THE ARMSTRONG AND WHITWORTH TRIALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 658, 9 July 1864, Page 1

THE ARMSTRONG AND WHITWORTH TRIALS.

The contest between these rival pieces is fast reaching stages at which decisive results on either side may happen at any moment, and are, to a certain xextent, looked for .every cay. On Monday the trials were for destructive effect ; on Tuesday one of the most severe tests of all. rapid and continuous firing, was applied. Both these competitions excited the keenest interest, for, a? to the accuracy of shooting, all the officers seem of opinion that either the Armstrong shunt puu or the Whitworth are each, as far as they have yetfgone, sufficiently near perfection to make the whole contest turn upon which is tbe more destructive in warfare with shot and shell, and above all, which is the stronger gun ; that ie to cay, not which is I easiest burst, but which with common service charges, can fire the most rounds with the least wear. Every ■ shot fired from & gun effects a certain amount of wear in the tube, which in time becomes ascertainable by measurement. Up to the present all the .gun 3 have fired more thin six hundred rounds (rather above the average of what cast guns will stand]), but as yet none give any appreciable sign of having ever been fired at all. In a few days more, however, especially if j the rapid firing is continued, the wear must i become apparent, thoneh it is not likely to \ be much, for at. the close of the whole 1 programme 3000 rounds have to be fired!

liajs's Bhot or shells had gone through the samehole, and one, as we have Baid, had only just grazed at the top, but done no damage Still, the whole wall was dilapidated and rickety, full of holes, cracked in all directions, and with masses of its brickwork dislodged, so that one or two more well directed shots would evidently have brought the whole mass tumbling (o the ground. Mr Whitworth's wall was almost equally ill-used, and, considering that only eight of his shot and shell struck it, it was plain that allowing for this difference of hits, the destructive effect of his gun on the wall was fully equal to the destructive effect of Sir William's. The wooden "targets, however, which were placed at a little distance behind the walls to show the effect of the scattered fragments of shell, told quite a different tale. Sir William's target was splintered into great holes, and, where unbroken, its face was seamed in all directions ■with the iron segments striking into the wood. ■ No more-convincing proof, in fact, could possibly be given of the destructive effects of the Armstrong shell. Mr Whitvrorth's target, on the contrary; was

from each gun, which is then to be burst. It it to be hoped, for the credit of our scientific knowledge of gunnery, that this bursting process will not be carried on after the old barbarous system of choking up a gun with shot and powder till it breaks, but that it may be eflected by firing the gun at 45 degrees elevation with common charges till one or the other yields. It should not be a mere question of breaking the gun at these bursting trials, but seeing how it will break and after how long a time it will break when used in every day warfare.

The trials on Monday were to prove how each gun— the Armstrong shunt gun, the Whitworth, ana the Armstrong breechloader—would act against common brickwork walls and villages, both with shot and shell. But the walls erected to test the value of this experiment were not by any means the ordinary rubble masonry of villages or common brickwork, but were, in truth, most substantial structures, built in the best manner, three bricks thick, laid in cement. A wall was provided for each gnn, B£ft in height by about 14ft wide, and 28£ in thick, and at these the guns were first expected to open at 900 yards. The Committee, however^ave orders that they should commence at 1200 yards, and the ill luck of commencing and finding the range fell to Mr Whitworth's lot. Four shots were allowed for this purpose, and at the fourth the target was hit at T45 of elevation, and the 15 rounds to which each gun was limited five of

scarcely marked, and only with the fragments of his common shell. Nowhere on its whole surface could it be traced that any of his shrapnel bullets had even struck it ; and undoubtedly, as far as if; has yet gone, Mr Whitwortb's shrapnel shell has effected scarcely anything deserving of mention. On Tuesday the continuous firing test was applied. It was fixed to commence at 11 o'clock, but it was nearly 1 before the guns were ready, in consequence of Mr Weutworth's application to the Committee to be allowed to remove his vent- plug or touch-hole before the firing commeuced, in order to replace it with a new one. This made the second time that' Mr Whitworth has changed his" vent-piece; and though we have not space to enter into the technical details which made such changes advisable, it is mere justice to state that they were of a purely exceptional character, and in no degree reflect against the gun or its method of venting, which is simple in the extreme.

The firing of the 200 yards for endurance commenced soon after 1 o'clock, and before it began the Committee stated that

round shot, five of common shell, and five of shrapnel shell, commenced with Mr Whitworth's gun. The result was utterly unexpected It was believed that as a shell gun Mr Whitworth's explosive power was weak, but the accuracy of the piece was known to be perfect. Every one. therefore, looked to the gun, which was laid by Mr Whitworth s most experienced assistants, hitting the wall each time, but effecting comparatively little with either its shrapnel or common shell. Extraordinary as it may seem, this really large target for a range of 1100 yards, as it turned out to be, in fact received out of the 15 rounds only seven direct hits, was missed altogether six times, and hit once alter a ricochet. Of the five ronnds of solid shot two hit fairly, and two hit after touching the ground! close in front. Of the common shell three hit and two missed. Altogether, of the shrapnel shell two only hit and three missed. The gun during these rounds, after the first range had been ascertained, was only altered two minutes of a degree —that is, from 1-45 to 147, and this variation should, if the gun shot accurately as to longitudinal range— that is, as to the place in which the shot dropped— have only given a difference of one loot higher or lower in the spot it struck the wall. j But, slight as was this change of elevation, it was from some unexplained reason j enough when at 1*45 to make the shot strike in front and ricochet over an B^ft. wall, or, on the other hand, when elevated

