Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-08
A victory for the Guns.


New experiments, more important in
their results than any that have preceded
them, have been made in England with
shot and shell against iron plates. At
last the victory is indisputably with the
guns. The Whitworth shell has pierced
srmor-plates, backing and inner skin, aud
what Sir William Armstrong failed to do
with solid shot, Mr. Whitworth accom-
plished with 6 more terrible missile. The
grand trial took place at Shoeburyness on
Thursday, November 13, Mr.. Whitworth
supeirntended the experiments in person,
and among the spectators were the Duke
Of Somerset and the officers of the Ord
nance Department, Sir William Armstrong,
Mr. Scott Russell and large number of
eminent civil engineers. The range was
fixed at eight hundred yards, and the tar
get was constructed as follows: Three
solid iron armor-plates, without break or
portfolio in any of them, were fastened to
the timber backing, with two-inoh bolts let
in at the edges, so as not to have the same
source of weakness as has been heretofore
occasioRed by taking them through the
center plates. The two lower plates were
five inches thick within half an inch of
the thickness of the plates with which the
iron frigates now building are to be coat
ed) and the upper plates was Al inches,
the thickness of the Warriors armor.
There was very general impression, how
ever, that if the upper plate was AZ inches,
the government had given very good meas
ure in the thickness Of the lower plates,
which were nearer 81 inches than s. The
plates were made at the government dock
yard, and were perfect as regarded mate
rial. These plates were lined with teak
backing Of transverse timbers of u inches
and 6 inches thick respectively, and an
inner skin Of wrought iron plate, five
eighths of an inch thick. The sides and
top were also enclosed, so as to make what
is termed box target, like the between
decks of ship, in order that the explosive
effects of the shell, if it got inside, might
be fully seen.
The first shell which was fired struck
the thickest plate, IS inches, pierced it,
completely bursting in the passage through,
then smashing the wood, and tearing
through the iron skin, scattered 27 frag-
ments of the shell, pieces Of the skin and
of the plate in every direction. Several
bolts were started, and large bits of wood
were hurled some distance behind and
through the deck of the target. The ap-
pearance Of the hole in the ships side as
seen from the inside, was as if the skin as
it was burst through had been stuffed with
old brooms or thatch, so completely shred
ed was the strong oak.
This shot was made with the large gun
forged at Woolwich upon the coil-hoop
plan, rihed with hexagonal bore, the d.
ameteF Of which is seven inches, as all the
Whitworth guns are; it is called a 120
FOUNDER, but the shells fired were $50
pounds, and its weight is about tons, the
charge being 27 pounds of powder. The
bursting charge of the shell was 5 pounds.
The shell was fiat headed, and similar in
form to that which was tried with such
remarkable results before An important
improvement, however, had been made by
Mr.. Whitworth, in making the center of
the head as hard as the outer edge, and al-
lowing it to project q little beyond the
peripheral portion. By this means the
punching or piercing power Of the pro-
jectile is vastly increased.
A series of experiments, similarly sue
cessful, wound up with the greatest feat
of all shell of one hundred and thirty
pounds going completely through the tar
get with bursting charge of three and
half pounds Of powder. The increased
velocity of this smaller prOjectile produc-
ed q terrible scene of destruction; the
whole target having been smashed,
1t is said that Mr.. Whitworth himself
was astonished at the unexpected power of
these projectiles and as for Sir William
Armstrong, the English journals unani-
mously snuff him out The iron men are
at their wits end, and the controversy
which has ragged so bitterly for a year is,
for time at least, stopped by this extra
ordinary victory of guns over plates.-N.
7. Post.