Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1895-09-13
IOWA'S ARMOR PLATE
Satisfactory Tests Made at
Indian Head.
ACTUALSTRAIN ToABATrLESIlIp
The Iowa VIII BE Able to Withstand
the rojectiles Of the Best 12-
Inch Gun AAoat.


Washington, Sept. 6.--The new bat
tleship Iowa will withstand the projec-
tiles of the best l2-inch gun ahoat.
This was the conclusion drawn today
from one Of the most important tests
ever made at the government proving
grounds at Indian Head. Since the
equipment Of modern battleship3 with
heavy armor there has been i'll certain
quarters question as to whether The
framework Of ships so armored could
resist the crushing force Of blow from
one of the big guns, even though the
armor itself was capable of keeping
the projectiles out. Hitherto all tests
of armor have been made against un-
yielding wooden butts. Today, the
United States for the first time since
the use of modern guns and armor be-
gan, experimental to determine tho
actual strain and injury to which q
battle-ship would be subjected il struck
by a projectile. For this purpose a
side armor plate of the battleship
Iowa, now building at the Cramps
yards in Philadelphia, was fitted upon
an actual reproduction of section OF
the ship. 1t consisted of the inner and
ing compartments with lateral steel
bulkheads four feet apart. Outside
the outer bottom was skin of FIVE
eighths steel, and between this and the
l4-inch armor-plate were 10 inches of
solid oak backing. Above WAS the pro-
lection deck, and below the main deck,
the whole being backed above and be-
low by oak of the estimated strength Of
the projection and main decks. The
plate itself was I6x7 1-2 feet, A inches
thick at the top. and sloping toward
the bottom to thickness of inches.
| The character of the test was such
that Secretary Herbert went down the
river to witness it, and there was
more than the usual number of officials
present from the ordnance and con-
/ struction bureaus.
/ The shots were at 250 yards, at right
angles to the plate, to secure the nor
NAL impact. The first shot was 500-
pound Carpenter projectile from To-
inch gun, driven by l40 pounds of Du-
psnt's brown prismatic powder. 1t
struck the plate with a velocity of
l,4S2 feet per second. or with an
energy of 1000 pounds. The pro-
jectile was driven into the plate about
six inches and not single injury to
the backing was discovered after care
full examination, save the sheering OF
uine bolts connecting the projection
deck with the armor. This was not
considered serious. The second shot
was also from I0.inch gun, but the
powder charge was increased to 2iC
pounds, which increased the velocity
to 1852 feet per second, SO that il
struck with an energy of 93l ,00(
pounds. The shot also spent itself oil
the plate without creating sign of {
crack or injury or straining the frame
work. There is not bulge in thu
plate or frame of the vessel. A single
bolt, however, was driven out.
On the whole, the result of the ties
with the plates and framework wa
; considered remarkable. The plat
withstood the government test for l6
inch plate splendidly, and construc
lively the test of a l7-inch plate. TIL
resistance of the frame really astonisf
ed all. Secretary Herbert was greatl
: rejoiced at the result, and Captai
: Sampson, chief of the ordnance bu
reau, said the injury both to the plat
and framework was the very minimum
He added:
/. "The framework withstood th
o shock better than we hoped"