THE EOYAL AETILLEEY INSTITUTION. 
255 
a dry one.” Up to the 30th round, the gun worked easily through an arc 
of 4°; at the 40th round, the elevating arrangement worked slightly stiff. 
At the 51st round, the front hand wheel, on the right-hand side, broke off— 
all the others were cracked; at the 54th round, the left front wheel broke, 
the gun continued to work easily through an arc of 4° to the 70th round, 
when worked a little stiffly; at the 95th round, the gun ran down through 
an arc of 3°. The detachment can work the wheels while the gun is being 
loaded. Two wheels work almost “as easily as four. The process of 
depressing is somewhat tedious. At high angles of elevation the cheeks of 
the carriage interfere with the lanyard.” 
The Committee referred this report to me, and enquired how I proposed 
to remedy the defects therein set forth. I informed them in reply, that I 
was present at the trial, and that I observed two radical defects in the 
application of the power.—1st. The hand-wheels were too small, and should 
not have been of cast-iron; I propose to supply their place with wrouglit- 
iron winch handles. 2nd. The driving shafts are not directly connected, 
so that one can be worked slightly faster than the other, and so cause 
occasional stiffness. I propose to remedy this defect by connecting the 
present shafts by a cross shaft, and bevel wheel as here shown. The Com¬ 
mittee assented to my proposals, and the carriage was altered accordingly, 
and again sent to Shoeburyness to be fired 100 rounds, under the same 
condition as before. Tor an account of this trial, I will again quote from 
the official Eeport:— 
“ Eecoil with 10° elevation 2 ft. 6 in. 
“ Ditto 5° depression 4 ft. 3 in. 
“ The gun throughout the experiment was worked easily through an arc 
of 4° after every 10 rounds. 
“ The gun detachment consisted of one non-commissioned officer and eight 
gunners. 
“The carriage, as altered, since last trial is greatly improved; fewer 
men can work it, and with greater ease. No difficulty of any kind was 
experienced, and no signs of weakness appeared anywhere. The compressors 
for jamming the toothed arcs acted perfectly. 
“ To alter the angle from 10° elevation to 5° depression, occupied the gun 
detachment 1| minutes.” 
After this severe trial the Ordnance Select Committee had the gun and 
carriage returned to Woolwich Arsenal, where it now is, and in quite as 
good condition as when first sent to Shoeburyness; and I shall have great 
pleasure in showing the carriage to any Officer of either service who may 
wish to see it. This success of my first attempt at making a muzzle-pivoting 
carriage, emboldened me to lay before the Ordnance Select Committee a 
plan for mounting a 12-ton gun (without taking off the trunnions, or 
mutilating the gun in any way) on a wrought-iron muzzle-pivoting carriage, 
suitable for working in a cupola. The Committee approved of my design, 
and recommended the construction of two such carriages, for trial on board 
such, of H.M. ships as the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty might 
appoint. After some correspondence the Admiralty consented to a trial of 
one on board H.M. turret ship “ Prince Albert,” now fitting at Woolwich 
[vol. v.] 34 
