New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-08
SHOTS IN RAPID SUCCESSION.
TEST OF THE NEW GUN-LIFT BATTERY
AT SANDY HOOK.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ORDNANCE AND
rcRrrr1cArroN WITNESS TIE TESTS AND
PRONOUNCE THEM SATISFACTORY.
Tho Army Board OF Ordnance and Fertilization
went Yesterday to Sandy Hook. leaving the Gov
or,non, p,er No 2 East River, at 10 o'clock In the
morning on the ordnance tug. II returned at 8
O'Clock last night
Iieutenant-General schofeld. president of the
Board was present. owing TO another engage
ment Those Of the Board who went to the Hook
were General H. L. Abbot. Colonel Royal T. Frank.
Major r n. Phpps Captain J. C. Ayres recorder.
md / H. Outhwaite. There were also present
Colonel H. NJ Robert Colonel g. L. Gillespie.
Major c. W. Raymond. Captain Macnut' Leuten-
ant W. f. Craighiil Lieutenant Robert McGregor.
Lieutenant Wheeler. Lieutenant Pierce, Lieutenant
Ruggles and Lieutenant Montgomery. The secre-
,ary of the Board and several others were present
Tho noIu busInegs OF the Board az the Hook was
n lnspect the new gun-lift battery there and to
test the rapidty with which II can be hred Tne
battery is the first one with a gun lift completed
and In operation and the first officially tested IL
forms part OF the defences of the Hook. and Is
mounted on the fortication where 1t was tested.
The battery itself is composed OF two modern
twe,ve-,nch guns They mounted on the new
y,,n Mt which differs from the Crozer Bumnton
disappearnz gun carriage heretofore tested In that
II lowers the gun some distance below tho parapet
ard Is worked by hydraulic machinery. and not
carriage so-called. Is only io"ereo d lie" ues'ees
below the parapet.
The battery is worked on the pair" system: that
f. when one gun is being fired the other Of the
pa,r f. being loaded below. and Is raised for It's
discharge when its mate disappears
The test for rapidly yesterday was, as General
Abbot and other officers said extremely satisfactory
ard productive of results better than those that had
been expected. Ten shots we're fred five from each
gun OF the pair. Deducting time lost while waltnB
for passing vessels TO so wide OF the INES or 1re
Hook-the ten shots fred In about thirty
eight minutes The exact official time Will be an
nounced later. -
Although the gun lit is new thing among our
Munitions of war. 1t Is said that its features have
been used abroad. Ii Is an expensive piece OF ma
chnery. and II has more mechanism than me
likely to get OF order. Heavy charges and steel
projecti,es used yesterday.
The tests with the disappearing sun-carriase
grounds showed that with eghtnch gun ten
shots were fred in little over twelve minutes ten
shots from te9neh gun were fired in about four
Incidentally the Board witnessed a test Of armor-
piercing shells at the Hook. Two shells: each
weighing 1000 pounds. manufactured by tne 1arpen,
ter Steel Company were tred al pate thirteen
and one-haI ncnes thick The 81 lis were OF
twelve-inch calbre and were fired from rihed gun
s w f PGEls T GnoEy OF OF e .scond
The second shell went al the way through the
plate and the heavy wooden backing. and was found
first shell went into the sandtutt and was also
broken when recovered.
When projectlles like the Carpenter shells are
made under contract each one Is tested al the shops
Only few samples taken for the ballisic test.
and II that test which took place yesterday.
The Board had no opinion OF the smell tests 10 ex-
breakage OF the tested projectes may be called
significant.