Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-15
UNDER BIG GUN FIRE
Concrete Being Tested as
Fort Building Material.
HELD OFF SANDY HOOK
Large Party of Ordnance Experts
Goes From Washington to Wit
ness the Experiments.
HELD OFF SANDY HOOK

Important tests OF heavy ordnance arc
being made at the army proving ground
at Sandy Hook. n. j. 4 large party OF
ordnance experts at the War Department
and at Fort Monroe has gone to SANDY
Hook to witness the experiments.
The party included Lieut.. Col. C. J.
Bailey, assistant chief of coast artillery.
Maj. Richard p Davis, Instructor o.
mines and electricity at the Coast Artil-
lery School. Fort Monroe. Maj. Andrew
Hero. jr.. OF the Coast Artillery head
quarters: Maj. +. w. Coe director in ar
tillery and gun defense at the Artillery
School: Capt. r. Z. Callan. Coast Artil-
lery headquarters: Capt. p p Bishop.
target practice observer: Capt. J. {.
Nichols, battery commander. Fort Mon
roe: Mai. J. l.. Hayden. fire commander.
Fort Monroe; Capt Edward Carpenter.
detail officer, Coast Artillery headquar-
tiers: Maj. ]. z. Hoffer and Mai ]. III.
Rice. inspectors Of ordnance OF the ord
nance department
Use Twelve-Inch Gun.
1t was originally intended to attack
concrete parapets with a fourteen-inch
gun. that being a new type of coast
defense weapon. but an accident to the
carriage of the big gun has rendered it
necessary to use a twelve-inch gun In
stead. Two concrete targets are to be
used. They are of different size and
formation, and represent the style of
construction adopted for the fortifica-
tons of Ell Fraille Island In the Bay OF
Manila.
These Notifications represent an en-
tirely new type, and the tests ara de-
signed to show their utility. FL Fraille
Island is a small island of rock with
barely room at the summit for the pro-
jected armament, composed of heavy
guns In enlarged naval turrets. The pro-
lection against the attack Of an enemy
will be mainly concrete. mounted on the
rock base of the island. II is planned to
make this island a miniature Gibraltar.
with the unique feature that the gunfire
from the summit of the rock will be an
all-around affair.
1t is not known to what extent con-
crete will resist attack, and il is desired
to ascertain by these experiments to get
desired information on that particular
point After the present targets have
been fired on a third target will be con-
structed. for which the army board OF
ordnance and fertilization at its session
made an allotment OF $9.000. This third
target will be of greater thickness. and an
effort will be made to see just how much
the concrete parapet will stand in the
way of heavy gun fire.
First Actual Test.
While concrete is used generally in the
construction of the parapets at nearly all
the coast Notifications in this country.
the firing has been from and not against
the parapet, SO that the experts possess
no definite knowledge of the resisting
qualities Of concrete in this form. 1t may
be necessary as a result OF this test to
make some important changes in the
plans for the E. Fraille fortifications, but
the army engineers who have charge OF
the emplacements believe no mistake has
been made in the type of structure.
The tests are being conducted by the ord
nance board, composed of Col. Rogers
Brine and Lieut.. Col. f. B. Rabbit OF
the ordnance department and Capt. H. j.
Hatch of the Coast Artillery Corps. who
have been stationed at Sandy Hook for
the proving of the new 14-inch guns.