San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-16
Exhaustive Naval Trial.

/ WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. 16.-The Ma
val Department has mapped out most
| exhaustive trial for the great dynamite
cruiser Vesuvius and her famous guns for
this week. The trial takes place at PIT.
Royal s. c., where the ship now is already
to begin and where the preparations for
the best are announced entirely complete.
The trial will be conducted under the
auspices OF board appointed by Secreta-
ry Tracy, consisting of Captain Mont
gomery Sicard, commanding the Mianto-
nomoh; Captain A. 5. Barker, command
ing the Philadelphia; and Commander
w. II. Bronnen, commanding the Dol.
phin. Eighty. four projectiles In all will
be fired during the trial. sixty six blank
and eighteen loaded. Following In shot
programme in detail For ranging guns.
Two shots from each gun, with five diff
ferent preSsures, commencing with the
maximum and ending with nearly the
minimum; loss of pressures to be Doted,
fall of shots to be plotted and ira ectOry
curve for each gun to be determined by
data found; vessel moOred; Subcaliore
projectile, blank.
2-For Accuracy. Two shots from each
gun at distance of one mile, three quarters
Of mile, half mile and one quarter
mile, with preSSureS as taken from trajec-
tory curve found when ranging; each
shot to be plotted and another trajectory
curve made for each gun from results;
vessel moOred; sub-calibre projectile,
blank.
each gun at known distances vessel under
way and steaming at high speed mot less
than fifteen knots; target stationary;
sub-calibre projectiles; blank:
4.-For practice. Two projectfles from
each gun at known distances, vessel I'M
der way and steaming at high speed; tar
get moving at speed OF about ten knots;
5.-For ptactce and to test loaded pro-
jectiles and fuse Two projectiles from
each gun at known distances; vessel
stationary; sub calibre proiectiles, loaded.
6.-Projectiles from each gun at known
distances; vessel under way and steaming
at high speed; target stationary; sub
calibre projecties, loaded.
Two projectileS from each gun at
known distances; vessel under way and
steaming at high speed; target moving at
speed of about ten knots; sub-calibre pro-
jectiles, loaded.
Some shots are to be made with the
wind in the direction of the line of fire
of fire, the force Of the wind being not
less than eight miles an hour. The shots
for ranging and accuracy are to be made
In calm weather and when the sea is
smooth. The shots for practice will be
made under varying conditions OF wind
ana sea. Hb SOb VIII
of a condemned cutter, to be towed with
tow line at least twelve hundred feet
long. The success attending the expert
ments with firing enmensite from modern
high power cannon is what prompted the
Naval Ordnance Bureau to build the Z
inch rapid fire gun, designed esoecially
for firing high explosives. The expecta-
tion is that with the application OF the
rapid fire type OF breech mechanism, now
used on the five inch and six inch rapid
fire guns, to this new weapon it will be
entirely safe and practice to fire four, or
five rounds per minute, with shells loaded
with from fifty to sixty rounds OF enmen-
site. 1t is expected too, that with smoke
less powder as the propelling force shells
fired from this gun will be given, a velocity
of $500 feet a second. If these shells
burst detonatively at will, as claimed, a
few minutes fire at the rapid gate esti-
mated will mean destruction to an har-
mored vessel or to any armored craft
whose vitals are not covered by more
than sig inches Ofsteel.