The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-20
AN ARMOR PLATE SMASHED
1t Was the Largest Ever Forged in
the WWld.

1t Was One of the Harveyized Sides
for the Battleship Indiana-The First
Projectile Fired From I2-Inch Gun
smashes It Into Three Pieoes-It
Was Undoubtedly Defective.
Washington, May 19.-The armor test
at the Indian Head proving ground to-
day gave everybody a big surprise. The
test had been looked forward to with
great interest by naval officers and armor
and ordinance experts, because the sub
lect was the first plate of the dimensions
ever forged in the world, and the party
that went down on the Triton
included representative men of all
interested classes. Capt. Sampson, chief
OF the ordnance bureau, navy depart
ment, was accompanied by Lieut. Com
mander Cowden and half dozen other
subordinate officers of the bureau; Gen.
tlagler chief of ordnance of the army
and several of his aides were members Of
the party; the naval attaches of two or
three of the foreign legations at Wash
ington; representatives of the press, and
Vice-President w. B. Davenport and
Lieuts. Jacques and Meigs, of the Bethle-
hem Iron Company, made up the list.
THE PLATE CHOSEN FOR THE TEST.
The plate chosen for the test was one
Of the Harveyized side armor plates of
the battleship Indiana, forged by the
bethlehem Company. 1t was feet, 6
inches wide, 16 feet long, IS inches thick
for feet of its width from the top edge.
and tapering to inches thence to the bot
tom edge, which will be under the water
IL
selected for the ballistlc test as the rep
resentatiye of 600 tons. The plate con
tanned 20 3-inch bolt holes 1t was set
against feet of solid oak backing, and in
the rear of that was or feet of addi-
tlonal heavy frame work abutting against
the bluff.
USED 12-INCH RIFLE.
1T had been expected that the attack
would be made by the 13-inch gun, but
Capt. Sampson concluded that the l2-inch
rife would sufficiently try the temper of
the plate. The first shot fired was a
Carpenter armor-piercing proiectile,
propelled by a 2601 pound charge of
Dupont brown primatic powder having a
muzzle velocity of l ,465 feet per second,
and striking with an energy of II, $50 foot
tons. This was called the cracking
shot" and such it proved to be. The pro-
jectile penetrated the plate depth of 8
inches and rebounded thirty feet, having
been set up' but four-tenths of an inch,
and apparently as good as ever.
RIvEN INTO THREE PIECES.
The plate was riven into three great
pieces by one irregular crack extending
from top to bottom, and another from
the left hand edge to the center of the
plate, where the shot struck. The upper
portion of the plate was lifted with all
fl,a - hr,1 %, ,s.,l.9
tached, seven or eight inches. Such an
other destructive shot had not been wit
messed at Indian head.
Capt Sampson, after consultation with
Lieut., Mason, the officer in charge of the
station and the representative of the
Bethlehem company, decided TO fire
against the largest fragment, the shot
that previously had been arranged for on
the theory that the first shot would not
penetrate or shatter the plate.
THE SECOND SHOT.
This was projectlle of the same size
and description as the first, propelled by
a charge of 4l9.3 pounds of powder, hav-
ing a muzzle velocity of 1926 feet and
striking energy of 81, 1S2 foot tons.
The plate was split in two, the backing
almost wholly destroyed, the bolts by
which the plate was fastened thereto be-
penetrated the full depth of the plate,
was shattered into fragments, the point
being twisted out of all semblance to its
pristine conical beauty. This feature of
the affair was to Lieut.. Mason the most
inexplicable.
1t chad been the intention TO fire
several smokeless powder cartridges
from the four and five-inch
rapid fire guns to close the day's
Int 6
rain just after the second shot was fired
at the plate drove everyone to shelter and
thence to the Triton for the return trip
to the city.
1t was said that the plate was sus-
pected of being defective, and that the
cleavage demonstrated the fact Lieut..
Mason said there were no evidences of a
crack in the metal while the plate was
being put in shape for the test. But that
was not, he said, conclusive upon the
question.
THE PLATE DEFECTIVE.
Speaking of the test afterward, Lieut..
Jacques, of the Bethlehem company,
said: This plate was selected for the
test by the government inspectors at the
works because it was suspected of being
defective. That it was so, the first shot
demonstrated, the lateral opening in the
plate running along very close to
the suspected crack. We will be given
another opportunity to demonstrate the
effectiveness of the armor, that right be-
ing reserved by the contractors under the
specifications. The government inspec-
tors will select the plate for the next
test also. The contractors take all the
responsibility in these matters. They
lose all rejected plates. The test to-day
will cost the company nearly, if not quite,
$40, 900. Had the test been successful,
the whole lot Of the Indiana's side armor