The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-15
FAILURE OF THE FUSES.
RAPIBFF's SCHEME NOT VERY EF-
FECTIVB 80 FAR.

Three More Shots Fired at Port Royal
With Disappointing Results, SO Far
as the Explosion is Concerned-The
Aim of the Gunners Almost Perfect.
PoRr ROYAL, S. c., Feb. 14.-The ques-
tion of the efficiency OF the Rapief fuse is
rendered more than ever problemAtical by
the result Of the experiments in Port Royal
sound to-day. The Importance of the days
work was fully anticipated by every one
who has watched the progress of the tests.
The wonderful performances Of the guns
themselves had been demonstrated beyond
peradventure. The Vesuvius had shown
results which completely refuted every OBJ
lection which her detractors had raised.
No matter what might be the action of the
fuse, the reputation of tho cruiser With her
pneumatic tubes waS beyond suspicion,
but the question of the efficiency
Of the fuse was naturally OF great im>
portanoe. When IL was determined yester-
day 30 fire guncotton charges il was ap-
parent that in a measure the test would be
a crucial one SO far as the fuse was con-
cerned. The day could not have been m ore
perfect. AS an entertainment was to be
given on board the Philadelphia during the
the morning. The Vesuvius got under
way at 1880 o'clock and steamed down
the river, preceded by the Wahnetta By
y O'Clock everything was in readiness for
the tests. The Wahnetta resumed her usual
position 500 yards TO the north of the tar
get. Lieut.. Ackerman occupied his former
station to the southwark, and Lieuts. Briggs
and Fremont were at the short obserVa@
tories.
THREE SHOTS FIRED.
Three shots were fred, each from the
2,O00~yards buoy. The first pro1ectlle was
fired at 9:40 O'Clock. The shell made a
beautiful flight through the air, falling
about twenty yards from the target. A
wide wake Of foam was plowed through the
water, with slight temperance of the
projectile beyond the target, but there was
no apparent explosion. After the Wahnetta
had reported the results 10 the board, who
we're on the Vesuvius second
shot was fired. Capt. Rapieff had
come on board the Wahnetta and
watched the subsequent shots from her
deck. The second projectile fired fell di-
rectly beside the target and scarcely five
yards from 10. The shot was practically a
perfect one. HAD the shot been aimed at a
small cat boat II would have knocked ID
into splinters. There was, however, no ex-
plosion. The third and last shell was fired
at IL O'Clock. The gunpowder primer had
oteu ESplhOcu pJ pOWueT primer, huu tno
object OF the shot was not 60 produce am
explosion greater than that which would
follow the detonAtion Of the powder train
and illuminate caps. The shell fell Short
about fifty yards. Capt. Rapieff thought
that an explosion occurred, and it did look
very much as though "A slight puff OF smoke
was waited over the water. This
might possibly have been nothing more than
spray and many of the observers so con-
sidered it. Capt. RapieR himself admitted,
however, that the fuse could not have
acted in the case of the two guncotton
shells After the experiments were over
the Wahnetta took Capt. Rapieff and the
board back to the VesuVius aud Phila-
delphia and then steamed up to Port Royal
and brought a large party Of ladies and
gentlemen down 10 the Philadelphia where
they we're entertainedlby the officers OF that
vessel. The board decline to state what
will be done next, but say that they have
TO consider their future action carefully.