THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
171 
iihitwortli Projectiles fired from a 12-pr.,> a 70-pr., and a 120-pr. gun; 
iiade to explode after penetrating Iron Plates. 
Remarks. 
One round was fired with, solid cast-iron, shot to obtain the range, and the shot and shell used in the experiment 
i were made of homogeneous metal, hardened and tempered. The firing (with solid shot) was at a 2”5" plate, 
without backing, secured to a wooden frame; and with the shell at a 2" plate backed by 12" of wood; 
the dimensions of the plates were 4' 3" x3'x 2*5", and 5' 6" x 2' 6" x 2". No fuze was used with the shell. 
Passed through the plate and fell 20 yds. to the rear. A clean hole in front 3-2" x 3*1", and at the back the 
diameter of the hole was 6-5" x 6", the plate being broken for about 1" round the edge of the hole, and 
piped out about T5" in the centre. The shot set up *5 // . 
Passed through the plate and backing, making a clean hole in the plate of 3‘1" x 3" diameter. There was, 
however, no trace of the shell having burst. 
Passed through the plate and backing, making a clean hole 3-4" x 3*1", and shell burst after passing through 
the backing. 
This gun was fired at a box-target made of 4" wood, with a 4" armour-plate (made at the Thames Iron 
works) in front backed by 9" of wood, and a 2" armour-plate in the rear (made at Portsmouth Dockyard) 
as a guard plate, the interior space of the box being 36" x 40". One round with solid cast-iron shot was 
fired in order to get the range; it passed through a thin wooden target, and struck a damaged 5*5" plate 
(one belonging to the “ Minotaur ” target) and broke it in two. The first shell fired penetrated into the 
box-target, making a hole in the 4" armour-plate 5-6" x 5-4", and exploded on the rear plate, blowing out 
the sides of the box, and forcing the front and rear plates outwards. The rear plate was deeply indented 
(viz. 2-6") but not penetrated. The shell broke into large pieces. 
September 25th. 
Trial shots for range fired at a wooden target 9'x 9', indicating great precision in No. 2 and 3 shots striking 
within a short distance of each other. 
. Fired at the “Warrior” target; struck the centre plate 2-5' from the left and 1'5' from the top, made a clean 
hole in the plate 8" x 8-5", the edge of the hole being 1' 8" from the one made by the first shot from the 
Horsfall gun; a narrow crack from one hole to the other; the shot remained in the hole, having struck on 
1 a rib, the depth of the hole to the bottom of the shot being 13-5"; no bulge on the plate; one bolt in the 
centre plate started *4", and two bolts started in the upper plate. The centre plate had started out -3" at 
the top, and -1" at the bottom on the left side. At the back, one rib which had been cracked by a shot 
from the Horsfall gun was broken through, bulged out, and a length of 1' 6" of it nearly detached; the 
wood backing splintered and broken; the skin opened about 1-5" at the joint, and some additional bolt- 
heads broken off. 
I. Struck the centre plate 1'from the bottom and 1'4'5" from the right side; penetrated the target, making 
a hole 8-5" x 7-5" in the plate, and burst in passing through the backing; two cracks on the plate, viz., one 
[ from the bottom of the hole to the bottom of the plate, and the other from a bolt-hole (1' from impact) to 
the bottom of the plate; two bolts in the centre plate started -5", and one in the lower plate -2". At the 
back the diameter of the hole was 13", and portions of the shell, and the piece of iron punched out of the 
n plate, were picked up inside the target; some old oakum on the ground was on fire; three bolt-heads 
and one rivet-head broken off just above the hole ; the skin not injured except where penetrated; the outer 
rib was broken through for a length of 4*5 // . The timber backing much shattered^ and driven out at the 
side 7". The shell burst into about fourteen pieces. 
