310 Mr. F. J. Bramwell [Feb. 27, 



fore turret guns rendered it practically impossible to load them by 

 hand from within the turret, and thereupon it became necessary to 

 resort to some other means. The plan adopted was that of depressing 

 the muzzle of the gun (when run in) to an angle of about 11J°, and 

 this enabled the muzzle to be presented to a tubular opening, or 

 loading tube, which when the gun was in this position formed a con- 

 tinuation of the bore. This opening was made through the wall of 

 the turret, below the level of the firing port, and so low down as to be 

 between the main deck and the battery deck. 



When the gun was thus depressed, the cartridge was lifted up and 

 inserted into the loading tube, the projectile was placed on a carriage, 

 which was raised by hydraulic pressure to the line of the loading 

 tube, and then a telescopic hydraulic rammer, which had been pre- 

 viously used as a sponger-out, was caused to move outwards against the 

 projectile to drive it off the carriage, and to send it and the cartridge 

 up the bore of the gun. The projectile was prevented from running 

 down the gun, in case of the ship rolling, by means of a papier- 

 mache disc wad placed upon the rammer head, and sent up the gun with 

 it. Hydraulic apparatus was also used for running the gun out, and 

 for running it in, when, as at drill, there was no recoil, and, to supple- 

 ment the running in, due to the recoil, when the gun was fired. This 

 same hydraulic arrangement served also to absorb any excess of recoil. 



Prior to the meeting of the Committee at Malta, and not only 

 subsequent to the Report of the Committee, but up to within the last 

 few weeks, many persons believed that the explosion of the gun was 

 due to an air space being left between the cartridge and the shot, or to 

 one between the shot and the wad ; and it was suggested, so far as 

 regards the air space between the cartridge and the shot, that it might 

 have been caused by the wad failing to act efficiently, and by the shot 

 slipping down the inclined bore of the gun towards the muzzle. 

 Such a supposition those who had the advantage, as I had, of investi- 

 gating into the matter, knew to be without foundation, our experiments 

 having conclusively proved that the inclination at which the gun lay 

 was just that of the angle of repose of the shot, and that practically the 

 shot had no tendency, or but the slightest tendency, to move down- 

 wards. This was shown by the fact that the upward pressure of 

 the testing apparatus we employed, even when unweighted and when 

 exerting a pressure not exceeding 8 lbs., was more than sufficient in 

 all cases to retain the shot in its place, while the friction of the wad 

 not only amounted to this 8 lbs., but far exceeded it, indeed it was such 

 as to need the exercise of the pressure given by the hydraulic rammer 

 to readily send the wad in. With respect to the other suggestion, that 

 an air space existed between the projectile and the wad, there was con- 

 clusive evidence to show that no such space could have existed at the 

 time of the explosion, because it was demonstrated, beyond the possi- 

 bility of doubt, that after the wad socket, by which alone the rammer 

 could withdraw the wad, had become detached from the wad disc, there 

 were repeated rammings which had sent the disc home against the shot. 



