St. Paul daily globe., 1892-11-23
IMPROVED ORDNANCE
Commodore FoIger Reviews the
Work of the Past Year in
His Report.
Successful Experiment With Ord
nance Explosives and Ar
NOR Plate.

w ASulNGTON, NOV. E2.-COmmOuOfe
Folger. chief of the bureau of ordnance
of the navy department, in his annual
report, says that an appropriation of
81, ,4S9, ,329 will be required by his bureau
for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1894.
The manufacture of brown powder for
the navy has continued without any
change in its requirements, and suffi-
cient quantity of it has been accepted to
supply our ships. Marked progress has
been made in the developments of smoke
less powder. During the past year 800
pounds of it have been made at the
Newport torpedo station, and its tests
in various ways gave most gratifying
results. The bureau expects to soon
have the manufacture of this explosive
upon large scale under way, and will
then issue 1t to service for all classes of
rapld-tiring guns. Tests with emmen-
site have continued. 1t has been con-
cluSively demonstrated that an eXplo-
sion of a high order can be obtained
from this material by the use of sim
pie fuse perfectly safe to fire, not con-
tanning illuminate, and requiring only Il
percussion cap TO ignite 1t.
The bureau has also developed hign
explosive which may be utilized as the
bursting charges OF common shell,
aerial torpedOes. submarine torpedOes,
etc, on account of the safety with
which it may be handled. and the pos
Sibility of exploding it detOnatiyely
without the use of illuminate of mercury.
In course of experiments with this eX-
ploSiVe q number of rounds were fired
from the fOur-inch rapid firing gun at
the service rapidity. Other experiments
have shown that common shell, of the
tubular manufacture, filled with this
explosive can be fired through six one
inch plates. and burst detonatiYely at
will beyond.
1t is believed that these very success
ful experiments in the utilization of
high explosive of great power as
bursting charge for shells propelled by
gun powder with high velocities set
the authorities in this country
discussing as TO high firing. 1t
is expected (and this has likewise
been noted abroaD that a decided
revolution in the character of the arma-
ment of vessels of war is imminent. The
batteries of naval vessels Will be COM
posed of two classes of guns; the first,
gun Of great length ana power, used Tor
firing heavy projectIles, and the second,
shorter guns of varying length of bore
and firing projectileS containing charges
OF powerful high explosives, the latter
being intended for use against the un-
armored portions of ships.
Tests OF armOr- piercing prOJectileS
made during the year show that the
Carpenter projectileS. made by the Car
penter Steel company, of Reading, Pa,
have shown features equal to if not
superior to the best Of the Howitzer
manufacture. These projectiles showed
qualities of a very high character. The
government in future contracts will de-
mand more severe tests than is re-
quired for armor-piercing prOjec-
tiles. The manufacture of armOr-
piercing prOjectleS appears fin
ally to have been established on salts
factory basis. The bureaus require
ments for these shells are very severe,
since they not only pass through three
inch plates of wrought iron without
destruction or crack, but must also on
being burst fly into large number of
pi eces. The Hotchkiss, the Derodge
company and the American Projectie
company have succeeded in overcoming
the difficulties and are supplying shell
full up to requirements.
The submarine boat invented by
George E. Baker, of Chicago, has been
tried, and, while not fulfilling the re-
quirements, developed qualities to indi-
cate success after alterations in motive
power and methods OF steering are
made.
At present all armor for the navy is
made of nickel steel, the various armOr
trials of the past three years having
cOnclusively proved its superiority to
the simple steel previously used. The
labor troubles at Homestead put a
temporary stop to the armOr manufact-
ured by Carnegie, Phipps & Co., but
work has again been begun, and it is
hoped that in a short time the total ar
NOR product of this and the Bethlehem
Iron company will reach 600 or 700 ton
of finished plate per month.
Commodore FOlger reports the armOr
plate tests made during the past year
and speaks on the excellent terms Sc
cured from the nickel steel HarVeyized
plates. AS q result of this successful
DEVELOPMENT of hard-faced armor, the
bureau is strongly of the opinion that
the tendency abroad to decrease
the caliber of the larger guns is prema-
ture. 1t seems probable that this ten
dency towards a reduction of caiber
will now come to an end, it being eVi-
dent that the great mass projectile has
again become necessary to go through
the hardened surface.