it was to be dhtinctly understood that the trial was not intended to show which gun would fire fastest, but which gun endured best under continuous and quick but orderly firing, On this understanding, therefore, «the firing commenced, and was continued incessantly for nearly an hour and a-halt; with only two or three seconds interval between each discharge, so that the endurance of the spectators, who had to be close to the artillery, was even more severely tried than the" endurance of tbe guns. After some 30 rounds the screw of Sir William's' breechloader, which had become fouled with the sulphurous powder smoke, worked very btifHy, button water being poured over it it at once recovered its usual free action, and so continued to the close. Even this defect, however, slight as it was, did not pass without notice among the artillery officers, who, as a rule, greatly prefer Sir William's shunt gun to his breechloader. Both the Whitworth and the shunt gun w6rked admirably, and each made excellent practice, though the fire of the latter was considerably retarded by the ■fact that the cartridges issued to it were

to 1-47, make it miss the wall altogether. Such an erratic performance was what no one expected, though the supporters of the Armstrong claimed that it entirely bore out their theory that the gun, though, shooting with , wonderful accuracy as regards deviation either right, or left of, the true line, is not to be refied on in the exactitudinal range— that at the same .elevation and the same range and with the same charge it will drop its shots in a true line, but at most varying distances. As impartial recorders of facts, we are. bound to say that this theory is not borne out by the returns given of the practice, at lone ranges. On the other hand, however, ft is to a great extent confirmed by the shooting at targets, at which ten have been fired at fronjt different ranges, ' and Sir William. Armstrong ha 9 claims to have won seven out of the ten. ' "" When the Whitworth had done firing, Sir William^ commenced with his 'shunt gun, which at the same range made very beautiful practice. Out '6i the 15 shots, 14 struck the wall direct, and the 15th grazed it at the edge' c!f a broken part, raising sufficient dust to mark a hit,, but otherwise doing no damage." ' ' The examination of the walk which followed these trials, for the twilight .was then deepening too fast to continue "the' experiments with the breechloader, showed that every single «hot>Mch had,, hit the.se really massive structures hid' gone clean through them with apparently the mo3t perfect ease. Two of Sir Wil-

sometimes too large, for the gun. Six were thus rejected which could, not 1 be made to enter the muzzle at all, and many T which: did enter it could only be 7 fdrc'ed down with difficulty. Iri the 1 : end, 'Blr * Whitworth fired his 200 rounds in one hour and 12 minutes. Sir William* fired his from his breechloader in one hour and 21 minutes, and, from bis shunt guiia one hour and 22 minutes. ItwWjriosV fortunate for Sir William that the trial was for endurance and not for speed, efae from the peculiar difficulties under whioa he labored in using Muoricajor-with hisi shunt gun for thTe, first time the compete tion must' liaye been against him. "* As 'kia instance, however, of what can be done , with Sir William's kreechlosdex^hen fired. for quickness: we may mention that the evening- bVo^ ttjisl^alfbok place an officer at Shoebury Was -., fi^e^J^K) ' rounds from the cWmon ?wvice ( br«ecii-,. loader m 24 minxes, and made good practice with, it'at every shot; - -~.v ° ' ": At. the end of the.2,oJ> rounds' firihrall the guns were so h^tithat it! was inS«»ble »to< touch them,; f^¥liT^ tfieylfaa w time to cool, the uext teat wao applied, tp

ascertain if the severe trial they had undergone had injured them or impaired their shooting in any way. For this purpose they were ordered to fire at small bull'seyes, marked on three targets, at 300 yards' distance, three shots being allowed to each gun to ascertain the range, and then five more to each, the results of which were to be recorded. At this competition the "Whitworth and the breechloader shot about equal, and neither of them particularly well. The Armstrong shunt gun, on the contrary, made one of the most beautiful targets that has been seen at Shoebury, planting all its shot in a space of about 15 inches square. In fact, Sir William's superiority at this contest was so marked that it left little room for comparison between his target and Mr Whitworth'a. Before continuing the trials further, impressions will be carefully taken of the interiors of all the guns, to ascertain if they have been damaged or worn in the least degree by the 200 rounds' quick firing. This inspection, however, is likely to be a mere formality after the satisfactory proof which all the guns gave by their firing afterwards that as yet they are unhurt. To-day and tomorrow the tests will be resumed again for range and accuracy. In reference to the firing at three degrees of elevation, which we stated in our last notice as being a close and equal competition between Sir William and Mr Whitworth, we have now to add that a more careful examination of the returns has shown that in accuracy, and also in range, the advantage at this contest is clearly on Mr Whitworth's side. So, also, in reference to the statement which implied that Mr Whitworth had washed his guns without the knowledge of the Committee, we are assured, on the highest authority, that Mr Whitworth applied to the Committee for leave to wash his guns, and the permission was at once given, and that Sir William was allowed to do the same.

In the course of another ten days or so the competition with the small guns will be brought to a close, and that with the heavy ordinance begin. In this second stage both competitors are equally conndent of success. — Times.