The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-05
BATTERED WITH HEAVY GUNS.
SUCCESSFUL TESTS OF ARNOR
PLATES AND FRAMES ny NA-
VAL OFFICERS.


by Ten and Twelve-Inch Guns at
Tremendous Velocity FaiI 10
Wreck or Penetrate the Plate,
which Represented Lot of "a
Carnegie Harveyized Armor Plates.
Newly Designed, simDIiHed Form
of Armor bolt, Successfully Tested
at the Proving Grounds.
Washington. Sept. 4.-The naval ordi-
nance board conducted a most important
and successful test at Indian Head PROV
ing grounds to-day. Primarily Il was a
test Of steel armor plate. but really OF
greater importance, it was a trial OF
strength Of the frames OF modern war
ships. which It had been claimed, would
not Withstand the shock caused by heavy
projectiles against the armor covering
them, even 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 MAIDS
Of distinctly modern warships, though
the English government. some years ago.
ala fire at an antiquated armored ves-
sci for the purpose or observing the efs
fects Of the shot
T0-day's experiments demonstrated tho
fact that the frames OF our warships are
perfectly able TO meet all ordinary de-
mands II was also demonstrated that
the new 3-inch armor with which tho
new battle ships will be protected, can.
under ordinary circumstances, receive the
fire Of any naval vessel afoat without
serious damage.
test was also made OF a new armor
bolt designed by the ordinance board. to
replace the bolts now used In fastening
armor ships, which are weighty, cumber-
some and expensive. Each OF the three
tests was entirely satisfactory. The armoY
plate far exceeded the prescribed requires
ments, the counterfeit frames bore the
shocks without impairment, and the bolts
were entirely satisfactory.
The plate tested to-day represented
twenty-four others, weighing 620 tons.
made by the Carnegie company for ths
battleship Iowa, now building at Cramps.
1t was the first service test Of the COM
pany's new process Of making what Is
known as double forged armor. being
forged both before and after earboniza-
tion or harveyzing. Heretofore It has not
been forged after being harvelized.
This plate, fourteen inches in thickness
formed the outer surface Of a target,
which was an exact reproduction of side
section of the battleship Iowa. II was
eighteen feet long by seven and one-half
feet high, and represented that portion
covering tho vitals and extending ave feet
below and two and one-half feet above the
water line. Behind the armor was back
Ing OF five inches OF oak, and then came
the skin" OF the vessel-the inner and
outer bottoms, each Of fve-eight-ineh steel
plato.
Some four feet further back was
ive-eight-inch steel plate. rep
resenting the inner shell the
vessel and Il was between this
plate and the skin" that the frames,
or braces (also five-eight-ineh plateD
are placed, alternately two and
four feet apart. The whole struc-
ture was covered by two and
one-haif inch steel plate. rep
resentlng a protective deck. Against
the inner plate were heavy TIM
bers resting on the side Of hill.
It would seem at a glance that the con-
ditions were not the same as on board
ship In the water for the reason that ths
water would yield. while the solid earth
would not. But tho naval officers calcu-
lated that this difference would be very
slight, as the vessel in the water could
not yield quickly enough TO be OF any
benefit.
The first shot was fred from a l0-inch
gam a Carpenter pro1ectile, Weighing
500 pounds, being propelled by 40 pounds
Of brown prismatic powder, and attainT
ing a velocity Of l,472 feet per second and
a striking power Of 74t, 600 ot-pounds. The
pact, only the point remaining imbedde6
In the plate, which was not otherwise
injured So loose was the point In the
plate that It fell out entirely from the
conclusion caused by the third shot Tha
backing and frames were found intact.
As the shot had made scarcely any im-
preston, the charge Of powder was in-
creased on the second shot 70 ZIG pounds
giving the 500 pound projectile velocity
of 1862 feet per second. As before the
shell was shattered. larger portion how
ever 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. Several Of the small
bolts holding the protective deck were
broken, but this was not considered ma
terial for the reason that the bolts wers
used as a makeshift a metal joint being
the usual method employed. This COM
pleted the acceptance test for the lot OF
twenty-four plates and they will un-
doubtedly be approved.
Then one shot was fired from a Pinch
gun. A Wheeler-Sterling pro1ectiles
weighing $50 pounds, was urged along by
400 pounds Of powder at a velocity of 1890
feet per second. This test is ordinarily
employed on H-inch plate, and il was
thought that 1t would pass entirely
through the 14-inch steel plate, and the
backing, frames, etc, as well.
While the plate was penetrated almost
its entire depth and cracked from top to
bottom, the oak backing was scarcely dis
turbed. and the other frames were not
disturbed at all. Another small bolt was
forced out and the balance of the bolts in
the protective deck were snapped off. So
this plate not only stood the test for its
own thickness. but constructively for a
17-inch plate.
The new armor bolt is less than half tho
length Of the bolt now In use, and the saw
ing in weight In each ship will be consid-
cradle In addition the packing used with
the old bolts Is quite an item as a brass
cylinder, a spring washer and rubber
rings are necessary, whereas in the new
ones, ordinary tow packing with a leath-
er washer suffees.
The test was made under the direction
of Capt Sampson chief Of the bureau Of
ordnance. and was witnessed BY Secre-
tary Of the Navy Herbert and the board
OF ordnance.
A further test. this time with a 1s-inch
gun will be made as soon as the gun can