-deck,
and therefore right in the midst Of her
crew.
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