The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-24
TIE NEW OCHTA ARMOR TRIAL.
A Great Battle Hetwecn Gun md Targets
How the Russians Smashed II Harvey
plnie Which They Gould Not HccNOirAic.

markable and suggestive OF such contests
ever held on Euronenn proving ground.
1t was in tho Ochta royGon. At st. recrs.
burg. that Sheffield compound plate. in
1852. badly beat Schneider steel plate. tho
latter being much too brittle n specimcn of
the famous 1o Crousot manufacture: and 1t
was at Och,a that tho Schneider armor. after
many years. retrieved its laurels bv beating u
sheffield compound plate made hy Brown.
rho iivo plates entered for the recent COM
petition were n St diamond. low carbon.
, ncl,c! steel. supposed 20 have had u lead bnth:
Il Brown compound plate. inadc on the Ellis
patent. and surface hardened by tho Trcsiddcr
r"oress. an InGlsh invention: two Cammell
nickel steel plates. ON, high aud tho other low
carbon; finally. II liarvcyized plate, made in
Sheffield ~ Nirkcrs.
Each Of these plates under tho prescribed
conditions Of tho trial. was y feet high by
feet wiic and 10 inches thick. with II
DaoSr; but no frame. Tho tcst was
10 he six rounds with n G.inch brcech-
loading rnr using liolG"r nrmor. piercin.:
! rlol"c'ics made mt tho PutiloT works
! in hussil. Tho weight Of tho powder charge
| Is not vet known here. but the weight Of tho
! prolrctie seems to havo been !G.5 ltussian
| POUNDS. which would be 1915 English pounds.
! The mu2alc velocity was 2.2};, feet per second.
| hut Che striking velocity the target being sew
! crnl hundred feet distant. was 2.lTO feet, aud
| tie striking energy H,iTO foot tons 1t may
| lao remarked that while the striking velocity
| IN our tests at Indian Head with finch guns
, was but 300 feet. the projec,ie weighed lGO
/ pounds. making tho striking cnergy 2,"sS. or
| over orc.ilfth greater in the American than in
| the Russian trails.
| Il hapu"ned that tho Harvey plate was de-.
lArcd nj hnvcl, on its way TO st. Petersburg,
! ana did not arrive in season to be nut in com
! petition with III, others. IT received. however.
sub-"ru.n, test. as win presently appear.
plate nowd n" "" eracKSc but .he p pTo ISr
! which WAS intact. got its point through the
nMiei lns a. ,rnamond , showed no cracks,
npHnctrA'ion q twelve inches. ihe ,ammell
Nth sPr,Yn showed three ,rackSi WITH tho
! broke tho proJcctile. leaving u part in the
plate, hut the upper lett corner Of the plate
Wns, zone, and there We're several cracks in
At the second round the CammelI low carbon
in tn" pa,". well hroush XII ii" st. Cham oad
showed no cracks. the proiccttle rccoling
'fh" s T i"G snmS nSm",aton as 6eiSrs
NJ. With The upper right corner gone. whilethe
%ieGiIe got its point Ihp%nGn resoIng
| iZcd tho rrolectile. but showed Tour through
again showed no cracks. but tho projectile was
broken with its no;nt well through til" oGival
ihird s@ot was as like tho second The Iamme!l
| high carbon plate was demolished. the right
n Sl % Ss n4 the bs1s
not enough lctto; this plate for the remaining
three shots; The Brown plate showed many
1oi% Of 2dn the oWeT rp were gone
ir%m tic deFth o. = 81: inches in II, Il isrmsr.
but it was broken in halves. the forward halt
remaining in, the pate. The ,Tresi, !dcri2ed
itrown llatc showed numerous through cracks
hound i've Welded no cracks in the CANNED!
Low carbon a1a The pr3 Es reroiled intact
showed no cracks. and the proJrcte was
again nrGken but the pGin nt vas through ard
was wrecked the left half being carried away.
aud nothing Icing left at which to fire the last
| :ound.
On the sixth round the Cammell low carbon
At last. received through crack. and again
tho prolecte Remaining in tho plate. Tie st.
diamond. however. for tho sixth time howed
n rS rne an" Of 1fe P neEes re'00d intact
the qualification Of tho russian authorities.
enersv. rs, has been said. was much inferior
othat Of american trials With such cai:bres
oils and Indian Head trials. allowing six shots
,wecM tle ocI,a ,r"i and the BethieEem test
II July ~ IS married. There. five shots. with
iGI,z,r 70 I9nnl shelis having n;r strik ii
cons each I? the square foot. were fired ut a
10 Inch Harvey plate eiGh, feet. by six. at a
thce" i've blows was $1,000 foot tons. while
the ,oto! GnorGy of the six blows in the ocha
trial was less than 1000 foot tons.
credit OF standing tho test without cracking.
cunt. 10 hGyo gone through. the, point reach
ins from u distance Of Ten 70 twelve inches in
! lN,.l Stppl a n VA
done about az well. but + fel! TO second place
the Camncll high carbon went all to pieces.
At last tho Harvey plate arrived. and tria Is
were had with It on the .nme condition. The
lie ,;iSheh but it is known that in every one of
,hc. first rour rounds tho plate was loft whole.
from ten to twelve inches. as in the case of the
victorious st. diamond. were all smashed up
on tho SAGE Of the plate.
Al this roint strange turn in tho trial was
taken. rho Russian naval officers. instead Of
pnsling the comlr,Ition to u finish on the an y.
Inch. anI ATTACHED tho Harvey plate with a
pounds and was driven with striking velocity
OF 1850 feet; IN this destructive test tho pro
| lccIiC. on the NTH round naturally penc-
tra,nd and cracked the pIatr. and Yet il. was
broken. ur without rn"'rnting tho backing.
"r % End r"ud six ws- r fred
with "Meh LrG,leriI. and n Str'k inG ycIosity
and tho wood backing was not penetrated by il.
,surh rknownt" be the inctr in regard tothG
| Harvey plato. while thrse are II 50 understood
nprr ~ 10 the facts IN regard TO the other
| p.atgs. II would seem that II The latter re-
criv6u only the ,j-lnch work while tho Harvey
received four r-ihch sh,iH and two ''.nrh
tH"rr was an intention to destroy the ilar-
sec PATE. II prac'"2blc;, II. is thought II
som" quarters that III" RUSSIAN officers may
hnNo do irei. tor p",!iIra. rcaT"ps, 10 re'ni
! tho victory previously hr"oni inIlshol for til,
i-nnrh plate - that had h"cn secured OF
The ,laS HppoiN."d for tho trial. they may have
considered themscv"s entitled. in giving tn,
benefit Of L delayed test TO tho t@rdy Harv"j
| plate. to modify it for their own purposes
Hence. Observing III" extraordinary r"rForm
| nn"c OF the liarvGS plate with thSt-inch pro
lcriic. they substituted n destructive i.nisf
with the tremendous en"i.,y OF !,.nch gun
such II, Is never used in Il competitive t-ia
u.ains; II ir-inrh pintc.
If was OF course expected here. after th'
trials OF i-inch ard S-inch guns against th'
Harvey plato. that j; would show tip perform
ances exhibited IN the first four Shot nj u"h!a
And .NOu tho !i-inch tcst "nnws r"'h II iltt
those OF The latest tcst NJ Indian Head. ns tn
plate WAS demolished without t"e 40 p!nl!tsh
NJ ,rforl,