Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-06-19

the House OF C0O00nos On ne III
nlt., On The late experiments ~ Shoe
buryness, 10 tcst the power Of psoie<
tiles in the course q which the famou
Armstrong gun was very severely crit
cised. NJ Osborne sald:
VI have reason to think that th
House at this moment imagipes tba
the experiments which took place o.
the 9th Of this month, established tn
success of the gigantic Armstrong Ruu
Of which We have heard % much, in 20
ing through . section Of the Wa,r.o,
Nov, il 10 bat right that the House 40,
the country should be put in possessio,
OF the resI facts Of the case. This Gu,
was, l believe, fred With . charge o
forty pounds Of powder 1t part Of tb,
Warrior, which had been battered al
through the winter, and damaged b,
the shot Of . sixty eight smooth bore
Well, at this target two shots wers
fired, At two hundred yards, under the
most favorable circumstances for the
quo, and hitting the damaged part
they penetrated The fonr and half inch
plate, and lodged in what il technical y
called the sk,o Of the ship. They did
not go through, and are still sticking
where they lodged, notwithstanding that
the experiment VAS represented by the
Secretary tor the Admiralty - perfect.
ly successful. Hear, hear.
Again the gun was fred with .
charge Of fifty pounds Of powder, and
most extraordinary accounts appeared
Of the noble lord and others who we're
present climbing up the side Of the tar.
get, and c"ngratul~ting each other on
the circumstance that the shots haI
gone quite through it; but the fact is
that IT is still sticking in the skin Of the
ship. Hear, hear Thus much for the
experiments Of the 9th Of May. now
c"me to those which took place two or
three days ego. One shot was fred last
Tuesday. Did it 60 through the tar.
geta Not bit of it, and with these
facts before us it seems to me the public
are justified 10 entertaining some doub,
with regard TO the great meritso Of this
Armstrong gun. Hear, hear i Now
it is a somewhat singular fact 10 the his
tory of naval warfare. that, notscith
stonding 100000 Of money haze
been spent on these Armstromg guns.
the best g,sn you haze at the present mo
nse'st Is your old sicty eight smooth bore.
l ask the Chairman OF the Iron Plate
Committee, and other honorable gentle
men who are well Informed on the sub.
ject, whether what l have stated is not
the fact Is not your 6s FOUNDER the
gun with which every seaman would
wish to 60 to sea? very much sus
pect that your Armstrong gun will, after
a. be discarded as an instrument Of ma
val warfare.
/ have stated facts to which l chal-
Ienee contradiction. l know them to
be facts. l do not know whether nv
honorable aud gallant friend opposite,
who wishes more experiments to be
made at a greater distance, is aware
evidently the right honorable baronet,
the Secretary Of War, is not aware
that they began those experiments at
500 yards; that, SO little impression
was made at that distance, they reduced
the range to 400 yards, and that they
have come down to 200 yards. lear,
hear. Tbs being the case, I think It
would be waste Of public money to
60 further with those experiments,
which, after all, have been made under
very questionable circum stauc es, because
gunner fling at Fixed o.; with
no one firing at him .. ~, oard tho
mo.,o I've mode Of experiment in
rs of TINS kind. Hea', hear, and
a laugh. Let us 60 irto the approach
ing discussion as appropriated as posi-
BILE.
Let not the House and the country
be led away by the idea that those ex-
periments at Shoeburyncss have proved
that the Armstrong gun, with charge
Of SO pounds Of powder, is able to throw
a $50 pound shot through the side oil
the Warrior, which has up to this time,
resisted all such experiments. Hear
hear.1 have been told that they fired
three times to- day with this gun. In
doing so, l think the gunncrs showed
the usual valor which distinguishes our
country men, for they fred at very con-
siderable risk. Understand that q ifs
sure has occurred IN the gun that, o..
turning 1t oper the other 2ay, 1t aco.
found that IN the par whe,e the Loh
tires in the ponder, one Of the COILS hao
yiven acoy. This is the account tn
have heard. l am glad this ,epor is t.
be la d on the table Of the House. The
sooner tie discussion comes on the bet
ter. l hope the Government will Dc
their pat, that the Secretary Of Wa
will come here we'll prepared, and thai
we shall do battle, aud abide by the re
suit. Hear, hear.
Sir J. Hay, having come from tn
scene Of action, thought it right that h,
should say few words on the subject
Hear, bear. He had also some It'll
criticism to offer on the remarks made
With respect to the Armstrong gun b,
the honorable member for L,skeard
The Warrior target was a section Of thu
strongest part OF the Warrior. 1t va
constructed Of wood and iron, the plate
on the outside being four and q hal
riches in thickness. The target hat
been put to the severest tests 10 the ex
periments which bad been conducted
Whether by happy accident or IS ,h'
result OF the possession Of better dat,
than those on which the builders Of 9th
er ships had gone, it SO happened tba