177 
RECENT EXPERIMENTS REGARDING THE BURSTING 
OF HEAVY GUNS. 
A Lecture delivered at the M.A. Institution, on 18th March, 1880, 
BY 
CAPTAIN C. ORDE BROWNE, 
Late Royal Artillery. 
My aim this afternoon is to sketch briefly the general features of 
the subjects specified in the title of this paper. The experiments 
referred to were of a public character, and through the kindness of 
the heads of departments, General Gordon, and Sir W. Palliser, I 
have had every opportunity of obtaining information. 
The subjects to be thus noticed are— 
1. The “ Thunderer” gnu accident. 
2. The “ Thunderer 99 gun experiment. 
3. The Palliser gun experiment. 
4. The Krupp gun accident. 
5. The Armstrong 100-ton gun accident. 
As the “ Thunderer 99 gun experiment was intended to be a repro¬ 
duction of the accident to its turret companion, a few words must be 
devoted to the accident before the experiment is spoken of. 
1. “ Thunderer ” Gun Accident. 
The accident was briefly as follows :— 
On January 2nd, 1879, the “ Thunderer 99 was engaged in target 
practice. An electric broadside had just been fired, when the two 
38-ton guns in the fore turret had been loaded with 110-lb. charges of 
P. powder and Palliser projectiles weighing 688 lbs. They were now 
loaded with 85 lbs. of P. powder, and common shells of 575 lbs. The 
order was then given to fire the guns independently, “ turret on the 
move.” The right gun of the fore turret fired at the target at 
1000 yds. Two or three minutes afterwards the left gun was fired at 
the same range, when it burst explosively, destroying the top of the 
turret; the gas also rushed into the shell-room and engine-room, 
knocking down the stokers and extinguishing all lights; bulkheads 
were destroyed, and the deck damaged. Out of 10 men in the turret, 
8 were instantly killed, 1 died after 2 days, and 1, though severely 
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