The sun., 1889-11-29
rHr coAsr DErENor rKssl1.
TIE Arsansnt Originally Planned for Her
VIII Probably he Chanaea.

NHbnAHNs
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2S.-Although the con-
tract for the coast defence vessel was signed
long ago. and her actual construction by tho
Union Iron Works OF San Francisco is now
proceeding. 1t is not at all improbable that her
plans will have to be altered IN order to effect
material change in the armament
As now designed, the main battery consists Of
q 16-inch 110-ton rife in the forward turret and
12-inch Alton gun In the after turret: while,
In obedience 10 the current rage for
putting IN pneumatic torpedo gun wherever
twill 20, 15-inch tube Of this character will
also be fixed In her bows. But the recent fail
ures Of tho l10-ton guns OF the Victoria and
Banspareil have put an entirely different
face on our own purposes. It has been said
that one OF the British guns actually dropped
IN inoh and half out OF the horizontal line, so
that broad aperture existed. There are now
two OF these guns on the Benbow which do not
seetn to be complained on and there are three
others not yet complete. According to ono OF
the English service papers, the port gun Of the
Victoria opened In two places, and into the
opening nearest, the breech good-Sized coin
could be dropped. In that opening were found
pieces Of steel, evidently put there at some for
mer time to MI up tho gap. =, The other gun
gun; Another service paper, satiricnlly de-
soribes the result OF the test firing az u grace
i0O:ton gun OF the Duiiio is also remembered.
and the rupture OF smaller French naval gun.
0S These SS;e, Sypsrienees even II e1Septionsl;
accounts. ought not to be lost upon us. The
constructors Of the. British ton guns were
heaviest calibres for the last dozen years.
They have supplied the great Italian war ves-
sSs Ss We'll S the new btsh shPs and have
can furnish But In this country we have never
yet constructed even a l2-inch steel gun, and
been planning to furnish 10 the coast defence
vessel llo-ton steel gun. Very likely our
the sorF 81 T0Sd a. first over
But this Is not the only objection. The eXi;
pediency Of using such heavy ordnance at all
charges required are trying. even where, there
is NO direct rupture. The great veal, will rem
OF rounds; Such heavy ordnance is also fred
very slowly. whereas gun OF about half the
size could be disSharged from five 70 ten times
working the heaviest guns is also eompli-
Gated addition to the vessel; and 1t would be
SnG And Of pa m ornay wa
ships armor can be pierced by the smaller
calibres. For these and similar reasons the
stop the moysment Tor bigger T guns and to re- g.
turn to smaller calibres. Some experts go SO
mounted except on shore Il is suggested that
even the, new British war ships Of fully $500
tens viii not more thSp
Armstrong himself in recently Defending the
ordnance manufactured by his company, took
care to say that he had never advocated guns
Of the largest possible calibre for ships. al
though he had supplied them. and although he
atill considered that the accidents to two out OF
the nine 1l0.ton guns had been exaggerated
Under such circumstances the probabilities
seem to be that our Navy Depart meht will con-
tent itself with supplying two 12-inch guns to
the new coast defence vessel, especially as it
is doubtful whether anything above that cali
pre- could pc made ready for her when she is
mi n n.fn nCrt,r1
even after the plant for its full manufacture and
finishing ls ready: and ours Is not ready In
addition, 1t seoms rather singular to apply the
placement even II used simply for coast de-
fence; AS to the pneumatic tube that also may
or not remain. 1t would only be OF benefit at
the range OF about a mile whereas ths work Of
The H. inch guns OF the same vessel would 10
done at much greater distance.