The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-13

which failed to hit the enemy would be DO
mean screen in the approach and would do
much to demOralize the aim of his rapid-fire
guns.
Both the Vesuvius and the Cushing are
mere Steel-Sheet death traps, in which there
is an utter lack of protection at close quar-
tiers. and when one looks at the riddled
targets of full-siZed torpedo boats exhibited
by the Hotchkiss Company as evidence of
what their revolving cannon can do, it is
astonishing that so few attempts have hith-
ertO been made to remedy this glarlng de-
feet. In boats :Of such small tonnage it is
utterly impossible TO secure adequate pro-
lection by means of armor This would
mean four or five inches OF steel IN the
shape of turtle back and would require a
displacement of 5000 TONS or the size of the
Atlanta. to carry it. There is only one re-
sort for the little boat, and that is to make
it settle like duck until 1t has two or
three feet of water over it, leaving only
heavily armOred coming tower visible
above the surface.
| believe this plan to be perfectly FEAST
Bile, and boat about the size of the Cush-
ing has been designed TO accomplish it. 1t
is the invention of Mr.. John p. Holland of
Newark, n. j., assisted by myself in some
of the minor details. This boat has an ar
mament Of three S-inch pneumatic guns at
fixed angle, two pointing forward and one
aft, throwing 200, nd pTojectiles for dis
tant work; and fer close quarters it has
two submarine guns, one forward and one
aft. These latter will fire either loco
motive torpedoeS or simple projectiles,
using compressed air or powder The
speed will be eighteen knots. The plans
have been submitted to the Government,
but l fear that Congress will give no money
for so advanced an idea this year.
Another defect OF the Nesuvius is her
lack of maneuvering power. AS she is so
long and her guns are fixed she should be
supplied with some auxiliary means of
moving her bow while lying dead in the
water
for demonstrating the value of the pneu-
matte gun, since she has such remarkable
powers of turning with her Mallory pro-
peller A gun of 30-inch caliber mounted
IN her bow would prove very Instructive.
The sub-calibering principle, which can be
so easily applied to the pneumatic system
with such surprising results as regards
range, would enable quantities of high ex-
plosive, from fifty to 1000 pounds, to be
thrown with ease from the same gun.
The question Of the amount of inaccuracy
OF this mortar-like gun, when mounted on
board ship, due to the pitching of the YES
sci. will be the principal point of interest in
connection with the coming experiments
with the Vesuvius. believe that greater
degree of accuracy will be obtained than is
generally supposed, and that linked pro-
jectile will remedy such inaccuracy as may
be found.
The matter that most surprises me in
connection with discussions of the pneu-
matte system is the persistence with which
most people adhere to the idea that il high
explosives can be fred safely from high
powered powder guns or mortars there is
no further use for it or others operated on
the same principle of low safe and adjust
able pressures used at high angles. In my
opinion the two subjects are as far apart as
any two artillery problems can be. They
should be treated separately and not al
lowed to antagonize each other.
| Estimates vary. but think 1t is reason