The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-05
Testing THE ARMOR Plate
Successful Exhibition Of Its Qualit les
of Resistance.
EXPERIMENTS SATISFACTORY
Heavy PrOjectiIes Fired from Twelve.
Inch Guns Make but Little I'm.
preston Upon the Arnor
or the Frames.

ordnance board conducted most I'M
portant and successful test at Indian
Head proving grounds today. Pri-
murily 1t was IL test OF steel armor plate,
but really of greater Importance 1t was
a trial of the strength of the frames of
modern war ships, which. 1t had been
claimed, would not withstand the shock
caused by heavy projectiles against the
armor covering them; some authori-
ties even going so far as to assert that
the armOr, II not shattered or pene-
trated 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 govern
ment some years ago did fire at an
antiquated armored vessel for the pur-
pose Of observing the effects of the shot.
Today's experiments demonstrated the
fact that the frames Of our war vessels
are perfectly able to meet all ordinary
demands.
1t was also demonstrated that the
new l4-inch armOr, with which the new
battle ships will be protected, can, un-
der ordinary conditions. receive the fire
of any 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 expen-
sive. Each of the three tests was en-
tirely satisfactory. The armor plate
far exceeded the prescribed require
ments, the counterfeit frames bore the
shocks without impairment and the
bolts were entirely satisfactory.
First Service Test.
The plate tested today represents
twenty-four others weighing go tons,
made by the Carnegie company for the
battleship Iowa, now building at
Cramps. 1t was the first service test
of the company's new process OF MAX
ing what Is known as double forged
armor, being forged both before and
after carbonization or Harveyizing.
This plate, II inches In thickness,
formed the outer surface of target
which was an exact reproduction of
side section Of the battleship Iowa. 1t
was 1S feet long by 7h feet high, and
represented that portion covering the
vitals, and extending five feet below
and 2h feet above the water line. Be-
hind the armor was a backing OF five
inches of oak, and then came the
'skin" of the vessel-the inner and
outer bottoms, each five-eighths of an
inch of steel plate. Some four feet
further back was a five-eighths-inch
steel plate representing the ban,r shell
of the vessel, and it was between this
plate and the skin" that the frames
or braces (also of five-eighths inch
plate) are places alternately two and
four feet apart. The whole structure
was covered by a 2h-inch steel plate,
representing a protective deck. Against
the inner plate were heavy timbers
roctSng m the side of a hill
Shot from Tcn.Inch Gun.
The first shot fired was from a 10
inch gun, Carpenter projectile
weighing 500 pounds, being propelled
by l4O pounds OF brown prismatic
powder and attaining velocity of
l,472 feet per second and striking
power of TAI, ,00O-foot pounds. The shell
was completely shattered by the inn
past, only the point remaining imbed-
ded In the plate, which was not other
wise injured AS this shot had made
scarcely any impression the charge of
powder was Increased on the second
shot to ZIG pounds. giving the 50O-pOund
projectile velocity Of 1852 feet per
second.
As before, the shell was shattered,
larger portion, however, being imbed-
ded In the plate, which was still with
out u crack or bulge. One of the
armor bolts was Driven out. the thread
being sheared off; but this was expect
cd to happen when ,bDlt is struck by
shot. Several of 6e small bolts
holding the protective deck were
broken. but this was not considered
material. This completed the accept
ance test for the lot of twenty-four
plates and they will undoubtedly be
approved. .....
Frames Not Disturbed.
Then one shot was fired from 12-inch
gun. A Wheeler sterling projectile.
weighing $50 pounds, was urged along
by 400 pounds of powder at velocity
of 1900 feet per second. This test was
ordinarily employed on 17-inch plates,
and It was thought that 1t would pass
entirely through the fourteen inches of
steel 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 disturbed, and the outer
skin and the frames were not disturbed
at all
The new armor is less than half the
length of the bolt now In use, and the
saving in weight in each ship will be
considerable.
The test was made under the direc-
tion of Captain Sampson, chief of the
bureau of ordnance, and was witnessed
by Secretary of the Navy Herbert and
bureau of ordnance. and was witnessed
this time with 13-inch gun, will be
l.