The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-04-18
oar Iron c,.As ~ cAar,esse. Hars or.

Charleston consists OF eight *essels--car'
rying Al guns. All Of tae Monitor class
have each 1l-inch and a I5inch gun.
The l1-inch gun throws a solid shot
weighing iso pounds; the I5-ineh gun
solid shot weighing 476 pounds The
total weight ofmetsl which can be thrown
at single discharge sums up 8.232
pounds.
But as the new Ironsides will not be
able TO use but one broadside at time
in an attack upon Sumter, one half Of
her broadside guns should be deducted
II ,44o lbs which would give total
weight of 6,192 lbs. of metal which can
be hurled at a given moment upon the
rebel works.
Guns Of 90 large calibre csnnot be fired
radidly, not oftener than six or eight
times an hour. Time must be given them
to cool. Sixty times day is probably
the MAXIMUM. At that rate the expend
itu-e of ammunition will be enormous
A single l-iuch gun fred sixty times,or
once every ten minutes for ten hours, will
throw ten thousand eight hundred lbs oil
metal. A l5-inch gun fired at the snme
| rspidity will require twenty eight thou
sand FIVE hundred and sixty pounds -
Aad one OF the Monitor class will require
thirty mine thousand three hundred and
sixty pounds, nearly twenty tons OF shot |
Each Monitor will also use about two
tuns of powder per day. HE entire feet
working at the same rate, will hurl at the
rebel Notifications four hundred and City
thousand pounds Of iron in ten hours, at
!, an expense Of fifty thousand pounds Of
powder, or two hundred aud twenty five
tons ef<fot and twenty Ave tons of pow
der. Many people have wondered at the
long delay on the part of Admiral Da-
poul, but they will appreciate the magni.
8 tnde Of the undert king when they learn
| that the iron clad feet woua u,c up in
six days twelve hrndrud tons OF shot aud
shell, and hundred tons Of powder.
This is maximum. The fire of the
' feet cannot thus be sustained. 1t prob
! ably will fall Tar short of il. But these
are elements which have not been taken
into the calculation.
But will this tremendous weight be
4
hurled with sufficient power 10 destroy
) the Notifications OF the enemy? Ii is an
established rule that the penetration OF
projeetiies is proportionate directly to
their weight and diameter to the square
Of their velocity. The theory of our ar
tiIlerists is that very heavy shot, thrown
, as il necessarily must be at compare
lively low velocity of about 500 feet per
second Of initial velocity, is more destruc'
tive in the end than light projectiles
llrown at high velocity English ar
hrerlss take different view, and believe
,hpt lighter shot thrown almost with
: lightning velocity will be more effective
This point is not yet settled.
:. The approaching engagement viii, per
J haps IN measure. determine It, Adrni
y raj Dupont has large guns, and his FIRE
o must be slow, deliberate and sustained
The rebels have some English Whtworti
gu6s. probably OF inch calibre, throw
ing l25 and $50 ID shot They viii use
. high charges of powder, twenty-five lbs
u and obtain an initial velocity a l,G0.
J. feet per second, but even these charge
.e will not probably pierce the tureis of TN
m 1nltors.
When We speak Of ball moving at n
: initial velocity of 1900 feet per SECOND
10 it is not actually meant that the bsl
le passes through 1000 feet per SIC
ond, but at a given instant moyes ut . ra,
which, ifcontinued, would produce tha
result. The moment ball leaves th
~ muxzle Of a cannon it begins to meet at
,e atmospheric resistance, and its moment
!. nm is retarded. The initial velocity O
:. :. the ball is the rate per second at which
VI it moves at tho beginning of its flight
D. Atmospheric resistance is less in the con
y. ieal. elongated projectile, than in lh
. sphere, The Armstrong gun aud tn
: Whitworth gun throw elongated project
lies. 1t 10 not known whether the rebel
70 have any of the Armstrong guns in posi-
: ton /; probably they have none, inasmucl
he as they are very costlv, and also inasraucl
!. as the English Government take all tina
are manufactured.
~ The iron clads have been pretty vel
iy tested; the original Monitor in the en-
es gagement with the Mcrrimac, the Mon
- tauk, Passaic, and Nahant at Ft. Meals
i ter. Torpedoes are more to be feare,
= than the guns in the rebel forts and ba,
u teries. There will be points where sl.o,
Sc from Sumter; Moultrie, Fort Johnsos
at Morris Island and Sulliyans Island wi
m fall like hail around and upon the attack
:. ing feet, but the swiftest flying bolts an
: the heaviest shot, leaving no deeper den,
10 than the hailstones of June shower u,
s. on shingled roof house. ag
But there n still an important poir
for consideration. Will the 81 guns
able to silence the enemy? The effect
ne shot thrown against Fort Pulaski at
he distance Of three .tourths of mile il
on good data. The first day's work cracl
- ed ard crumbled the masonry. Whe
!. the white flag was raised the wall was ]
y rum. II this vas accomplished at such
ry distance, Il is reasonable to conclude th
the Is inch guns at one third the distan
70. will be able to breach the walls OF Sumte
an Against earthworks no experiment b
ir- been made except at Ft. McAlister. !
no. There the fire was deliberate. The e,
Of was dismounted and this at the distan
in ofa mile. Earshworks are stronger a
is, fense than masonry, They can b /,
.ds compelled 70 silence them before reachiI
Chariasfon Thnv - = No ,~..aN ~ -