EXPERIMENT WITH THE EIGHTY-ONE TON GUN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 211, 20 April 1877, Page 7

EXPERIMENT WITH THE EIGHTY-ONE TON GUN.

The long-expected and anxiously prepared-for firing against the 4 7-inch target by the 81-ton gun took place at the school of gunnery on Thursday, February 8. The weather was very thick until just before the arrival of the visitors by special train from London and special carriages from Southend, but by a quarter to eleven o'clock the sun broke out. The gun, on a line of heavy rails, lay facing the target, which stood exactly at the end of the broad road across the marshes and looked strong enought to resist anything. It was 16ft. long by 10ft. high, and was composed of four eight-inch plates of best rolled iron bolted together with three-inch bolts, three intervals of five inches each being filled with seasoned teak. Along the top lay one of the Thunderer plates, and similar plates at the sides helped to solidify the structure. The 47 inches of iron and teak were backed by three tiers of eight whole timber piles at intervals of 10ft. and Bft., and the massive framework of great balks was strutted against these piles by diagonal and transverse timber, the joints of which were strengthened by angle plates of inch iron, held by inch bolts. Under the directions of Captain Ellis a white mark was placed on the target 3ft. 9in. from the bottom, and 6ft. sin. from the left side, and on this the gun was laid. In front of it were the wires for measuring the velocity of the projectile, and between these and the gun was placed a screen of calico to test windage. At ten minutes to eleven General Campbell and other distinguished officers came on the ground, and presently a very large number of English and foreign visitors followed. At eleven o'clock the first bugle was sounded to clear the ground, and ten minutes later a second gave more urgent warning for the spectators to betake themselves to the splinter proofs. At twenty minutes past eleven the gun was fired. The report was comparatively slight, and |the impact of 3701 b. shell made very little noise. A flash of fire was seen as the shot struck, and on examination the projectile was found to have made a penetration of 46 .V inches. Three of the 8-inch plates were pierced and the fourth bulged out about four inches. It wa s also cracked in a star, 8 inches in diameter. One of the great piles of the first series was nipped clean in two, and one 14-inch balk of timber was crushed to 9i inches, and into matchwood. On the whole, penetration would have been effected in another inch. The base of the shell, which broke up, is about 4 inches from the face of the target. It is thought another shot would go completely through.