New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-18
ORDNANCE IN TIE LEAD.
ARMOR PLATES DEMOLISHED BY THE
GREAT "PEACEMAKER."

TESTS or THE TniRrEEN-INcH RIFLE SHOW
THAT THE Gr'Ns or THE MASSACHUSETTS,.
INDIANA ASD OREGON COULD SPEEDILY
DESTROY ANY wARsIIIP AFLoAT
Washington. May 17-Thc thirtcen-nch gun
was fired AT cightcen-inch Carnegie plate to-
day at Indian Head To- secure comparison 81
tho damage created by It's l.iOc-pounl projcciile
and the s5o-pound shell of the twelve-inch rifle
the object being e. dcInonstrafo that the nov
battlcships should be armed with the larger
guns on May | a Hotter shell from the twelve
inch gun In an Acceptance test ~ the eighteen
inch side armor 4 the oregon. had been fred Mt
the same plate that ue'd to-day with
nuzze velocity of 1895 feet per f"cond. And n
striking energy Of i.sS5 foot TONS and had
cracked the plate from top e. bottom. but had
destroyed only one of rs twcnty-siN arnor bolts
the projectc penetrating ten inches and then
going To pieces Is point welding into the plate.
This shot had been fired with velocity CORE
spending 10 the maximum striking velocity pro-
durable from the iwelve-inch gun AT 100 yards
range which H. estimated 10 BE- about thr dls-
tancc which would probably be- chos' II hy battle
ships I'm action To-day the same conditions of
velocity AT the 1900 yards distance were Oh
served with the thirtecn-rch gun. the initial
velocity To- It's loo pound Whccler-Sterhng soma
steel shot being lgl2 feet per second. or eighteen
feet greater than in the case of the twelve
inch gun. but the striking energy re"'heh Inc
enormous figure Of $500 foot tons.
The shot struck In the right half of the plate.
breaking It In four pieces. and buried Itself In the
sandbank behind the plate where. upon recovery.
il was found 10 be broken 10 pieces the hcai
whole but somewhat fused at the point. The
ind = h. - CDmplsie-
" demolished by the terrible energy Of the blow.
This Clearly demonstrated the superiority Of the
thirteen-inch gun over the twclve-inch weapon Tor
the same range and the ordnance officers present
claimed IL showed no armor in existence could
keen out the thirteen-nch projccile at loo yards
This however conccdedly depends on the project
ilc as the next shot evidenced
Misunderstanding semi-armor-percing smell
similar to the preceding one. but followed out 10
contain a ffty-thrce-pound charge OF explosive
was aimed near the base Of the arn"r wher' .il' ~
plate tapercd to l56 inches In thickness. 'he sun
velocity being used. The plate met WIN s'"i'''
disaster breaking and letting the smell thrpusm u
after 1t had penetrated seven inches. me Sncu i
broke up: all It's fragments went through anu
were found In the sand behind.
The experts however, are not ifcpar'h !" ~ .
cent to-day's performance as conclusive PROOF ua'
thirtecn-inch shells have yet Dccn ipuhd ~ "
molish elghtccn-nch plates or even lh''s "i ''5'
tbicknese The armor attacked to-day hah Al
ready stood the strain OF two Acceptance S'''
iron, the twrlvr-inch rife and one from inc
thirtcen-inch gun. and two ~ these shots han
spyt the plate through ard through. Ns IN IN,
dimensions Of the plate were l6is feet I"ns' ~
saa, ,v,de four feet Of which was eighteen inches
thick. then iapering to eight inches al the e'sr,
tberc was no such exhibition OF tcnaci'y Ms as
would be looked for IL whole Iiatr.
,,.r,andous energy Of "A shot from the thirteen
inch "Pcaccmaker" IS not doubt' !, Du' IL ~
claimed that the comparatively inslshi"'''
nrnctration Of the shells to-day before the oyer
s,r.,ned plate gave way and let them through II
significant Nevertheless. no doubt remains ma "a
the thirtcen-inch guns of the Massac chusetts' im-
diana and oregon could speedliy "esurS az ~
'ar,h,,, a noat I'm the world to-day and that IN"
great battleships Of the Majcsl j. ana Magnrv,, .
class now building In England. with iher "''e' ,
of nine-inch Harvcyizcd armor. W"u'' "'' ''''