The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-11-30
The Voice of the Infant"

The Times, In it's account of a feld-day at
Shoeburyness, gives the following particulars with
reference to a grand experiment with the g Wool
witch Infant -
1.-The : Woolwich Infant was confronted by
such K target as has never been fired at before.
In front of the old No. 33 target, assigned to test
the utmost powers of the heaviest ordnance, was
placed an extra 4-inch plate, held in a wooden
frame, a space of six inches being left between
H. . rh--;d target. Thus tho nass 70 DC
fired at consisted Ot-nIeU, r InchoO Of iron, then
an air space, then an S-inch plate, next 6 inches
of Indian teak, followed by 5 inches more of
solid iron, another 6 inches of teak,-and, lastly,
a skin, tougher than tina! of a rhinocerOs, an
inch and a half of iron, the whole consisting of
l35 inches iron, II inches wood, and an air
space. Let not the reader treat this air space
with contempt; it helped to save the target. The
trumpet sounded a warning-Dote, and all sought
cover in the splinter-prods. There was to be
one charge fired first without projectile to clear
the baby's throat, and the tender soGcltude of
the ~nurses-tender and LOVING they are to their
own babies, those grand lronze gunners-soon
brought a soft dull sound from the young crea-
ture. After that, all breahs were hushed to
hear what would follow, bu' again the baby only
coughed. 1t was cold, thy said, and needed
more of its elixir before beng permitted to cry
in earnest.
"a long interval succeed, while its feeders
were placing in its mouth Hob, of powder and
a Palliser shell weighing, with its small charge
of Glib. of powder, a total of 700lb., about the
weight of four heavy men,or shall we say, two
or three Claimants?
.'At length the infant spike in earnest, and lit
orally the bomb proofs trenbled with the shock.
A crash followed, and the air was full of hot,
heavy fragments-so hot tat they could not be
held in the naked hand When they were picked
up. Never has Shoeburynss seen a more eager
rush to a target or blanbr expressions on the
face of the uninitiated whea they found that the
target had not been piercd. But the expert
enced ran first to the bak and saw that the
whole bulk-plates, heavy wooden foundations
let into the ground-in fact the whole structure
had been forced some tire inches backwards.
The 4inch plate in front, 90, had been driven
from it's frame and caused to lean for support
against the main target. &tillerists know that
the stored-up work in a FojectiIe cannot push
back many tons of metal an penetrate them too.
So the effect was pronounced unexampled in the
history of artillery. The sell had acted partly
as a ram, partly as a puch. a ship is too
heavy to yield so to a swift shot, and, besides,
showers of bolt heads had ben sent flying to the
rear. deadly as s~plinters of ,shell.
"None the less was it DENIED wise to try one
more round on a new anC sound place. This
time the 4 inch plate could move no farther, and
as the blow was struck ntaPr the centre of the
target, the mass was less moved. Through the
loose plate went the point e the shell, through
plates, wood, and skin of tie target, and break
ing from the base, which emained in the hole,
point, sides and pieces of hget rushed shrieking
in one wild ruin to what would have been the
interior of a ship stronger han the waves have
ever borne. Once more, pfc of all the science
of shipbuilders, the guns he it."