New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-08
NAVAL ORDNANCE TESTS.
EXPERIMENTS SOON TO BE MADE wITH
THE NEW THIRTEEN-INCH GUNS.
SOME OF THE CARNEGIE HARvEYrzED PLATES
ALSO TO BE TRIED-THE NEW SMALL
CAIIBRE RIFLES TO BE TESTED
tpY fFIKGRAPH TO THE TRIBrsE.I

tBY 1FIFGRAPH TO TIE TRlRtSKI
WASHINGTON March "A series OF exceedingly
interesting tests Of naval ordnance material Will
take place this week at the Indian Head proving
grounds and OF the torpedo station st Newport.
For many reasons some Of the tests will be the
most important OF any which have taken place
within the last year. Chief in interest among the
trials will he that OF the first thircen-inch. sixty
ton high powered rife built AT the naval gun
foundry in this city. and intended one Of the
four guns which will form the main battery of the
Indiana. The Massa chusctts ami the Oregon viii
each have four OF these great guns. mounted as in
the case Of the Indiana. in the forward and after
turrets. IL has been necessary 20 build rn IN
usually strong railroad at Indian Head to support
the huge fat upon which The gun will he
carried from the waterfront to the firing point.
The tests Will begin soon as the gun Is In place
The tests will determine the power. strength. ease
and rapdity Of manipulation and other character
stics OF the gun. Some OF The new brown po"der
Will be employed
The gun weighs sixty tons, or about 1890 pounds
its length is forty feet. creates diameter, forty
nine inches total length OF bore, hir;y-riyhi feet;
length OF rihel bore thrty-onc fce;; capaciy OF
bore. Gi.s57 cubic inches. The rii-i paris have
nfty-two grooves. which are each .4'5 inches vide
and one-half inc deep. TIE chamber is ~ y IncheS
long and l5J .ncnes IN diameter. It's capacity Is
1919 cubic Inches Thc i1T'.r chars" VIII weigh
so pounds ard the projce.ile li'J Tounis Inc
chamber pressure VIII De- hC'een tens - The 'irI.e
inch At the nue. ~ M Cun the velocity OF ~"
projec,ile Will 6e 2ioj foo, seconds. ANA ~ 30"
yards 1919 foot seconds The striking energy OF
the shell at the muzze viii b. 1897 foot tons
sufficient. with the velocity CiNra - penetrate
BOT the last INTERESTING feature " The coming
tr!a! WIFI be- the test 90 me hyiraniic c''.'aE
UPON wnich the Gun VI o. m' ,a ,n fasnlrv.
ami worked 70 thu Satisfaction = M 'Hpeit
present. u ~ n iaFcator ~ !+r'it"h an r -
Fletcher of tho Navy the present c'i nli.d.nk 9'l.
~ the ;orpero boat 'usn.is j. D. AirA''s"i 80
rt4 ftff ION r.
Following tn ;cst of The TX 80" th"ie "in t""'
place a ,rai 81 the nrgt boz II Harlcyiz"l nickel
steel nrmor plates manufactured b. the 'arnrsie
Steel Company under its contract The other pats
,-ed ror the competitve ,oe. ~ domestic and fof-
piates when took Iia'~ N 1871 fh~ h'" - -
which viii hereafter H. us-i the sides turress.
barbettes and cIsemstcs of Ga" indian - $50
apoliS Meme Texas Puritan ara Monaduock The
test plates are ten ach@. " thicFn",S ,I'S %,'i
be secured 10 backing thrtl-tlN ln. pos ~ b. an
be attacked by an riSnt-inch gun. TWO hot, WIN
lSD foot seconds 20 determine ir' lAu., - -" -
ing. and the second at velocity Of l') foot $50
Plates were made in To- r~s frfAcrs con ;rticcl
at the Carnegie works az an expense OF nearly
Navy 800 tone of srnor ',a!uci AZ ab,ut 500 ton
At the torpedo station ~ newport rrepafatoas
or two OF thc ncy erG-inoh barrels Tor o.. Navy.
TIE trials viii take place within fe" da,s -
periinen,s mark nc second stage ia ne rianufaci-
IRE Of modern magazine small arms Tor The Navy.
In adopting the siN-mliim'trc callhre. The Navy
took "a decided stop 81 advance. an. nilltar. ana
naval circles await the results of the practlcii
tests 81 H." ncW barrels with great interest The
calbre s. a tribe smaller than that recently adopted
the standard hy ifiiy. G,.itut ami Rru.auin.
which have gone further IN The reduction Of callbre
than other Eur .,ril count rirs. riS-
the experiments nj Newport are satisfactory, other
barrels viii be subjected TO an endurance tot at
Indian Head. Then the Navy Department viii in
Vltc the inventors ~ The country 10 submit designs
OF brecch mechanism 20 be used I'm the new rife.
During the trials Newport and Indian Head
smokelcss powder Of both lomestic ana foreign
manufacture VIII be employed. and the results will
show the comparative merits OF each. Several Of
the barrels 10 be tried II nckel-steel. and
this fact adds interest 10 the coming experiments
IL is assumed that az compared with ordinary steel
nickel-seel VIII give greater eiOncatiOn. higher
lastlc limit and feNer bad enecis from currnslOn