The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-27
FrRrSa UNDER WATER.
Tho Ericsson Submarine Gun VIII rs Rec
ornmen aided for General Use In Rams.

Tho Ericsson Submarine Gun WIN rs Ree-
commended for General Use In Rams.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 26-As soon as new and
| stronger projeetes can be manufactured. an
| other series OF trials OF the Destroyer's 10
| inch underwater gun is to be undertaken.
| Tho tests carried on Ivy the Torpedo Board
| at Brooklyn. in tho Erie Basin and the Simpson
| dry dock, showed that the after bodies OF the
projectiles used were too weak to stand the
| firing strains needed to produce greater We
locity. range. and accuracy. Nevertheless. the
| results already achieved are Officially consid-
cred sufficient for the formal adoption Of sub-
| marine guns. when perfected. as they undoubt-
| edly will be. in rams hereafter constructed.
Tho reasons for this conclusion are to be
found In the accounts OF the trials conducted
during the present year. Twenty shots in all
were fred. The first four showed that
range Of COO feet could be secured with q
| moderate powder charge. and that the hori-
Kontal direction was excellent Then deeper
| water was sought for determining the trajec-
| tory in the vertical plano. Six nets. weighted
at the bottom and properly marked. wero
| stretched across the dry dock. Mt intervals
| OF 100 feet, while o heavier mantelet net be-
| yond. at go feet. protected the head OF the
| dock. The Destroyer was moored. bow on.
| Just outside the entrance. $50 feet from tho
upper altar at the head OF the dock Tho axis
OF the gun was 6H feet below the surface OF
| tho water. Its mechanism showed no weak
ness during tho firing: and. though the valve
which covers the muzzle and prevents the in.
Eress OF water was disabled at the second
shot. this was due to the rustng Of tho bolt.
| after twelve years. service under water md
not to any defect In design or workmanship.
weEn Of shH Wo sorts
| foet long and 15A inches in diameter. weigh
|
| plosives each. but only dummy, shells we're
used and no tests were made of tho exploding
ieeiiles. ana Of from - 70 % rounds iST the
proectiIes' proved too weak for more than 70
pounds Of the service ,,sphcro.hexaG2nal now
thick or and more rings added. The charge OF
| 10 pounds wrecked the hydr9static hn!ance OF
tail inns should BE- m ads Of metal instead OF
| wood, with other improvements,
"d the sst sSesy shot Of
twenty fired would have struck her either ut
j9o or 219 feat seventeen 0 Of the twenty 81
these shots. eight preached the surface he;
tween 200 and 800 feet nets: four hroached
| three pa ssed the 600 feet net without breach
ing.'"' 1t has already been stated that tho
projectiles proved too weak to stand the shock
! of discharge. although the needed improve
the ordinary projecties the Trial board. con;
ssps q G9nmatnder G. 4 Cony ErnShS and
Lieut. LIEUT. j. Drake Icing abs absent, reached the
| following conclusions:
Firs-The trials have demonstrated the pra cticsbity
fsss Win aproteGs from s,n carried under water 5
Ihri-rhe nsegr.oy re vertical plan, Is good Tor
Of GE tee n tGs 10 the 'ns
aud breaches between $50 and 400 feet from tho
IL, the by n head
distance about 400 feet from tho muzzlc
and !. ncH. % o G pa ss S
trajectory in tho vertical plane,
charge q more than IS pounds 4. used -
range woni result If til. pfojectt'es weF. more
Further trials Win the vss.. una.. WAY nre rsan,ea
use as = weapon of warfare.
Such are tho reasons that have induced the
Chief ot the Bureau OF Ordnance to declare
when perfected as it u..doubtedIy will be.
will greatly increase tho offensive power Of
ali be- wth
guns" a. has tsen shown the g, complete ;
IN actual experiment. In the first place; as the
Board SAYS. no trials were made with the De.
stroyer under way. and such trials would OF
course be necessary to show the efficiency Of
the system, In the second place. practical
made Of tho working OF the firing pin mechan-
ism. SO as to show Tint the proiertile can be
TcllPu upon u StTlke ms nOStlle NoSsSI III SErn
. way as to produce an explosion. Finally. II
the submarine guns are adopted, one OF them
ny ne f With 'efs pr@es sfE
against target representing the hun Of a war
ysSssi at point beneath the waterlins belt
In this way 1t can easily be ascertained. not only
that tho mechanism OF the gun accomplishes
its Eprpos,r. but how much damage tho pro-
This Is the more desirable. since the energy
course through the water. Analogous expert.
ments with full charges would determine the
curacy and for destrnctive effect. upon the
pneumatic gun OF the Vesuvius. whether fired
Of the the Range n as
| be ascertained before using actual charges OF
gun cotton or other high explosives aud then
| such charges will show at what distance short
cisiye explosive effect can be produced, in Or
der that such a range may be adopted as the
:, In view OF the success thus far achieved by
has secured Of adoption when the details al.
ready spoken OF are perfected; we may wei re-
self expressed under unit oward circumstances.
In the trials hore the mechanism appeared to
work we'll; but the Government declined TO
| purchase his invention or the Destroyer until
tests were made with actual explosives. such
as were to be use 3D. a%apst az enemy: and
sumsd by tho Government. In England sim.
projectiles were first fired. which went astray.
| for the reason. according to the friends Of the
device. that the water was too shallow. The
third shot was wi; h loaded proje"tile. which
of the use Of an improperly constructed de.
| tonator But these mishaps. which led to a
delay in tho development Of the weapon, did
not destroy his faith in its principle And
| now. with the improvements on tho original
plan. said to have been effected or to o in
cont temptation. It's triumph is confidently OK.
perted. The original Destroyer may be OF
value only for experimental purposes. but
! mounted in powerful steel ram u submarine
| gun might prove most elective.