MINUTES OF FUOCEEDINGS OF 
£02 
The gun he employed threw a spherical shot of 1*044 lbs., with a charge 
'°f i ib. 
The cartridge was ignited in three different positions; vi^. in front, in the 
centre, and in rear, and the velocities were :— 
In front .. .. £020 feet. 
In centre . 2124 „ 
In rear . 2036 „ 
Thus igniting the cartridge in the centre was attended with an increase of 
velocity of about 100 feet. 
Hutton's experiments, however, in this direction were but few, carried on 
with very small guns, and were evidently so contradictory that in spite of the 
above results he remarks:— 
"It appears that there is no difference caused in the velocity or range by 
varying the weight of the gun, nor by the use of wads, nor by different 
degrees of ramming, nor by firing the charge of powder in different parts 
of it."* It is impossible to account for this opinion. 
10. A few experiments on this subject were made by the late Captain 
Lyons, E.A., Inspector of Artillery, in connexion with the proof of 
ordnance. 
The first of these took place at the proof of the first 10•5-inch wrought- 
iron gun constructed by Sir William Armstrong; the details of this experi¬ 
ment are given in the Report of Ballistic Experiments (Noble), 1861-2^ 
p. 70, Section 15. 
Erom the results of this experiment Captain Lyons was induced to make 
further investigations at the proof butt, Woolwich, by firing cartridges in 
different positions and under various circumstances. 
The velocity of the projectile was not observed during these experiments, 
which were carried out in connexion with the proof of vent pieces in Arm¬ 
strong 7-in. breech-loading guns. Captain Lyons states that his object in 
igniting the charge in the centre was to diminish the length through which 
the gas first formed would have to travel before it met the shot, and thus 
equalize the strain over the powder chamber. 
His idea was, that by igniting the cartridge at the rear the strain on the 
vent piece was not commensurate with the strain on the gun, or with the 
amount of the charge employed.*! 
Thus in proving vent pieces, the strain which ought to have been borne 
by the vent piece was really borne by the gun, which showed it by indenta¬ 
tions in the shot chamber. 
In order to test these suppositions, a round was fired by igniting the 
cartridge at one third of its length from breech piece. 
The effect of this round was to break the vent piece into five pieces, and 
partly melt the copper cup used at proof. 
* Tract 34, Section 122, p. 79, Vol. III. 
f Captain Lyons’s report to Ordnance Select Committee, 13/5/62, Minute 6584. 
