The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-02-05
\ Victory for the Guns.

The New York ErsRIng Post says; New expert
ments, more important in their results than any
that have preceded them, have been made in England
with shot and shell against iron plates. At last the
victory IL indisputably with the guns. The Whit
worth shell has pierced armor- plates, backing the
inner skin, and what Sir William Armstrong failed
10 DO with solid shot, Mr.. Whitworth accomplishes
with q more terrible missile. The grand trial took
place at ShOeburyness on Thursday, November 18th.
Mr. Whitworth superintended the experiment in
person, and among the spectators were the Duke Of
Somerset and the officers Of the Ordnance Depart
ment. Sir William Armstrong, Mr.. Scott Russell and
a large number Of eminent civil engineers. The
range was fixed at eight hundred yards, and the
target was constructed as follows Three solid iron
armor-plates, without break or portfolio in any Of
them, with two inch bolts let in at the edges, so as
not to have the same source Of weakness rs has been
heretofore occasioned by taking them through the
centre of the plates The two lower plates were FIVE
| inches thick (within half an inch Of the thickness of
the plates with which the iron frigates now building
are to be coated) and the upper plates were 4 inches,
the thickness of the UGrTiOr'S armOr. There was a
very general impression, however, that if the upper
plates were Al inches, the government had given
very good measure in the thickness Of the lower
plates, which were nearer 81 inches than .. The
plates we're made at the government dOck-ylrd, and
we're perfect Gs regarded material. These plates
were lined with a teak backing of transverse timbers
Of ~ inches and q inches thick respectively, and an
inner skin Of wrought iron plate, hve-eighths of On
inch thick. The sides and top enclosed, so as 10
make what Is termed q bOx-target, like the between
decks Of q ship, in order that the explosive effects Of
the shell, if it got inside, might be fdlly seen.
The first shell that was fired struck the thickest
plate. @ inches,) pierced it, completely bursting in
the passage through, then smashing the wood, and.
tearing through the iron skin, scattered ~ fragments
of the shell, pieces of the skin and Of the plate in
every direction. Several bolts were started, and
large bits Of wood were hurled some distance behind
or through the deck Of the target. The appearance
Of the hole in the ships side. as seen from the inside,
was as if the skin as burst through had been stuffed
with old brooms or thatch, so completely shredded
was the strong oak.
This shot was made with the large gun forged at
WoOlwich upon the ~coil-hOop plan, rihed with a
bexagOnal bore, the diameter Of which is seven
inches. as all the Whitworth guns are; it is called a
l20-pounder. but the shells fired $50 pounds, and its
weight is about Z tons, the charge being ~ pounds
of powder. The bursting charges of the shell were .
pounds. The shell was hat-heaied, and similar in
form TO that which was tried with such remarkable
results before. An important Improvement, however,
had been made by MIR. WhitwUrth, in making the
centre of the head as hard as the outer edge, and
allowing it TO project a little beyond the p%eripheral
portion. By this means the punching or piercing
power of the p~rCjectile is vastly increased.
A series Of experiments, similarly successful,
wound up with the greatest feats Of all; a shell of one
hundred and thirty pounds going completely through
the target with u bursting charge of three and a-half
pounds Of powder. The increased velocity of this
smaller projectile produced a terrible scene Of de-
strnction; the whole target having been smashed.
1t is said that Mr.. Whitworth himself was aston
ished at the unexpected power of these projectiles;
and as for Sir William Armstrong, the English jour
mails unanimously snuff him out. The iron men are
at their wits end. and the controversy which has
ragged so bitterly for a year is for a time at least,
stopped by this extraordinary victory of guns over
plates.