New-York tribune., 1900-05-10
THE NAVAL CAPPED SHE'LL.
NO NOVELTY WHATEVER ABOUT THE PRO-
JECTILE.
JECTILE.

Washington May (SpeciaD.-The marvellous
naval proiectile which Senator Tillman exploded
IN the secret session Of the Senate yesterday to
dernolish Kruppized armor plates has afforded no
end OF amusement to-day TO the Navy ordnance
experts. Tfllmans contention has been that the
expenditure OF s545 for armor was worse than
asteful view Of the great secret which he dis
covered be in the possession Of the naval ord
nance officers. and which, according to him. rem
dered all armor useless To make his disclosure
more dramatic and with view of securing the
widest publicity he induced the Senate to go into
secret session 10 listen TO him, and then he pro-
ceeded TO expose the alleged novelty of the Navys
canned she'll which had easily perforated the
Russian Kruppized plate II was simply another
display of Tillman's ignorance and its result
has been to fortify the Naval argument that moth
ing but the best obtainable armor, regardless OF
price should be used American batteships
and that further delay in providing armor protec-
ton for ships building would be simply
criminal.
In the first place. there is no novelty whatever
in the capped projectile used in the Navy Every
aruor piercing shell every American warshp
that took part in the battle OF Manila Bay the
siege Of Santiago and the Spanish War in gen
eraI was capped. No armor piercers have been
ISSUED IN the naval service CT the United States
since 1876 without caps and European nations have
long ago adopted the system. OF course 1t
was novelty TO Senator Tilman. Just is about
everything else in the Navy and most other
branches of the Government
DESCRIPTION OF THE CAP
The soft cap on the OF shell is old
as the modern hardened projectile. Such pro-
.ac.;les could not be toughened sufficiently TO
preyent going pieces on the face of Harvey
.zed armor. The terrific impact which, for in
stance in a Finch shot marks the instan-
,aneous development Of $4,000 foot tons
energy destroyed the S5o-pound shell before II got
chance 10 enter the plate To obviate the shock
conner CAPS and other soft materials were tried at
,he indian Head proving grounds with more or
less success the chief difficulty being 10 attach the
can without injuring the point OF the pro)ecule
This was accomplished about six years ago by
snuvten Duyyil steelmaker named Johnson, VINO
cast shallow groove around the proJectile several
inches from the point into which the edges or the
soft steel cap finally adopted could be forced by
hydra ulic pressure. This process was promptly
purchased by the Navy Department on Admiral
sampson's recommendation early in 1897. About
the same time another improvement. which was
made by ordnance officers. adopted, providing
for a small cap of graphite inside the soft steel
cap this being designed to lubricate the projectile
in its passage through armor plate
The standard naval caps about same
depth S thel diameter, which is six inches for A
I3inch shell three and three-ouarters inches for
s-inch shell and inches for i-inch shell.
There military secrets 10 be divulged about
this capped shell practice OF the Navy. The pub
lished annual report of the Secretary of the Navy
for 1897 page 2s3 gives in detail the contracts
for 5000 Of them. declaring that "all recent con-
tracts FOR such shell have required them 10 be
capped" and pages 333 33i. 335 33s the re-
suits OF exhaustive tests of capped and unca pped
shells are given, showing that capped projectiles
have 20 per cent Increased penetration In secre-
tary Longs last report page isi. there another
tabie giving the penetration Of capped shells at