New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-11-17
THE GREAT NAVAL QUESTION OF
TIE DAY.
Trial Trip OF the Tron-Clnd Passuio-sHc-
ces. OF flic New Experiment.

cts" Oh 4ffN fsh l'sAhsbs
The Ericsson battery Passsic made her final trial
trip on Saturday. She steamed knots an hour on
her return mp the river. Her departure was taken
from the Delamater Iron Works, where she had
come to have her boilers cleansed. A large number
o. scientific officers congiegated at the Iron Works.
The following gentlemen were on board:
Admiral Gregory, General Superintendent Of IRON
elads
CbierEngineer Sinners thc only believer in the
great ideal.
ChiecEnginecrs Lawion and Robe.
Capt. Drayton, commander Of The Passaic.
Firing commenced at lai past I.
The frs, clio, struck about 800 yards from the
vessel in tie water glanced of, and few into tie
bosom of the Pllisades Nothing broke-lhe turret
was there, az strong and solid as rock. The con-
cus sion was not felt any more than the Captain Of
32.pounder fees il On board frgate.
The Gnt fire resulted ia 10 smoke 10 speak Of, no
incorveniert conclusion, and o complete success Of
grand idea. The Gre, charge stsd o. % pounds
Of powder, and hollow aho. $50 pounds, fired ont
Of the i5.nch gun. II recoiIed Il inches.
The second sho, was fred out Of tho lJ-incb pun,
there being really no need OF ssc.arging tho H.
inch The arst shot having proved the pFaoleabiliiy
Of Ito principle, the ,niiro charge Of % n NJ
uooder wsa now put in. Nctvi1ssaaaias tAe sue
cess Of the experimental fire, tie timid ones ftiil
kept in tie background Capt. Drayton pulled tho
TRIGGER. Once more the cohOes Of the Pasades
rang out The recoil and smoke were reported
" ingieuihcan," and tie ehoi-a hollow one-bured
iscliagain in the beach. Cheers were loudly given
for the Passaic. The noise is only troublesome out
lido the turrei, on deck where 10 one has any busi
nee TO be. The recoil was few inches greater
than at fret, owing to the eomlFes'eFs not been
properly frightened.
Al the third slot the oompltt,crs were righied,
and there was even lees recol than at first. foil
3j-pound charge was put in, and tie 33O.pound ho.
low shot Tho ball struck the water as before, there
being no desire 10 elevate the gun, OF 10 teel any
but the one great principle.
The facts established by tie experiment are as fol.
lows:
Fr,f gun may be fred inside turret.
Second In order to appreciate the nature Of the
second result, it should DO known that the Arm
strong guns in England have been condemned for
use on sl!pboard, chiefly because sufficient number
Of men could not be placed in the tuuet to work
them. TwentyGy failed to do it satisfactorily, and
the Armstrong gun weighs but fourteen tuns. On
Saturday, four men worked Il ij-inch gun, which
weighs twenty tuns. Next week Mr.. Whitney will
put 4 Il, 900 pound gun on board the Koekuk, which
will require twenty men, while tho 1890 pound
gun Of the pasaaic is moved by four.
1Hird The third result Is very important one.
1t is the immobity OF the Passaic. Waves break
on tho iron margin Of the craft and splash in harm
less foam about the deck They have NO hull to
strike-no high bulwsrks; even the tuue. presents
an angle at every side. SO much for the results.
The following is tabular recaItuaton of the
experiments: