The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-21
MAKING PROJECTlLES.
GREAT CARE NECESSARY N MAX
ING THE SHOTS FOR HEAVY GUNS.

In the Race Between the Defensive
Armor and the Development Of
Heavy Guns the Former at Pres
ent Has the best Of It-How the
I'rojectIe Files Through the Air.
From the Philadelphia Times
The latest manufacture OF projcctiles for
heavy ordnance. although difficult 10 de-
termine. owing 10 the iron-clad secresy
surrounding the process. is the same or
composition similar i'm hardness to Har-
veyized armor-plate.
In the race between defensive armor by
naval constructors and the development
of the heavy rined guns the advantage
was first with the gun. but now is with
the armor Especially did the SUPERIOR
ty OF the defense for men-of-war seem in
dictated 10y the invention Of Harveyized
steel plate. and did for a brief space bid
defiance TO the penetrating power Of any
piece IN use at that time. All the Euro
pean powers had formally agreed that 70
inches should be the limit in caliber for
all breech-loading rifles
The decisive stand taken by the United
States board of officers in favor Of the l3-
inch caliber over the long-maintained OPP
position of the naval constructors. who
saw new and trying problems confronting
them I'm this increase of battery. has dis
concerted all previous calculation on the
penetration of steel armor-plate The IL
inch projectile, increased over l2-inch by
merely one inch of diameter, weighs con-
slderahly over half ton, and by virtue OF
ITS increased mass and energy succeeded
IN piercing and crushing the new plates at
moderate ranges In the trial tests. But at
the same time the proiecule itself was
crushed IN I'm these trials. The data
CLEANED from the recent Japan-China war
sun further unsettled the contest between
defense and attack since in most in
stances where these shot struck the armor
a glancing blow the impact OF the projec-
tile was harmless to the very same kind
OF plate that had been easily pierced or
cracked at the proving grounds.
II is rumored from Russia, and although
NOT omcialy corrOborated. yet having all
the detail and probability Of established
fact that an Improvement in pointing the
missile enables even ordnance Of smaller
caNber TO penetrate the hardest armor-
plate. A soft steel cushion or cap is plac-
ed over the hardened steel point of the
proJectile.
The claim is made for this invention
mat without its use the point Of the pro-
Jectile, no harder than the armor it comes
in contact with, is crushed at the moment
of striking. But the addition OF the soft
steel cushion, IL Is claimed, gives the ar
NOR the preliminary blow, and being
"a N'iANN ha'h vi the NAlutiltu point pro-
tects the surface of the head of the pro-
jectile and allows 1t to enter with ease
the armor plate already weakened by the
conclusion Of the soft steel cap.
Neither the head nor point by this means
is crushed or bent, and the missile retains
its entirety.
The proiectile. which appears TO the eye
very PAIN cylndrcal-built body, with
a rounded coplcal head technically des-
cribed as Ogeval. Is the object of great
care finishing.
II r,,uet be obso1,,t,.t,. ,,,,,,,,4 Mol A..
there is only about one-eighth of an inch
difference between the diameter Of the
projectile and that Of the bore of the piece.
OF One-siXteenth of an inch on either side,
any deviation from geometrical symmetry
or warping in the projectile will prevent
II from entering the bore In loading. The
hardness Of the projectile prevents the
rihing Of the piece making any impression
on IL, and If unassisted It would bolt
through the bore without acquiring the
desired lateral rotation which gives sta
bIity and accuracy to the prOjectile while
passing to IT'S mark To remedy this II has
| been found eXpedient to encirce the pro-
jeciile with band Of softer metal at or
near the base, securely attached, so that
upon the ignition Of the charge directly
back OF II the softer metal is forced for
ward and into the grooves of the rlding,
Wnlch it follows and rotates the missile.
The trajectory or path such a projectile
of the larger class describes "in transitu -
especially IN the target practice of the
| heavy artillery along the sea coast where
| its course, can easily be seen, is a grand
spectacle.
In such cases the projectHe can be dis
| cerned and followed almost from the mo-
| ment of leaving the piece up 10 its final
| disappearance in the sea.
Contrary to all preconcerted notions OF
| the behOlder, accustomed to observe the
| target practice Of small arms the mis-
| sile Of the heavy ordnance Is visible
| almost from the moment IL leaves the
piece. As the dark mass leaves the huge
/ rifle and the singing detonation Of the
report strikes the hearing In the frac-
| ton of a second the eyesght, directed
! toward the quarter whore the missile taxes
| its journey through the air, catches the
projectile rushing up the incline TO It's
trajectory arc, given by the degree OF
elevation of the piece. Gradually 1t be-
comes smaller and smaller to the vision,
ana as 1t reaches its highest point seems
| to hover for moment before beginning
| its downward flight or fall.
If the range be long it has faded out
| OF sight through distance; a few mo-
ments of suspense, then terrific column
| Of spray driven sea rises in the air TO
| a lofty hight.
| black speck, though small, yet having
! lost much Of its initial velocity, rising
| from its first rebound or ricochet: II
| again describes a minor trajectory; again
a column of white spray rises in the air
| farther away. and not so high as before
| the velocity beng much decreased, and
| again in shorter bounds very much like
/ a skillfully thrown skipping stone until
| the protectilc with energy nearly exhaust
| ed with a final scud amid a group OF
cascades. in a stately arc, vecrs to the
/ right and sinks out of sight
The popularity Of ricochetihg to the
/ right in rifles arises from the rotation OF
the proieclilc in It's axis from left TO right
/ al right angles nearly with the trajectory
| and exists in the passage Of the missile
| through the air determined as drift Thus
| Is quite a factor in laying a gun on an OBJ
| ject and considered as a quantity is cal
/ culated under the term Of lateral devia-
| ton The exact amount OF drift Is deter
| mined by calculation and practice for each
! calibre to every hundred yards of range
| and is taken care of by a mechanical ad-
tustmeHt IN the sights used on the piece.
very fair idea of the principles in
volved in the description Of the rife ira
/ jectory can be gathered from the curve
/ described by a pitched bail in a game OF
| base ball The curve described by the
| lovers of this game as the in-shot, or the
! in and drop, is percisely in contour and
/ direction and eXaggeraton Of the rifle
| trajectory.
The spherical or commonly termed round
| shot from the smooth-bore ordnance most
| always ricochet in straight line and IN
| the direction of the line of FIRE Of the
| piece. especially If the sea be smooth.
The 15-lnch smOoth-bOre sends out a solid
shot weighing about $50 pounds. AS this
| sphere rises in the air IT looks like the IL
| lustration Of an eclipsed planet passing