Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-08

10,4l2 "a
The armament of the New Ironsdes is six
teen ll-nch guns and two 200-pound rifled
Parrot guns. All of the Monitor class except
the keokuk have each ll-inch and To-
inch. The Keokuk has two turrets and a IL
inch gun in each turret.
The l1~inch gun throws a solid shot weigh
ing $50 pounds; the l5-inchs gun throws a
solid shot weighing 476 pounds. The total
weight of metal which can be thrown at sin
gle discharge sums up
rs eleven-inch guns. .45OO pounds
tfteen-nch guns. ...................33 1892 "
1.-TWO hundred pounds. ............... 400
"a guns 8282
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-1440 pounds-whch
would give total weight of 6792 pounds of
metal which can be hurled a. given moment
upon the rebel works
Guns OF SO large calibre cannot be fired
rapidly, not ottener 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 expenditure Of ammunition
will be enormous. A single l1-inch gun fired
60 times, or once every ten minutes for ten
hours, will throw ten thousand eight hundred
pounds of metal. A 15-inch gun fired at the
same rapidity will require twenty-eight thou
sand five hundred and sixty pounds Any
one of the Monitor class will require thirty
nine thousand three hundred and sixty
pounds, nearly twenty tons of shot Each
Monitor will also use about two tons of pow
der per day. The entire fleet, working at the
same rate, will hurl at the rebel Notifications
four hundred and fifty thousand pounds of
iron in ten hours, at an expense of fifty thou
sand pounds of powder! or two hundred and
twenty-five tons of shot and twenty-five tons
of powder!
Many people have wondered at the long de-
lay on the part of Admiral Dupont but they
will appreciate the magnitude of the nnder-
taking when they learn that the iron clad fleet
would use up in six days twelUe hundred tons
Of shot and shell, and a hundred tons of poO-
der This is maximum. The fire of the
fleet cannot be thus sustained. 1t probably
will fall far short of it. But there are ele-
ments which have not been taken into the cal
culation.
But will this tremendous weight of metal
be hurled with sufficient power to destroy the
Notifications of the enemy? 1t is an estab
iShed rule that the penetration of prolectiles
is proportionate directly to their weight and
diameter to the square of their velocity The
theory of our artillerists is that very heavy
comparatively low velocity of about eight
hundred feet per second of initial velocity, is
more destructive in the end than lighter pro-
jectiles thrown at high velocities. English
artillerists take a different view, and believe
that lighter shot thrown with almost light
ming velocity will be more effective. This
point is not yet settled.
REBEL PREPARATIONS.
Beauregard is the rebel comman ding officer
in South Carolina, and when he was assigned
to that department he found it in condition
lily adapted to withstand an attack. But lit
tie had been done since the bumbardment of
Sumpter to put the harbor in a state Of de-
tense. At that time the people of Charleston
believed their city to be invulnerable. But
Gen. Beauregard, after making minute sur
vey of all the defences, assured them that,
whatever might be the strength of their defen-
sive works, they were by no means impreg
nable. From that time, therefore, to the
present, Gen. Beauregard has been incessant-
~ engaged in improving and increasing
what had been so well begun. He has
not confined his attention to the approaches
from the sea, but has labored also to render
charleston secure from a land attack, in case
our Iorce, should succeed in effectlng a land
ing Inc result of these labors is, that there
- rs noI single spot within eight miles of
charleston towards the sea and within four
miles inland where a fort or battorv conId
possibly be erected that is not now defended
by strong work. The confederate govern
ment have zealously seconded the iabors of
Beauregard. Negroes were called in from
every part OF the state, aud by dav and NIGHT
they have toiled at the shovel until Formidable
batteries have arisen at every commanding