The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-25

Ok0D80C0s
The rival maritime Powers Of the world are
striving hard to excel each other in perfscting
naval ordnance. Constant experiments are
being made against such targets as represent
the heaviest armor that can safely be carried
by an English sea-going vessel Thus far the
American gun appears to take the lead. The
celebrated Warrior target has been pierced by
It, while to English guns it has been impene-
trable. AT first our friends across the water
fancied that they would try our gun with what
they deemed sufficient charge to carry tho
ball. The result was that the target was not
penetrated. heavier charge Of powder, how
ever, sent the missile through and through the
warrior" sided target, and at the same time
opened English eyes to the fact that while they
have been theorizing over the problem Of
heavy ordnance and the impact of projectiles
we have, in true American style, been putt ng
theories into practice and driving home the
system Of attack until defencs trembles De-
spite all the ingenuity of man in applying
modern resisting power, tho old rule of CEN
turtles ago has held good, and attack has MAIN
tanned the supremacy over defence.
IL was formerly the rule for vessels to carry
many guns Of light weight and calibre. 1t was },
however, first discovered in the United States
that weight Of projectiles hurled from heavy
ordnance was the great desideratum to be
reached. Our war of l776 proved this, for in
many hard fought contest with English ships,
we, with fewer guns but heavier metal, brought
down the British flag. f8l2-l4 had increased
the calibre of English guns, but they did not
reach the weight OF our naval ordnance, and
the results Of the battles were generally in our
favor. To-day we stand far in advance in this
particular, and our fifteen and twenty inch
guns, throwing at Q tremendous velocity an
enormous projectile, tell of Western in COM
parison with European progress in the art Of
war;
The simple invention OF our Monitors de-
stroyed at single blow all the naviss OF
Europe; and the first little "cheese-box" we
sent to Hampton Roads made US for the
moment the most powerful maritime Power in
the world. Our English rivals have made
huge strides since that time to overtake US and
regain their lost position among the nations
In the effort they have built unwieldly iron
plated figates, and placed on board Of them
guns which still cling to the idea OF quantity,
not quality. The late experiments they have
made with our ifseen-inch Rodman has, how
ever, disabused them of some of their preju-
dices. AS the Monitor knocked down their
wooden hulls, so now the Rodman gun knocks
down their iron walls; and with the piercing
OF the Warrior target we have disguised John
Bull with the idea that his iron as we'll as his
wood Is vulnerable-an argument which will
be very cogent proof to him that the Ala
bama claims are reasonable.
II now becomes question how far modern
Notifications can resist he wy ordnance on
board of the Monitor vessels. 1t is quite
evident that old Notifications built from calcu-
lations made as to the impact of projectiles
ten years ago are of little value. Formerly
three guns in casemate were considered equal
to irigate. The problem is now somewhat
changed. We shall soon have to commence
putting iron plates upon our Notifications. We
believe that there Is now more room for i'm
provement in projecsiles than there is in guns,
and our scientific men should turn their Htten-
ton largely in this direction; not for this,
however, should the efforts DO relaxed TO
reach the greatest perfection in the guns
themselves. Very liberal appropriations
should willingly be made by Congress tor ex-
perimcnts; and red tape should freely be
laid aside to welcome every improvement
which may perfect us in tha art of war on sea
or land.