THE ARMSTRONG AND WHITWORTH GUNS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 696, 9 July 1859, Page 3

THE ARMSTRONG AND WHITWORTH GUNS.

(From the * Mechaiiics' Magazine.')/.

It needs no prophet to foretell that the promo- ; tion, and 1 the high appointment, andthe ;20,00bfv? awarded to Sir William Armstrong will arouse the" cupidity and jealousy of many men who" believe i they have extraordinary;claims ,upon the Govern-• nient; and for this reason-"all Svho in any way put forward the meritsjof the improvers ofour ordnance; will'; bei; suspected of^::being: either envious themselves or the organs' 6f the'■> envy of others. But while awareoorfr all; this, we refuse to be trammelled by such considerations. Caring for nothing but what is just and right, we shall be1 daunted by.: lib apprehension' of what' malevolent men may please o to-think or ;say of: us:; We^fearlessly state: tKat we ar6 just how running some risk of exalting the improvements' of Sir "William.: Armstrong atthe expense ok; to the hijury of; others ; and as Mr.: Whitworth's; system 1 veiyi-eceritly1. excited much j public expectation-^more recently than any except j Sir William's—let fus gl.ance at a few facts in con^ nexion with it; m or^er to put ourselves upotf our 'guard in this important'matter.' ', '-, „ Those who ,know anything of Mr. Whitworth's plans mvist ,be'.aware':that":ihe ; meie polygonal form which he gives'to the bore of ,'the ; cannon is by no j means" the whole ,pf,his';'myentipn.; That form admits, for example, of hard metal projectiles being employed instead of compound shot, or shot coated with soft metal; and tlie piece, instead of being necessarily a, bveech loader, may be loaded at the breech or muzzle as required. Again, the Whitworth projectiles aye variously adapted ; to -suit special purposes. Eor ordinary practice castriron. shot, shaped by self-acting machinery so as; to fit the hexagonal bore, are used. For firing' through water, flat-fronted'or. .Punch-shaped pro-

jectileß are employed..; and we, have been informed^ on good authority that these flat-fronted projectiles have, been fired througli thirty feet of water, and after that have retaineu more than^swfficien|; force! to .penetrate a ship's bottom,. TJiia .is a .'m'.Qst.sig-r' nificant result,' and one which promises to be pif; immense impoitanoe in connexion...with naval.: armamentsj TJies!^ .p.ro'jepjtiles, ;,if made of tough hard ironj njiay; also| be djriven through .the thickest wrought-irpn platjes that are madcj. They were' triedlast year at Poi-tsmcutji, in tlhe presence of, an official committee, agaiust|he four!-inch wroughtiron plates jvvhich we awe now about" ■to use as '.'a-1' casing! for sihips'side,s. : fl'a't-frp'nVe'd: pro-' jectile, fired from a'distanicje qf yai'ds, perforated both the ir<i>n plate! and! fjhe 'sjjip's;!sid^ on Wj||cfi ' it had been firmly bojted. It punched ..a :lavg^, saucer-shap|ed piece fairlyi.put of the'iplate^and left a cleiin hole behini). it. ■ As jw,e 'Stated in a. former number, the gun from;which the shot was fired burst; but this tpok pjlace ion a subsequent; day. We were npt then'aware tha^; the shot had euec'es- ' .fully ; penetkted tlie plajbe an^l the ship's ydein'the manner explained. ''Aijid'thjs bi.ingsus to another important feature ,of thp cas|e. Thp gun used- on' the occasion referred to was an; ordinary .gpyjernment piece,, cast the old plan, an^i Was; inherently (too weak jfp ; b^earj the strain causedl)y firing a ilong-i;ifled -projectile. But to test the invehijion fplly and fairj.y, the gun isbfluld be' .constructedthrougho|ut ori the? improved, plan of ths : iuyeritor. ( The employmentl of a weak construction . was ill advised and (unfortunate, andprobably caused blame to be imputed to. the sj-stenl of Mr. Whitworthj, wh6n the failure was; due to "the use of iron cast solid in large masses, jThe experiment however imay be considered'to jhjaye settled two 'very impp[rtant questionsj and; sho^jf ? 7Hfirst, that castljpn the old jplan: are jinapplicable for rifled cannjp^s second,1 ••; that wrojught:ii;6.n plates four inches thick are not phot iproof ata range.of at least|4so yards. iMv. iWhi|;woi'i4i,'-in his treatise _pnfined arms, reviewed^ in a%te'number of the '■Mechaniqs' Magasiinej' makes'the^e remarks-:— '" In the; strain' Upon; a rifled cannon witbi that upon aipmoojth bore, the work, done by the ilespective pieces mjust b|e taken :in^p obn^iden- ; tipn. : If the .■> full powjers of the former "are to be exerted^ extreme jranges jwhich it is capable of giving :are requited, a proportionally greater strain "will be put upon the piece oh-account of-the elongated form of the shot, and more strength' was"jtherefore required. The mode of making: large iron jguns by casting them in solid masses (as '■ at present), is-highly objectionable, and is certainly:' not suitable efor |bearing the full a rifled ' gun. j It is well known that if iron be" cast in large ' masses, grleat irregujarjitjies iwilL.be produced in the metal durjing the process of ■cooling • and, beyond certain limits, little or yio increase of strength is gained by increasiiigi its thicknisss.- i;Vlmpr.oyed:: modes of [constri^ction oan, llioweyer, be adopted,;: whics will admit of the"gnn;-being loaded at =.thebreech wjhen required;' and 'will -give all the | strength necessary -for; &§l lai^eu charge of powder • as can be consumed; with the .gipjectile intended for: the piece/fcqiSe^ jp^Cl 'J m 'i'_\ '■■" ' '" c" ' rThe-. [Cpnpljiding observation §ho_ws that Mr. Whitwort^i anticipates noidjfl^culityln making his gunsjof sufficient' strength-; aiid jit. wss =not to foe,, supposed { that ;he: would oßllpw.the majb.ter to rest yrhere itiis. ;W-e : were not r 4herefore, surprised to learn from General Peel, in the: House of Com.-;; mbns oh IMonday last, that Mr. Wluhyorth-is renewing his experiments jwith guiis'•"•of greater' strength.! We wish him success ipln's unert^in^.' As we have beforesaid,. there is ;a;great'mecha%ii- s' c'al promijie in tihi^ system;' and jifis a fact,' however '"strange it may |appear,ihat no gun has yet been;made iv brder.tb.t^st tEafe system thoroughly. Such! a gun is nojv,!how^eveiV)iri cpur§e"bf construction, and, notwithstanding tlie-great -capabilities of the Armstrong weapop, we shall look anxiously 'for '.• the trial of "tlie ,pther. '• We are, we firmly believe^ neareri^ieiieginning than the end .of ordnance impxoKemeniai'f';li_ :..._._ A... •