New-York tribune., 1874-10-30
THE YALE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.
AN ADDRESS BY Ex-PRESIDENT WOOLSEY.

AN ADDRESS BY Ex-PREsIDENT wOOLsEY.
The Yale Alumni of this city held their first
social meeting for the Winter season Delmonicos last
evening" Chas II. Tatnam resigned his position IN the
Executive Committee. and Dr.. w. T. Lnsk was elected In
his stead. Charles Tracy who presided In the absence
Of the Hon. W. NJ. Evarts. introduced exPresldent
woolsey, saying that he himself was member OF the
first Greek class that the President taught at Yale
Elk President woolsey rising, was greeted with
great enthusiasm He said that he distinctly remem'
bered beginning his abOrs ~ teaching Mr. Tracys class
the Edipus Rex Of Sophocles Mr.. Tracy hignihcanty
interrupted by asserting that At the Eiipus Iydn
nus, which excited peals Of laughter President Wool
sey resumng. said that there was something 10 the re-
suits Greek culture that he had enjoyed more than
any other study Of his fethat tho Greeks had In all
respects but been favored than any other ma
tion that their OF beauty. proportion fitness hai
alone enabled them 10 make great record, Ttnout
such high inspirations. had exerted a more permanent
influence. 1t had conscience enough to make laws tnae
would work. Greece could not 1t was strange to realize
that only onetenth Of the Greek citizens could read
But they all could crticse sophocles and anu
ear to that pitch, was not on the whole a., as
well cultivated as one n,der our present ,Son SoS,
cipline OF newspapers The exPrefident Inen
spoke OF the college. and expressed the conyic, ,.,
ton that Its period OF greatest intellectual activV
Revolutionary war. Many had been produced by
1t snce however, who would be regarded as their peers
Prof Hadley who easy master Of three great de,
partments OF kEowedge-phosophy the civil law, and
mathematics. Such scholars OF course were rare ana
no university could exist II its plans were sucn as 10
make all It's graduates men SO far IN advance OF tnc n
mediate needs Of their age Nevertheless ne oeevea
that the present Is the beginning OF great revV
in scholarship the true function OF university s W
educate meet the exact requirements Of be nes
they live ill., aud give them powers and inspire them
with ambitions when shall do something TO rase te re-
quirements OF their times. This he thought fde "as
President Woolsey listened to with deep interest
After the enthusiastic demonstrations caused ny MS re-
marks had subsided, MIR. Tracy led tne way h'" 'no
supper room.
EXPERIMENTS WITH HEAVY ORDNANCE.
A PLAN FOR ALTERING SMOOTH BORE CANNON TO
RIFLED PIECES
During the session of 1872, Congress appro-
pr,ated s27OOO with an additional $4,000 for expert
mental purposes" This money has been used al vari-
Gus stations in the United States IN experimenting WIN
guns and gun carriages powder and projectles Uhder
this provision board OF ordnance officers consisting Vi
Col s. Crispiu Capt c. w. Mckee. Col. ]. Treadweil'
and Col T. g. Baylor with Capt J. G. Butler, atache,
convened at Sandy Hook on the 2lst inst for the pur-
pose Of testing heavy ordnance which has oeen' W
a new system, altered from smooth bore to rifed can
non. Several years ago work was begun on very eA-
tensiye fortfcation at Sandy Hook Afer raising inc
walls and building number OF houses for the convent
ence OF the engineer corps and employees the Whole
involving the expenditure OF q large sum OF
money, the place abandoned. With the
vast improvements OF late IN guns and proecues,
the fort would offer serious obstacle to the IRE OF
an invading force, and will probably not be completed
number OF smooth bore guns OF and 1oinch caiber
three Parrot guns using 800 pound proectie ana Two
I5nch Rodnans about the inclosure To the right
are the Office and the "buts" the background The
butts" are two number, and are composcd OF sand
are about so feet long, Is feet high, aud 20 feet WIDE
projectie passing through the trs Is caught by the
hundred aud feet from these quits, Is the gun
now on trial II was originally made by the South Bos
ton Foundery, was l0inch smootb-oore, ana Dy Tue
Introduction OF coied wrought cylinder secured
In position by collar at the mrzzle OF the gun, u has
been converted into an S-inch rhcd cannon. ,
This ia system. and II proved successful, VIII
enable the Government to utilize the large nunoer or
otherwise almost useless smooth bore guns now IN It's
The classmates OF almost all the f0rtlic-
tons OF tine United States have been built OF s,z.
admitting larger piece than tne teninch gln ana IL
will thus be how important these experiment, are
likely prove. II Is proposed 10 test the feasibility OF
altering the aboyedescroed piece to ruled nlne-nch
gun with eel cylinder instead or the wrought IRON
now used. The experiments thus far demonstrate the
following facts: While the ten inch smO0tDore uses
projectle weighing 27 pounds, the same gun aitefei
gives nearly double tue force ore even rate OF speed
greater penetration, aud increased accuracy, with
proiectile pounds Duponts he xag0na power is
used and the velocity Is measured by the LIE 3OuenSe
system At yesterday 50 shots had neen red The
minimum charge Of powder was 20 pounds; maximum,
rs pounds; elongated cylindrical projectlle-.ninimun
weight, l57 pounds ma ximum, lS6 pounds