The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-30

JuEus DeItcT pOSIal lhClulleS lOE al tIilS
great metropolitan district are necessity.
and we presume that some others Of the
larger cities will say tho Same for them
selves. This is what is wanted, and not
one-cent letter postage.
America Now Leads in Appliances for
Sea Fighting.
The record OF tho past twelve months of
naval ordnance work is perhaps not quito
% prolific In triumphs as that OF the ex-
ceptional year preceding. but it has its
story Of brilliant successes and OF much
busy and fruitful labor.
Foremost. probably. in the list Of gains
should be put the perfectng of the Amer-
can process OF hardening the surface Of
armor. A year ago our navy. with Its
nickel-steel plates. already possessed the
best ship armor in the world. At that time.
too. 1t had begun to make that best still
better. by the HARVEY method OF super
carbonizing. During the past twelve
months this process has been so developed
that, at Bethlehem. five S-inch HoLTZER
shells. fired at the centre and four corners
OF standard l0ll ss-inch Harveyized nickel
steel plate. with an energy Of 5.OOs foot-tons
each. were all smashed to fragments
on Its surface. their points penetrating
only few inches. and causing
only q trivial temper crack. four inches
long. on one edge Of the plate and small
bulges on the rear in the wake OF each
impact. No similar success for armor had
ever been shown on foreign proving
grounds. Another gain has been the
bending Of Harveyized plates without
cracking. so as to make them available in
barbettes: for until lately 1t was supposed
that this hardening process could not be-
used for curved armor. Our processes
have been caught up in England. where
three years ago the idea of learning from
America how to make battle.ship armor
might have been laughed at. and the
triumphs Of Indian Head have been repeat
ed at Portsmouth.
The next great success OF the year be-
longs. we think. to American armor- piercing
projectiles. Three years ago no such thing
existed. All our shells for use against
armor were imported. This year. at Indian
Head. against standard plates. s-inch CAR
PEWTER projecties were found clearly equal.
II not superior. to the best Of HobTzER's
manufacture. until now the best In the
world: and STERLING projectile. also
American. showed excellent qualities.
Athird gain for the year is made by our
navy smokeless powder. which in 6-inch
gun has given 2,469 feet OF muzzle velocity,
with only 1873 tons pressure. and. in the
opinion OF the experts. now surpasses not
only In stability but in all-around qualities
the very best OF European powders. It
gives higher and more regular velocities
with lower and more uniform pressures.
fourth success. very important for us,
Is the development OF trustworthy high
explosive. to DO used rs the bursting charge
OF shells In powder guns. Foreign nations
have long possessed such substances. The
French melinite is well known. and Austria
and other nations have their explosives
In the United States emmensite has been
known several years. but not until the last
twelve months have official experiments
adequately demonstrated that it is at once
safe to handle and tremendously effective.
AS Commodore FOLGER. the Chief OF the
Bureau OF Naval Ordnance. puts it. these
experiments "settle the long discussion
with regard to the relative merits of firing
high explosives from air guns or from DOW
der guns" He also tells us to expect n
revolution in the armament OF war ships,
whose main batteries will henceforth con-
tain two elements. ono of them being tho
present long guns for armor-piercing pro-
3ectiles. and the other. short guns with
very largo bore for the use OF shells loaded
with great quantities Of emmcnste and
similar high explosives. for use against the
unarmored sides of ships.
Still another advance attained during tho
mast bnc hpn,, in =
heavy calibres. Tho attention OF all ma
uons has been directed of late to the sub
sttution OF hand for hydraulic power in
working guns. since tho latter is liable to
DO rendered useless by hostile fire. The
British Admiralty has resolved to make all
guns capable Of being worked by hand.
even at the expense Of greatly reducing tho
maximum calibres. During the past year.
In our own service. a device has been per-
fected for operating by hand the breech
closures OF the lO-incl and Pinch guns;
and besides avoiding solo reliance on hy-
draulic power. tho rapidity OF fire has been
nearly quadrupled
In gun making an advance has been
made to the ls-inch calibre guns, the first OF
which Is nearly ready. Here. also, another
great step has been taken. whose full de-
vclopment will belong to another year, in
beginning the construction Of an s-inch
gun on now principle. 1t has only three
chief parts-a tube and an inner and an
outer jacket: and a damaged tube may cas-
lily DO replaced bya new one. with an APP
paratus invented by Mr.. ". SELLERS. The
material Of which this gun is TO he made is
nickel-steel. IL IL Is successful we shall
have both new material and new method
OF gun manufacture. Our rapid-hre pieces
are 90 improved that the finch can now dis