380 Mr. Mallet on the Physical Conditions 



meeting led them to tlie conclusion, that a complete and satisfactory examination of the 



causes of the explosion would render it necessary to institute a judicial procedure in refe- 

 rence to the method of proving and firing the gun, requiring a power not possessed by a 

 Committee of the Franklin Institute. This difficulty being presented to the applicants, the 

 Committee were subsequently requested to ' investigate the material and workmanship of 

 tlie gun,' and they have consequently limited their inquiry to this part of their original 

 instructions. 



" In the first place, the Actuary of the Institute was directed to address a series of ques- 

 tions, furnished by the Committee, to Messrs. Ward and Co., the manufacturers of the gun; 

 and one of the Committee was requested to make such drawings and measurements as would 

 facilitate the investigation; to anotlier member of the, Committee was intrusted the duty of 

 causing to be cut from the gun a number of pieces of iron, in the form of bars, by means of 

 a planing machine or other instrument, so as not to change the texture of the metal, and 

 which might serve as specimens for testing the quality of the material. The largest of 

 these bars was afterwards given in charge to a member of the Committee, visiting Boston, 

 to be tested by an apparatus for breaking iron in that city ; and the other bars were placed 

 in the hands of the other members of the Committee, to be experimented on, in Philadel- 

 phia, by the breaking apparatus belonging to the Franklin Institute. 



" These duties, assigned to the several members, have been faithfully executed, so far as 

 time and opportunity would permit. 



" I. — Inspection of the Gun* — The Committee found the gun broken across, within the 

 trunnion bands ; the front part remaining entire, and still, at the time of inspection, in its 

 original connexion with the carriage. The breech part had evidently split into three large, 

 unequal, and irregular pieces; two of these, according to testimony, passed overboard, and 

 have not since been found; the other piece fell on the deck, at the distance of about 30 feet 

 from the carriage. The appearance of the cross fracture atthe trunnion bands is shown inFig. 3, 

 and in this the relative size of the faces of the fractures, left by the three segments blown off, 

 exhibited. The only remaining fragment of the breech part of the gun, that which fell on 

 the deck, is shown in Fig. 1. It is 5 feet long, and at the larger end embraces little more 



* The precise dimensions of the " Princeton's" gun are not given. It was replaced by a wrought-iron gun, forged by 

 iMessrs. Horsfall, of Liverpool (Mersey Steel Compciny), which had the following dimensions, .ind which are probably much 

 the same as those of the original gun : — 



Caliber, 12 inches. 



Length of chase 11 feet. 



Thickness at place of charge, .... 7| inches. 



Weight of shot, 210 lbs. 



This gun was proved at Liverpool, with 44 lbs. of powder, and two shot of the above weight, and remained uninjured. 



