The sun., 1891-06-11
THE NEXT GREAT ARMOR rR1AL.
A FINAL ana Exhaustive Test TO Deteruins
the Plating OF Our War ships.

A FINAL ara Exhaustive Test to Deternins
the Plating OF Our War ships.
| WASHINGTON. June 10-The now naval ord.
nance proving ground at Indian Head, on the
Potomac. will Boon be tho scene OF test o
ship armor worthy 10 he ranked with the great
trial OF last September at Annapolis. In some
respects II may be considered still moro i'm
portant since 1t will definitely settle what kind
OF plates shall be put on our new war vessels.
The magnitude OF the coming trial Is further
shown by tho number OF plates that will
now be put 10 competition. each OF tho stand
ard dimensions. 8 feet long. feet wide. and
l0H inches thick. All these arc under con
struction BY Carnegie Phipps 4 Co. Of Pitts
burgh. They will represent steel. stoel with
nickel alloy. steel treated By tho Harvey car.
bombing process, and nickel.stesl treated BY
this process. Those that are to be hardened
on the surface By the Harvey system will have
1t applied to them. It Is said, at the WASH
inGton ordnance yard.
1t will be soon that the forthcoming trla, IL
to DO OF the same general character as the ono
which took place few weeks ago on the An
napois proving ground, but with the impor-
tant difference that plates three and half
times rs thick will now be used, and will bs
nrsd at By six-inch and cight.inch guns. A
further interest will be lent to the trial By the
use Of some American. made projectiles as fur.
hished BY tho Carpenter Steel Company which
Is manufacturing them for the Navy Bureau Of
ordnance on tho Firminy system. As com.
petition In which American made Armor
guns. and shells are employed. 1t will have an
unprecedented Importance for this country at
least.
Tho recently published accounts OF tho re-.
suits OF last autumn's trials Of armor plates
on the Russian proving grounds at Ochtn will
further stimulate professional II not popular
interest In tho Indian Head tests But there
can 10 no question as to the far greater value
our Bureau Of Naval n orannnc. emfP0ESa In Se,eY eD
trials. different syst.ms Of armor arc GUS
At os ey aosn ts .s,
fried were G Brow: a Schneider. and Viekerr.
aataSn ne .bs rs f. also held last
mell and Schneider. Taken together with
tho ANNAPOLIS trials Of n little earlier. date.
had shown tho inferiority OF conn pound riates OF
any manipiacture I.ni properlv SO oalled COM
s Wous nsPe soyp bas wb.
Orhta the HOMOGENEOUS metal plates which
eSsr o cyl brsish hs:i wsrs enc q French and hs
the same firm. although representing four dif-
Of greater o. les. skill in manufacture is eIim.
mated. In order to more. perfectly judge OF The
a5ssf bs dsfsns IN 5 sSs #. ssS
Spezia; and even at Amager. in former years
have shown that a spIenddly manufactured
perfectly manufactured plate Of homoee.
ncous steel And In fact for years er-
as to the comparative merits OF the two sys.
tenn tens: on account OF Differences in the perfec-
steel by being too brittle were beaten By com.
pound plates But our navy ordnance author-
tiles have from tho first adopted the tlan OF
really the best: and there could be no better
mode Of finally testing the nickel steel plato as
when treated by the Harvey process with the
sane ey plate not 50 treated than ty having them
all turned out from the same competent works.
for the purpose OF experiment
:, After the forthcoming trial we may expect
the Navy DEPARTMENT to definitely settle upon
the Kind OF armor to he furntshed to our navy,
and 1t Is safe to expect that 1t will no unsur.
passed. II equslled any where else In the world,