MECHANICS AND USEFUL ARTS. 67 



The same kind of cartridges was used for both rifles. As it respects 

 the quality of these rifles for army purposes, the report of the Ordnance 

 Committee is strongly in favor of the Lancaster rifle; the report 

 sa y S: "Having carefully considered the advantages of the Enfield 

 and Lancaster systems, ai applied to rifles of large calibers and adapted 

 to the same ammunition, the committee came to the conclusion that the 

 Lancaster system has the advantage as regards precision and non-ten- 

 dency to accumulate fouling, also in simplicity of management^ (a 

 smooth-bore being more easily cleaned than a grooved one), initial 

 velocity, and flat trajectory. As it relates to rapidity of fire and cost 

 of manufacture, the two rifles are about equal." 



Experiments were also made with smaller bore rifles, the caliber of 

 which was .45 of an inch ; the barrels heavier, but stocks lighter than 

 the Enfield service rifles. Four rifles of this caliber were tested, viz., 

 , Whit worth's, with a hexagonal bore and rapid regular twist; Lancas- 

 ter's, with a smooth elliptical bore and an increasing twist ; Westley 

 Richard's breech-loader, with a Whitworth barrel ; and an Enfield rifle 

 of five grooves and regular twist of one turn in forty-three inches. No 

 less than 1,000 rounds were fired from each rifle without cleaning. 

 After the seventh round it became difficult to load the Enfield, and be- 

 fore the conclusion the bullet had to be driven down with a mallet. 

 The Lancaster did not foul so much, still the mallet had to be used oc- 

 casionally, but from first to last the Whitworth was loaded with perfect 

 freedom. As it regards precision, the smaller bore rifles surpassed the 

 larger bores which were first tried, at all ranges exceeding six hun- 

 dred yards. The convenience in charging the breech-loader was con- 

 siderable, and this advantage was fully appreciated. 



As the result of these experiments, the Ordnance Committee's 

 report states that the introduction into the army of a weapon of greater 

 precision at long ranges would materially increase the efficiency of in- 

 fantry, and this advantage would be secured in substituting a smaller 

 bore of rifle for the Eufield service rifle of large bore now in use. But 

 as the smaller bore rifles wear out faster than those of larger caliber, 

 their partial introduction into the army only is recommended for the 

 present. The Whitworth rifle is admitted to have surpassed all the 

 others for accuracy at long ranges ; but as it requires very peculiar 

 long cartridges, it was thought these would be inconvenient for army 

 purposes. The breech-loaders of Westley Richards were recommended 

 for the cavalry the only apparent obstacle to their introduction for 

 infantry is their great cost --the price being about fifty dollars each. 

 The Lancaster system of rifling the barrels is recommended strongly 

 by the Ordnance Committee to supersede the present method of -rifling 

 the Enfields, which latter has been copied from the American (Spring- 

 field) rifles. Scientific American. 



Extraordinary Range of Artillery. During the siege of Charleston, 

 S. C., carried on during the past year by the United States forces un- 

 der Gen. Q. A. Gilmore, some results have been attained to in artille- 

 ry practice which are without parallel in the history of warfare. Fort 

 Sumter, a modern-built, casemated fort, of the best brick masonry, 

 with walls from six to nine feet in thickness, has been battered into an 

 irregular heap of ruins and completely destroyed by artillery placed 

 without elevation on Morris Island, at a distance of 3,500 yards. From 



