The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-07-26

American Rodman gun, with a fifteeninch bore
aud cssbiron round shot of $50 pounds weight.
The usuat charge in America for this gun Is GO
pounds, bat, tits said TO be sometimes used with
100 pounds it determined to Try 1t with It's full
power, and for that purpose It was loaded with
$50 pounds OF our powder, which, from lts greater
strength, is found equivalent TO 100 pounds Amer
lean. The shot struck the Strengthening plate
about Is inches from the bottom aud little to the
right of the middle, not far from the shot OF the
first round. 1t cracked the front plate, started
another bolt, and bent the inside layer of iron,
doing altogether but little damage. The shot re-
bounded, and fell, much hattened, Anew feet in
front Of the target. 1t was Of American make,
and appeared to be Of excellent iron.
As the last shot was said to have grazed the
ground before arriving at the target, aud thereby
to have lost some OF its force, q second shot was
fred from the same gun, also at the Strengthening
plate which ii struck five feet high and one foot
six inches from the leithand edge. IL made an
indent of eight or nine inches, cracking the plate
through TO the edge, and knocking of by the
shock from the right hand corner piece of plate
already broken by former rounds. The inner
planks near the portfolio were distorted, and an
upright standard slightly bent. The shot struck
on spot where the plates were supported oy one
of these standards, and which was, therefore, q
strong place; but the effect OF both these rounds
appeared so small for the large charge OF powder
as TO give but an Indifferent opinion OF the power
of this boasted American weapon compared with
our own rified guns.
For the fifth round the l2.inch rhed gun was
resumed, and another shot was fired, also at the
thickeniDg plate. 1t struck about six feet high.
and near the middle of the plate. II penetrated
thirteen inches and broke Q bolt doing also con-
siderable damage behind. Ii pushed out the mid
die layer of iron, and broke one of the horizontal
pauks of the internal layer, piece OF which,
weighing betweeS two and three hundred pounds,
was violently projected about one hundred feet TO
the rear of the target.
The three remaining shots were aimed at the
thinner part Of the target, representing what Ia
actually in construction for the forts, and dfteen
inches thick. IL intended that at least one Of
these should hit part between the upright stand
| ards where the plates were unbacked, but this
| was not accomplished each shot striking place
| Immediately in front of the uprighs standards.
The sixth Ound was solid shot, which penetrated
| about ten inches, broke two bolts, and caused a
bulge in both the back plates and the standards.
The seventh round was a shell, which, like all the
others, burst outside, and did little further mis-
chief: and the eighth round was a sold shot that
caused large bulge in the rear, projecting seVe-
| raj inches, and opening with wide, star shaped
crack, the standard also being considerably bentI
| though not broken.
This ended the days practice. The Plymouth
target had received the ire OF eight rounds from
| the largest guns with the full battering charges,
| and although il was good deal punished in some
parts 1t had stood on the whole very well IL was
| not penetrated by any of the shot, nor had It
| ceased to afford protection. The worst feature
| of the day was the projection Of the rear of the
| large mass Of iron in the fifth round, which would
| of course have been q serious thing In actual
warfare.