The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1862-11-27
Trial "Trip of the GrOn-C lad Pnssaic Snc-
of abe New Experiment.

From the New York Tribune 17th
: The Ericsson battery Passaic made her Fl
nal trial trip on Saturday. She steamed eigh
knots an hour on her return up the river. He
departure was taken from the Dalmater Iroi
Works, where she had come to have her boil
: ers cleansed. A large number of scientific off
GERS congregated at the iron works. The fol
lowing gentlemen were on board:
Admiral Gregory, general superintendent 0
iron cads.
Chief Engineer Sinners {the only believer il
the great idea.). .s ...- --
Chief Engineers Lawton and ROBBIE T..
Captain Drayton, commander OF the Passa-
lie. . -.
Firing commenced at haf-past 1.
The first shot struck about 800 yards from
the vessel in the water, glanced off, aud flew
into the bosom of the palisdes. Nothing broke
the turret was there, as strong and solid as a
rock. The conclusion was not felt any more
than the Captain of 32-pounder feels it on
board higate
The first fire resulted in no smoke to speak
of, no inconvenient conclusion. and the cum
plete success of grand idea. The first charge
consisted of 20 pounds of powder, and a hol,
low shot 600 pound.) fired out of the I5Inch
gun. 1t recoied Is inches.
The scond shot was fired out of the l5-inch
gun, there being really no need of discharging
the lI-inch. The first shot having proved the
practicabihty of the principle, the entire charge
Of 30 lbs OF powder was now put in. Notwith-
standing the success OF the new experimental
fire, the timid ones still kept in the background.
Capt. dayton pulled the trigger. Once more
the echoes Of the Palisades rang out, The re-
coil and smoke were reported insignificant"
and the shot-a hollow oue-buried itself again
in the beach. Cheers were loudly given for
the Passaic The noise only troublesome OUT
side the turrei, on deck, where no one hBs any
business to be, The recoil was few inches
greater than at the first, owing to the compress
ers not being properly frightened. II.
A the third shot The compressers were right
ed, ana there was even less Tecoil than at first.
A full thirty five pound charge was put i'll, and
the 1886 pound hollow shot. The ball struck the
water as before, there being no desire to elevate
the gun, or to test any but the one great prin-
ciple.
The facts established by the experiment are
as follows,
LIST. A gun may be fred inside turret.
ID. In order to appreciate the nature of the
second result, 1t should be known that the
Armstrong guns in England have been con-
demned tor use on ship board chiefly because
a sufficient number of men could not be placed
in the turret to work them. Twenty-Five fail
ed to do it satisfactorily, and the armstrong
gun weighs but fourteen tons. On Saturday,
four men worked ffteen-inch gun, which
weighs twenty tons Next week Mr.. Whit
ney will put 10 ,000-pound gun on board the
Keokuk, which will require twenty men, while
the $4,000 pound of the Passaic is moved by
four. ....... -....
3D. The thld result is a very important one.
1t is the lmmobility of the Passaic. Waves
break on the iron margin OF the craft and splash
in harmless foam about the deck. They have
no hull to strke-no high buIwarks; even the
,uret presents an angle al every side. So much
for the results.
The following is a tabular reorganization of
the eXperiments: ------- - LII