Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1862-02-24
FROM CAIRO.

In retest to the efficiency OF the mortar boats
s.ruce at St. Louis at the suggestion OF General Fre
there have been many doubts in the minds OF well
meaning persons including lumbar OF army and navy
officers They have been thought clumsy, insufficient il
the buwarks ncspab of bearing the heavy mortars de-
signed for hem aud beyond all queston incapable Of re-
strg the terrible conclusion which would attend the
firing OF 10 inch shell
All these opinions and representations have been ov-
fr.hrown to day by the experiment made under TIE
periutendaEce Of Captain Constable and before q
mi;tee Of three composed Of himself Captain Kitty, Of
ne gunboat MOuGd City, and Captain Dove, Of the gun
boat Louisville
this morning by three steam tugs and conveyed TO a
point few huadred yards below Fort Holt the Ken
tucky shore. The huge mortar had previously bean
placed board, and fixed upon one of Rsdmans NOR
tar carriages or seds.
Ten or twelve of the thirteeninch shells prepar
cd filed however, with saud instead Of powder, the
object OF the experiment simply being 10 asctas the
range of the and the .ct Of the firing upon the
various parts OF the boats. Tue boat fastened TO
the shore and the mortar directed down the river which
from that p,in stretches away n broad and straight
sheet of water fge or SIX miles towards Columbus.
Everything having b.en go. in readiness, Captain
Cousta bic fred smell charge OF four pounds Of pow
der for the purpose OF Sealing" the moit. The first
Ip.rimert with shell then followed, With charge Of
eleven pOunds ofposder. When all wasrCaty the boat
vas Cleared OF the COMPANY most OF retiring to the
shore CAPTAIN Consiatls alone remaining to DISCHARGE
the Cun Slca1y d,el dcafeniny eSses-son, andii-
an iuslans The huge she'll mcunif in the air
With magnificent curve, aud s terrible roar gradual
diminishing as its distance from rapidly increased
Il may have risen to the height of half mle and was
almost Lost to view before began to make lis descend
ing curve.
Ca lis disappearance our eyes we're eagerly directed TO
the rivers level to nsrkits fall II wonderful TO
wait 20 long, the seconds enghening out as it seemed
q minute, The Suspense relieved by the sudden
ho o,iug up from the waters line OF white column Of
prGy far down the Mississippi, and as it was estimated,
two mics aud nall away from Toe mortar boat
was scarcely moved by the explosion, and the mortar
carriage recoed but two or three inches This was
yerp encouraging
The second experiment was made with 20 pounds OF
powder Capt. Constable again dschaIgiHg the gun. The
conclusion Tisterh Sgme dsanoe in the reac Of the
boat where Standing, it was not painful, bui those
who remained aongde and ia the boat were considera
biz shocked. The sh II beautifully, mounting much
higher in the air and at the expiration OF 29i t"eaiy
nine aud one half seconds struck the water Ut an est
mated distance OF miles. This conclusion showed IT.
self very papably upon tbs boat The hatchway cover
ing in the front part lifted of and in some
broken and split while the boat itself recoed some two
or three feet and penetrated the sof bank of the river
Experiment Nc. g. made with the full charge OF
90 pounds OF powde. The time Of the fight OF the ball
was thirtyone seconds and the dlsarce three and hall
miles The recoi of the guncarriage was about feet,
aud the Cec of tn concusson upon the loose wooden
work Of the boat the in the previous shoi
Experiment. number four gave results similar num-
Der hIcs Cap ain Pauldlg, OF the gun boat s. Louis
dschsrging The gun in the place oil Captain Co1-
stable. Captain Psulcirg Describes the conclusion
as very stunning and painful and hnks 1t could not be
endured within the buwarks OF the mortar boat by any
man for more than s or 10 consecutive shots.
Number five with but Is pounds OF powder, the
mortar in this case being elea ed than iotyhye
degrees The shells twenty eight seconds in the air
aud seemed fall far sway any OF the proceeding
Ia, tff fkar ,da sha
mteo that lighter charge of powder quite ci
6cient as full twenty three pound charge.
The mortar boats about sixty feet long, and twen
ty.fye feet wide surrounded all sides by iron plate
bulwarks six or seven feet high. The mortar ilsei
weighs IA 2l0 lbs has bore easily admitting S nch
SHE'LL aud from the edge Of the boro TO the outer rim is
II inches The mortar bed weighs 4 500 pound' and
from the experiment OF tclay Ia pronoun ed 10y Capt
Constable TO be most admirable mortar carriage yet
invented The shell q led with wet ssnd weighed ago
pounds an enormous missile to be hurled through the
air distance farther than from the evee 10 Grand av-
enus 10 your city Filled with powd Il csc shells would
weigh 2l5 pounds, and can be throw at least half
mile farther than were tboss filed with the sand.
Say twenty OF these mortar boats drop down 10 with.
In arms easy re ach OF Co.unsus aud the time
be out Of the reach Of the bes; rid I'd cnnon the BIS
may bring to ba.-So small indeed at the distance tf
three aad half or four mis away as scarcely to be
dscernable the surface OF the Wa.er Say further,
that each OF these boals will fire. at very low estimate,
four shell hour. Then twenty them would discharge
eighty shell hour with peIfec. impuny, ard at this
rate in one night of ten hours eight hIs' dred ot
these terrific missiles may be hroDn into The Rebs!
camp a nd foi fcaiious. Can they endure il? Paude
nOniun would be Paradise to the place 1t would make
of Columbus
The trial of to-day demonstrated that the recoi OF the
boat was altogether lateral and not perpendicular as
was feared il would be. 1t also shows that the iron bu
warks render the conclusion more severe than il would
be without them, and that il they are permitted to re-
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