Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-03-02
/ From CairO-Tcstiuz the Federal Mortar
Boats.

FrOr8 CairO-TcstiHR the Federal Mortar
Boats.
Correspondence Of the st. Louis Democrat
In respect to the efficiency of the mortar boats
constructed al s.. Louis st the suggestion Of
Geuera. Fremont. there have been many doubts
ia tie minds of well meaning persons, including.
a number Of army and navy officers. They have
been thought clumsy, iusutIcisnt IN the bull
Sarks, incapable Of bearing the heavy mor-aiz
designed for them, and beyond al question in-
capable Of resisting tho terrible conclusion
which would attend the lining of a tlIrteea-lL--
shell.
All these opinions and prognosticati1ns have
been overthr0wH to-day by the experiment made
under the supeunteudence OF Capt. Constable,
and before a committee of three, composed OF.
himself, Capt K.ty, Of the gUn60al Mound
City, and Captain Dove, of the gunboat Louis
vile.
One Of the mortar boats, No. %, was taken in
tow this morning by thr.3 steam tU-s aud con-
veggG TO a point a few hundred yards below
Fort Holt, on the Kentucky shore The huge
mortar bad previously been placed 5n board and
liked upon one Of Rodmau's mOTtsr carriages OF
beds.
Ten or twelve Of the thirtseuInch shells wore
prepared, filed, however, with wet sand iust.sl
Of powder, the object Of the experiment.
being Do ascertain the range OF the mortar and,
the effect OF the firing upon the various parts of
the boat. The boat was fastened % the shore
ard the mortar directed Town the river, which
from thai point stretches away in a broad and
straight sheet Of water five or SIX miles towards
Columbus.
Everything having been got in readiness,
Captain Constable fred q small charge OF tour
pounds of powder for the pUrposeOf scaling %
the mortar. The first experiment with shell
tIen followed, with q charge of eleven pounds e.
powder. When all was ready the boat was
Cleared OF the company, most Of as retiring 10
5de shore, Captain Constable alone remaining 20
discharge the gun. Steady ire! A jeaieuiug
conclusion, and in an instant the huge shell was
seen mounting in the air with a magnificent
curve, and its terrible rear gradually diminishing
as is distance from us rapidly increased. Il
may have risen to @ hight Of half mile, and
was almost lost to view before il began to make
lis descending curve,
On its disappearance cur eyes were eagerly
directed to the rivers level 10 mark its fall Il
was wonderful 70 wait so long, the seconds
Engineering out as It seemed 10 minutes. The
suspense was relieved by tie sudden shooting
up from the waters line of a white colugan Of
spray far down tie Mississippi sind, as Is was
estimated, two miles and a half away from Us.
The mortar boat was scarcely moved by the ex-
I'csios, aud the mortar carriage rscoiled but
FyooT three inches. This was very encouraging. I
The second experiment was made with tweu-
t. pounds of powder Capt. Constable again
cial8argiug the gun. The conclusion was ter
rife. Some distance in the rear OF the boat,
where was standing, it was not painful, sat
those who remained alongside aud in the boat
were considerably shocked. The shell rose
beautifully, mounting much higher in tina all, |
and as the expiration of tweuty-uine and one /
half seconds, struck the water at an estimated
dis1snce Of three miles. This conclusion show
cd itself verT pslpably upon the bOst- The
hatchway coverings In the front part were lifted
oil, and in some cases broken and split, while
the boat Itself rec5iled some two or three feet,
and penetrated the soft bank Of the river.
Experiment number three was made with the
charge Of ~tweuty-three pounds of powder
Ihs time of the flight Of the ball was thirty I
seconds, and the distance three and a half
The recoil Of the gun carriage was abeut
feet, and the etlect Of tag c0ncussiOn up9l
the loose wooden work of the boat was the
as in the previous shot
Experiment. number four gave results similar
% number tnTes, Capt. Paulding, of the gun
boat St. Louis, dIschsTging the gun in the place
Of Capt Constable. Capt Paul3ing describes
tls c0ncussl0n as very stunning and painful. /
and thinks it could not be endured within the
buiwaEks of the mortar boat for more than eight
or ten consecutive shots.
~'--.ANN ~ 49, HfaAA- AAN -Aa.NA HNHAHa h- ]
the mortar ia this case being eleva I'd
to more than iorty-fve degrees. The she'll was
TsltY-Hight seconds in the cir, and seemed to
.a-i Es far sway as any one OF the preceding 4
ones, which led 20 the opinion in the minds o.
.Ao committee thar & lighter charge Of powder
quite as efficient IS a full twentytnree
pound charge. 81
The mortar boats are about sixty feet long |
twenty-five feet wide, surrounded on al
..L.. Isl. r.. -H.a- fmHa---I.- 1900 EaI
'7b. The mortar Itself weighs 1870 los hes
o bore easily admitting a thirteen-incb shell, and
rom the edge Of the bore 90 the outer nm
svebtoeu inches. The mortar bed weighs four
thousand i've hundred pounds, ami f15m the
E7erimeht Of to-day is pronounced by Capt
{ unstable 10 be the most admirable mortar ear
aEe yet invented. The shell, filed with wet
,auj, weighed two hundred and eighty pounds
IA enormous missile 20 be hurled through the
b, % distance farther than from the level 90
5 ald avenue, inyour city. Filled with powder
n Use shells will weigh two hu1drel and fifteen
5a rr57. and can be thrown Fl l.sst a Ha o Ale
al ser than were those flied with the sand.