New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-22
TESTING THE BIG NEW GUN.
covGREssMEN AND DIPLOMATS WIT
NESS THE FIRING.
.,crs7 GUN EVER MADE IN THIS coUN-
TRY FIRED At INDIAN HEAD WITH Salts
FACTORY RESULTS.
ray TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNE J

by TELEGRAPH TO TIE liihI'G
r,osb,npton March 21-'There was held at Indian
"a proving ground to-day series or important
hea1 91,rcv interesting tests of naval ordnance
oter,a With the possible exception Of the trials
ers. uorveyizcd. nickel-stce plates, which
u ., ,ha e,oe-iority Of American arinor over
so,gn-rnade plates. to-day's experiments attracted
oro attention than any tests OF the Khd whch
... taken place since the rehabilitation OF the
-. hoeon The trials were witnessed by large
,ohcr of persons prominent in oNiclaI ana private
circles The visitors were conveyed TO the proving
' ~. tho dlspatch boat Dolphin and the tug
-, which left the Navy Yard about O'CLOCK
a., hoard the Dolphin were Nice-Presideht steven
SON Secretaries Herbert ana Morton SENATORS
Henderson Hale Hawley. Villas and Gibson Repre-
on,attves Wadsworth Cummings. Randall Meyer
Ta,t.,tt Money Hull. Reyburn. Hopkins. Curtis OF
.-,-york. Pence Meiklejohn. and number OF
- ,,orohers Of the House. Representatives from
.be English French, Russian ana japanese Lesa-
,,o,s were also present, and eNhp'ted marked III
,orest in the trials large number OF officers OF
the Navy and the Marine corps went down on the
Do,nb,p Representatives of the leading newspapers
of the country ana OF tile PI''' ~
also interested spectators
The Dolphin ari the Triton reached lnu!ah iieau
shortly after noon The trials began as soon as ''e
vessels passengers were landed According 10 the
programme for the day the big thirteeA-inch gun
% 70 ne first tested. In the preliminary work OF
a,,,e.,rg the ern's hydraulic carriage one of the
valves connected with the training gear was blown
out and the trial was temporarily abandoned 10
hermit Of Necessary repairs being made Penang
the completion of this work the test OF twe.Ne-
inch nickel-steel Harveyzed plate manufactures
by the Carnegie Company was begun lhc'deh'a"y,
the test included q trial of the Johnston cast slee
shells The plate represented no paraguay Iot %.
armor. 1t the same IN SIZE ana o'I ~, 2;bI,,
rs service plates which have recently given ilshi!
satisfactory results 1t was made PGreN b 3 N
per.mental purpose. as an eviashC5 o. 1 of h' re-
ouirei characteristics. 1t was attacked bX den-
inca gun paeed aD 0 ne ~ Johnston shells 1t was
thrown by q charge of 2tO pounds OF poWaaSr. i!Ie
veocjty develop ed was l6i0 foot-secOnds The shot
toc the INNER lefthand corner o; the target II
penetrated about four inches ana reDounuti o1..!
sbatered pieces Of it flying lOoo to 100 feet TO the
rear Apparently the pate was not damaged no
bnlge or crack being observable. The plates BACK
Ing s9STea None On e Of the Bolts Wien secured tie
plate to the backing Were s"T [, 80 horngy
satisfactory. Il d.d not give as GOOD results, ~
others Of the same type previously tried al lnD'""
In the second round service. forged-steel arm0r-
niercng projectile such would be used IN ATTACK
tnr heavy plates. was used. AS in the first round
The shell was fired from a ten-nch gun ne s3o1
behind il 1t struck little to the EFT Of the cen
ire Of the plate and penetrated about hye lhch5s
rest Of the shot shattere! pieces Of II being
thrown 70 the rear 70 hs Nate ser
oasly. The upper eft-hand corner, including thai
portion whee the irst saot S,rHcS h Was RHbInd
he shot hole two Of the bolts were driven out OF
position In neither case. however did 'he sho'S
get through the plate. . - 49,
thrteen-inch gun. Al the second atein2t me gG,
carriage fittings worked satisfactorily Two rounHs
were fired. Each Of the projectlles weight I'ISs
hounds The first one had behind Il 40 poUhls o.
powder the second one $50 pounds. The powder
used was lot of the brown prismatic pow
der specially made Tor the gun by the l!upohtS
II developed only fairly satisfactory results IL
left a quantity OF residuum in the bore OF ihe Gun
after each discharge The quantity o. SMOKE pi TO-
duced Was exces sive. The first shot had We oclty
Of l72O foot-seconds The second shot win a heav
Ter charge attained velocity of 100 foot-secChis
poth shots were fled a bank OF soft eartA apput
folr hundred yards away. II was estimated ua'
each shot went about thirty feet into the EARN:
X particular attempt to work the gun raplN
was made The hydraulic carriage apparatus was
MANIPULATED readily and without accident
Technically speaking. the proof or the gun was
satisfactory in all respects. 1t IS intended for th
Indiana and will be ready to be paced on Dodfu
within short notice .. ,,o. .ro
The last test brief ore. was made TO snow the
snail amount OF smoke which is developed IN the
uss Of the navy smOkeless powder menufactureN Al
tbe torpedo station \ fOur-inch. rap!d,ire gun was
emnoved in the experiment TWO rounds We're 1ftl;
A. each discharge the quantity OF smoke pronucsd
wss remarkably little. In neither case was me
smoke sufFlcient 70 derange the aim of gunner or
70 prevent the rapid working Of the guns