New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-03-13
HARBOR DEFENSE.

preparation IN tortihcatons ships OF war, Sopf' anu
men, 10 oil our most important bsrbors along our
extended coast, and New-York where the "eai'n
Of hemisphere or continent is conferred. mas oeen
frequently mentioned, 90 striking example OF III
>,.sn,;on 70 ,hs first law Of nature, =" self pre-
ssrvssion."
No small part of the anxiety arose in the minds OF
intsnsen, officers and skillful engineers from the
fs.t that even when .coodeA rails were 10 be the
s,lv a,,a,la1ts. but few examples could be found,
where guns of even the greatest cabers then IN
use, had sunk or destroyed ship. Capt. Dahlgren
In hi. report, December 1862, says: "Tbe injury
was principally confined 10 destroying mssts, saAs,
and men, and il was very rarely that ship was
sunk BY solid shot
Guns were then PROPOSED Of larger cali
bers, and guns also for the projection Of
sbelle and these last were supposed to be elective;
and minute detail Of frgbtfu destruction, ne exhib
jted by their experimental trials were given; but il
b only necessary TO ray that the caution exhibited
by the inventors of these guns in ~ their fabricdfo"
and proof, even when made in old established ord
Danoe iounderies, and under The supervision OF ex'
Rerieneed ordnance inspectors. is strong evidence
that Notwithstanding the confidence exhibited IN Inc
statements Of the officers 10 the Government and 'he
people, grave doubts Of kind continued secretly
" be entertained he TO the uustworthiness OF the
guns. Col Bourfofd hOwevs5, having made d how
liter OF l2-ineh caliber that did endure number oil
rounds, il seemed TO be incumbent upon Others
who succeeded bin 20 follow biz example in 70 de-
sirablo Q direction, and costly experiments were
made to discover the real secret how 10 make
ether guns like lis or larger ones, TO have
equal or greater endurance. Yet slsrmiog
uncertainty attended ali these efforts. When
SHE became apparent that IL could no longer BE-
denied with safely 10 the reputation Of tue orfcere
u wac next proposed by Capt. Roduan, in effect, to-
pse an adulte or slow-burnng powder aud the
expenditure of public money was contnued,to euci-
date this newrheOry. The result was, however, to
leave the state OF the science ju.t where it WYE
before; end any one reading the annual reports VI
board Of officers, sitting for years, examining the
subject with the light of the higher sciences will be
sstopshed at the meseer result il they do not become
Indignant upon reading, IN The beginning of each
soport, the request 10 be permitted 10 wittdraw all
sac conclusions and deductions Of the former report"
1t would seem that, in very desperation, new
gun had " be proposed different from anything be.
fore made; and insisted upon as being properly
made, with no other reason given for confidence
Shsn because ecsryftiHS else had been triad aud had
failed The whole fabric wac, at this time. how.
ever, thrown 70 the ground by the proposal from
outside parties, to make ri1ed guns, and the
result Of experiments made, exhibited The curious
lses. that much smaller charges oniy could be useo
10 them. AZ il was found in trials with field esns.
&.poupder size, that one ounce Of power to the
pound Of thot was effective, ordnance off ;ers
caught at this 'traN and rifed guns Of the largest
a -. A
>ain'y Of human sfairs," rifed guns Of large .zes
were found TO he even more untrastwortby than
smooth bores, and, in addition to ibis, another com
glication cams into the account by the building in
France and England Of iron-cad ships, which pre-.
DsDted a new and more powerful means Of defeuse
against assaults by cannon, and against which our
inefficient gum would prove of no avail. The utter
sntrus.worthiness Of smooth bore guns 10 exhibited
N the following quotations from RodmaDs book:
"Out Of seven solid east experiuentsl column
tiads, one gun only proved TO be good"
Out OF six hollow csst c0lumbiads. three were
good"
The solid gan Of the first pair burs, at the Ssh
Ere, aud that OF the second pair at the 73d fire, he
stperior IRON grving tie 4tfer,oy gan,"
The first pair Of l0"N. or,,. ,,.aa from
sDe same iron, aud with tenHciY VI 81 ,UD pounds
to the square inch Of sectonl, the solid gun bu's
n the Goth fire." Capt. Rodman says: "rbese !
Sas,s are conclusive, TO my mind, that we are at
present far from possessing I practical knowl. |
edge Of the properties Of east ROO. in ts application
20 gun laundering, and
"These results may be grouped az follows: Of the
two pair Of Sinch gnns The solid cast guns endured
lsS rounds both burst. Hollow cast guns endured
J,75l rounds, one gun DoirTTss an
"Of the pair of l0iDob guns, fired 18th IL pounds
eaarge, thossesst solid "ete fired 56i rounds, 10th
t~rst Those cast hollow were fired 56i rounds, bota
burst.
"Cf the two pairs 10-iueh guns, fired with IA
MOUNDS those cast sohd have been fired Sjl rounds
sss 1strokea. Those cast hollow have been fired
lOJ2 rounds, neither gun ty0Een.'
"Of The tair Of 32-pounders the hollow east gan |
was superior, tat tie comparison destroyed by
double charging the hollow cast gum"
"Of the three pairs Of l0-inch and two pairs Of |
Inch 40 guns, when one or both Of each pair has
been broken, those east solid have been fred COS
rounds, gaas all broke. Ihote east hollow have been
fred 3,sl5 rounds, aud TWO gunr unbrokeD."
This is the quality Of tho largest aud beet guns
now mounted in the forts of.New-York Harbor
When these gums fired during experiments, the
officers themse1ves KEY, at respectful distance from
GLem, having long lanyard by which the lock or
frction-ube wa pulled. 1t is far moro serious ac-
sident 10 have gun burst in close casemate filed
with men, OF in turret Of an iron-cad ship. The
sxeluive eystem prscticed, by which all the expert.
nents relating TO the fabrication Of ordnance, has
been confined 70 class Of persons, few in number,
and all educated in the same schools, has brought
upon this disgrsceful state Of affairs. No other
branch Of constructive science is subjected 10 this re-
ssssnes 10 progress. Tie sciences of civil and me-
ebsnicsl engineering open to public competition
she faiaTse Of one practitioner are hipts 70 rival