New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-29
ARMOR TESTS AT ANNAPOLIS.
THE CAPACITY OF AMERICAN ORDNANCE
DEMONSTRATED.
soMPARATIvE CSELBSSNEsS OF THE SlXINLH
CN-INTEEESTING PROBLEMS lC'
THE WAR DEPARTMENT
fsY TELEGRAPH TO THE TkIBCSE.l

fDY TELEGRAPH TO THE IklBCfE
Washington. Sept. 2s.-A ncv' phase has pee" gwen
n the recent armor tests at Annapolis now that the
Government has proclaimed In favor OF ni'kei pia'c
for ships Of The arlnor trial was eNpeeoco I"
md did demonstrate the capacity Oh American 'iu
nance. On that occasion the two guns nsed Spe''a
six-inch and eghtinch brccch loading riheS' dcNe
orcd the fact that this Government was not bchihl
forc,cn services I'm the manipulation any more than
IN the manufacture Of guns. The six-nch gun was
fred twelve times in less than half as many hours
without injury or apparent strain. lhe c'-'"'" "
gun was fired three times with equal precision anu
success. The siX-inCh weapon hat advantages over
guns OF its class which removed it from comparison
with lis fellows. II lad greater length IMAM inc
service guns Of the same calibe by thirty inches ana
the increased ruzze velocity attained gave TINS
epccia gun an anomalous position, which al Inc "h'c
was thought only to contribute to the severity O the
test.
The results Of that test however. point 10 aho'hef
fact than the superiority OF one plate over lis rVa
Th. Is that six.inch guns. under the favorable
circumstances OF special manufacture can have ltlc
effect upon the which survived even the assault
Of the eightnch rife whoe victory at Annapolis VIII
lead to It's adoption future commerce dcN'"yef' THO
four shots at the nickel plate although each pierced
the target, produced no surface rptnrcs and Ike
confinement Of damage to the point, OF impact char
aoterzed the CreusUt all steel plate. The single shot
from the eight inch gun disturbed the surface Of the
steel plate but did no more than local damage to the
nickel plate. The range Only thirty feet and the
proximity and drccnc>s Of the fire produced results
Impossible OF duplication I'm actual combat In brir
TIC test. while il developed the comparative quaN'le'
Of the armor under trial also demonstrated the extent
Of destruction possible from American ordnance in its
latest and best estate The question which is now pr
sentcd ordnance experts i. Shall the 'A'inch gun be
absndonedf shall weapon Whose inadeDuacy be
fore nickel armor is apparent cucumber the armament
Of a war ship II refuses 10 serve its purpose and
mist IL longer retained become useful only in warfare
with unsrmorcd vessels or. at most. where nation.
unmndftil OF the warning, surrounds her Vessels
llulls with the insecurity 81 compound plating. lis
work n such times ID more quickly and more effect
lively performed BY the rapid firing guns The present
six inch gun cannot hope TO do the work OF the special
pece used at Annapolis. and doubt arises regarding
tie effectiveness OF even an eiRhtinci gun tic
armorclad OF the future.
Tho contest between srmor ana ordnance stands To-
day In favor OF the former. Tho ten and twelve inch
rides slome can he depended upon IN tho attack The
new cruisers sAost have nothing above to cht inch
ride and fourteen Of these guns ere divided among the
armsnents OF the Chicago. Rostou Atlanta Chsre'ton
and baltimore OF the srmored vessels. the Puritan
has four twelve.inch guns, the MiaLt n0nal. Amphl
O1le, Monadnock, Terror and Maine four tenInch
each the Texas two twelvc'tnch. the Pachc Coast
Defence vcssel one sixtcen.nch. one hfteenneh and
ono twelvc-ineh. The arnorcd steel cruiser Monitor
viii have two ten :.ch and fifteen inch dynamite
gun. The United states, however, compares credit
ably With foreign Powers. not in relative quantity al
least in direct quality Of material In England during
the last year many complaints have arisen at the faulty
construction OF the high power gunh. AZ the works of
ono hr1u according TO te Naval intelligence once
sppesrs that one lo51on gun. one twelveinch. two