THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
255 
1. As regards security from bursting. —Bronze (unalloyed) will not 
burst, and it has been stated in a lecture in this Institution * that “ no 
known metal, or combination of metals, gives such absolute security 
from bursting as bronze.” That “an individual steel gun, with or 
without wrought-iron coils , may be stronger perhaps than an individual 
bronze gun of the same size; but take 1000 bronze guns, and you may 
be perfectly certain that not one will burst. It remains to be seen if 
the same is the case with steel guns, with or without wrought-iron coils” 
I beg leave to take exception to this statement, and more particularly 
that part of it which includes steel tubes covered with iron coils, and 
steel guns without iron coils, in one sweeping condemnation; for it 
cannot but be a condemnation of a gun to say that it is liable to burst 
on service. 
As I have already stated, steel by itself is untrustworthy, we have 
ample evidence ‘of the fact; but as regards wrought-iron coils the case 
is very different, and I maintain that, with the evidence of the last 
twelve years before us, there is not the shadow of reason for the 
slightest mistrust, either of guns built up entirely of iron coils, or of 
those constructed of this material over a lining of steel. 
I am not now speaking of our heavy guns which are (as is well 
known) built up upon the last-mentioned method, and the wonderful 
endurance of which under enormous strains has gained them a world¬ 
wide celebrity. (See Table I.) ' But I am referring solely to guns of 
Table I. 
Table of Endurance of Heavy Muzzle-Loading Rifled Guns . 
12-inch 25 tons j 
» 1 
gun 
fired 
262 
rounds. 
9-inch 
1 
(1 
gun 
fired 
500 rounds. 
Li 
n 
rr 
200 
ff 
12 tons •< 
1 
// 
ii 
402 
II 
11 « 25 „ 
l 
it 
, ii ' 
119 
„ 
1 
u 
n 
„ 
307 
II 
10 „ 18 ,, ■ 
j i 
n 
n 
n 
n 
514 
163 
ff 
a „ 
9 « • 
fi 
u 
ii 
II 
II 
433 
408 
II 
II 
ri 
it 
n 
1107 
ff 
f 1 
ii 
II 
1729 
II 
1 1 
„ 
1070 
„ 
1 
ii 
II 
1061 
II 
i 
it 
it 
1049 
„ 
1 
ii 
II 
1009 
II 
9 « 12 „ •< 
i 
ff 
„ 
945 
ff 
7 /, 
6 f 5 n < 
1 
„ 
„ 
986 
II 
i 
w 
600 
ff 
1 
ii 
II 
908 
It 
i 
ti 
ff 
500 
,, 
1 
ii 
II 
637 
II 
U 
it 
ff 
500 
ff 
i 
Li 
n 
II 
636 
II 
comparatively small calibre such as are used for field and siege purposes, 
and of which we have, during the last twelve years, introduced into 
the service nearly 4000; and I confidently affirm that it does not remain 
to be proved that guns built up on this system afford “ absolute security 
from bursting as it has been amply proved already. This confidence is 
founded on th q fact that no single instance can be referred to in which 
one of these guns has burst with fair usage, while numbers of them 
have fired thousands of rounds, and some are still, as far as the body of 
the gun is concerned, in a serviceable, or at worst, repairable condition, 
as the guns have not burst, but only the tube or some portion of them 
failed. 
* “Proceedings R.A. Institution,” Vol. VI., p. 482. 
34 
