New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-12
SUCCESSFUL ARlNOR TESTS.
AMERICAN PLATES SHOWN TO BE THE BEST
IN THE WORLD.
NO PREMIUMS WERE EARNED FOR THE MAKERS.
HOWEVER THE PRoJECTILES

| HOWEVER THE FRoJfNlllI-S
SCARCELY BRUISED.
| WASHINGTON. July 1.-THE third Of a series
| Of arrnor plate tests of worldwide interest ana
| importance took placr to-day AZ tho naval proving
| grounds. twenty miles south OF tho city on tho
| Potomac River The first of these tests was At
Arnapolis several years AGO, when plates frou
| England France and the United States were IN
conpetition and the second in tho fall OF 1871,
when the merits Of the Harvey process were do
monstratcd. To-day the results OF tho lahors
of American manufacturers. encouraged by the
liberal Inducements Of Congress and the admin
istrations Of the Navy Department. were subjected
70 the requirements embodied In the contracts
for side and turrct arnor for the vessels OF the
new navy. now approaching completion The
results oonerallv spcaknq wore most satisfactory.
Among those who witnessed the tests w"r"
Secretary Herbert H. G. Frick,. Of the Carnegie
Frcll Company one Of the contracting firms: rep
,cscntatives Of tho bethlehem Iron and Nr'I
Company a.o n contracting firm: Captain Orl
Brown the famous English ordnance expert; VI.
Rouvard superintendent Of the armor department
of the Cru7ot Works, France R"pre'cnti''"
Mayer, Of Louisiana. member ol the House ON
mite, on Naval Affairs in the last Congress
attaches Of the Ordnance Bureau, Navy Depart
mcnt. and representatives, Of the press.
The party made the trip by invitation Of Com
modore Sampson. Chief of the Ordnance Bureau,
in the tug Triton.
There were two plates tested. which at
tackled by three projectilcs cach. The test We're
for acceptance and for premium. II having been
stipulated that if the plates resisted penetration
nndcr a certain prescribed velocity the makers
should receive a premium of go ton. III addI-
,ion 70 the contract pric' Of So ton.
nf t-incl uufp feet \
inches wide and feet : inches lonc-I sample
of the side armor Of the monitor Monadnock.
Il WAS nickcl--tccl, weighed ten tons, AMI WIS
made by IN, Carncgic-Frc' Company. oi Pitts
lurg Three lioltzcr proi"ctilc,, weighing 2'o
hounds each, were fired against 1t from an sinch
rife. the muzIie being hityclght i'rt
from the face Of the target. Ih" hrst
proIrctilc hal velocity Of LOO lrc'
second at the moment Of impact. and pcnc-
;ratcd the plate and oak backing 10 depth oil
III inches The second projcc,ile, with Il strlk-
ing velocity of 1853 feet. went through the
plate and three feet OF oak backing, AMI lost
its,lf in the earth against which ihc butt was
built. The third projcctilc had vclocty of
$50 feet, and penetrated plate and backing 10
a depth of II T.. inches The plate we'll with
stood the strain of the attack no
cracks being p'rccptiblc, and II lully met every
requirement for acceptance. !ut the result OF the
second shot deprived tine makers of any chah"r
for tc premium. Depending on this test were
about 80 tons Of pla,c, involving nearly Sl1O,-
900.
inc second plate was "A sample OF the curved
plates for the harb"ltc on the Indiana, mad" by
inc bethlehem Company, AMI, liz" ia" hr't "i
nickcl-stcc. Its dimensions were > feet lnclt'
in height, - feet incn III length and Il Incir"
III Thickness, lOrmln- Il mass weighing 81 - !
ions Ii the heaviest plat" Vet tr-'c ana IT.,
thickness Will probably not be surpassed to ANY !
Great cAtcnt until there j. changc III the method
Al ami IL
i,ctcd To attack IRON 12-lnch rife, which threw
monster Carpenter shell weighing $40 pOun l.. |
It's lnuzzc WITS 80 feet from the lace Of the plate
The striking velocity OF III" first shot wa, ~
Icrt a second, ana 1t penetrated 10 depth of 90
inches, lacking less than half an lncn of going |
through The ,econd shot was fired with velocity /
of Igj feet con and went thrc" inches INTO |
tLc oak backing. Ihc thru and last shot Wis |
to determine whether or not the premium To ]
be paid and the Velocity was raised 10 ,sJo feet /
a second. When tI" smoke and dust following !
The discharge had lifted it found that the |
shell lal gone clear through tlc plate All thirty |
siN inches Of oak backing, and tncn finding the !
ri. .nankmrnt rather tlin, was detected into the |
air and pouglcd into the river some hundred |
wards away, was lost in the woods on the hill !
side. Expert opinion on tins point differed, but
that il had plouglcd its way through all Ollstruc-
tions and disappeared from view was obvious.
/ he plat" secured for its makers the acceptance
of the whole contract amounting 10 from 800 10
100 tons, bat earned no premium. Like the
NlQnadnock plate, IL showed err" "k, under the
terrific strain to which it had been subject ii.
INea more satisfactory than the showing mad"
by the plates was that OF the projcctilrs. The
s-nch shells were OF the Hotter c0nica pattern,
and the l2-nch ones Of the Carpenter conica pat
tern. All four OF the shells that were recovered APP
pcarcd wholly unchanged 10 the unpracti>e eye Of
the layman and the gauge showed that they
were disturbed 10 such small degree that |
thcy might again bc fired with the attachment
Of new strip of riiiing Some idea of the
force with which the shells struck the face
of the plates may be gained from the fact
that the energy of the last shot fired was
TO the fore" necessary 10 move a
mass of 2l,GOO tons through one foot of space
The costs OF the tests to-day was no small itcn,
and as they compelled the acceptance of the
plates represented it falls upon the Government
IN round huinbcrs. the blrbcttc plate cost Slj.-
600, the armor plate S5 900 and III. lirir.
of the rlfc 1T the proiectilcs are not again
used $4,000
After the tests had been finished all fine officials
md experts expressed unboundcd qualification at
the results captain Ord Brown, of England look
ing in admiration at the bJrbcttc plate said II ,
is piece oil magnificent metal. I do not under
stand why there no cracks from one hole to an
other. They were less than three feet aplrtl
Commodore Sampson said "Thp tests to-day !
demonstrate that the United States make, the
best arinor In the world, and make, il much
cheaper, thah other nations are able to produce !
IL: we pay Tor the addition of nickel {, the ,
steel piate hal1 cent pound or SlI 90 "A ton 4
Mr., Bou.aIu OF the Creuzot Works who wis
with us to-day, tells me that the French Govern
ncnt pays sIto ton for the addition of nickel