Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-05
A REMARKABLE TEST.
American krmor for Vessels Stands a Test Against Ponderous Steel ProjectileS
 Thrown With Great Speed.

lldHCt bOdGh COiuuCltu d lllOot iiAPSA and successful test at Indian Head prov ing grounds today. It was test of steel armor plate, but really one of great i'm portance. 1t was trial of strength or the frames of modern warShips, which it had been claimed would not withstand the shock caused by heavy proJeetlies against the armor covering them some authorities going so far as to assert that the armor, if not shattered or penetrated by the shot, would be driven through the vessel by the crushing of the frames. This was the first frame test ever made of distinctly modern warships, though the English government some years ago did fire at an antiquated armored vessel for the purpose of observing the effects of the shot.
 Todays experiment demonstrated the fact that the frames of our warshps are perfectly able to meet all ordinary de- mands. It was also demonstrated that the new 14-inch armor with which the new battleships will be protected can, under ordinary circumstances, receive the fire of any naval vessel afioat without serious damage. A test was also made of a new armor bolt designed by the ord nance board to replace the bolts now used in fastening armor to ships which are weighty, cumbersome and expensive. Each of the three tests was entirely sat isfactory. The armor plate far exceeded the prescribed requirements, the counter felt frames bore the shocks without inn pairment and the bolts were entirely sat iSfactory.
 The plate tested today represented twenty-four others weighing 62O tons, made by the Carnegie company for the battleship Iowa, now building at Cramps. It was the severest test of the company's new process of making what is known as double forged armor, being forged both before and after carbonization. or har- VeViZinP Heretofore it has not been forged after being harveyized. This plate, IA inches in thickness, formed the outer surface of target which was an exact reproduction of side section of the bat tie ship Iowa. It was IS feet long by 712 feet high, and represented that portion covering the vitals and extending feet below and 2h feet above the water line. Behind the armor was backing of 3 inches of oak and then came the skin of the vessel-the inner and outer bottoms, each 5s of an inch of steel plate. Some feet further back was a $ inch steel plate, representing the inner shell of the vessel, and it was between this plate and the skin" that frames or braces (also % inch plate) are placed, alternately and feet apart. The whole structure was covered by 21a inch steel plate, rep resenting a protective deck. Against the inner plate were heavy timbers resting on the side of a hill. It would seem at a glance that the conditions were not the tame as on board a ship in the water for the reason that the water would yield while the solid earth would not. But the naval officers calculated that this difference would be very slight, as the vessel in the water could not yield quick ly enough to be of any benefit.
 The first shot was from 10-inch gun, Carpenter projectile weighing 800 pounds being propelled by 40 pounds of brown prismatic powder and attaining d ve- locity of 1472 feet per second and a strik- ing power of TAI, GOO foot pounds. The shell was completely shattered by the impact, only the point remaining imbed- ded in the plate, which was not other wise injured. So loose was the point in the plate that it fell out entirely from the concussion caused by the third shot. The backing and frames were found to be in- tact.
 As the shot had made scarcely any inn pression, the charge of powder was in creased on the second shot to 216 pounds, giving the 500 pound projectile a velocity of 1862 feet per second. AS before the shell was shattered, large proportion, however being imbedded in the plate which was still without crack or bulge. One of the armor bolts was driven out the thread being sheared off, but this was expected to happen when a bolt is struck by a shot. This completed the acceptance test for the lot of twenty four plates, and they will undoubtedly be approved
 Then one shot was fired from 12-inch gun. A Wheeler-Sterling projectle weighing $50 pounds was urged along by 400 pounds of powder at a velocity of 1900 feet per second. This test was ordinarily employed on 17-inch plate and it was thought that it would pass entirely through the IA inches of steel and back ing frames, etc, as we'll While the plate was penetrated almost it's entire depth, and cracked from top to bottom, the oak backing was scarcely disturb q, and the other skin and the frames were not disturbed at all.
 Another armor bolt was forced out and the balance of the bolts in the pro- jective deck were snapped off. So ths plate not only stood the test for it's own thickness, but constructively for IT, inch plate.
 The new armor bolt is less than half the length of the bolt now in use and the saving in weight in each ship will be considerable In addition, the pack ing used with the old bolts is quite an Item, as brass cylinder a spring wash CT and rubber rings are necessary packing with a leather washer sufficed the test The test was made under the direction of Captain Sampson, chief of the bureau of ordnance. and was wit messed by Secretary of the Navy Her bert and the board of ordnance.
 A further test, this time with a 13-inch gun, will be made as soon as the gun can be set up.