208 
MINUTES OF PROCEEBINGS OF 
viz. only 2,149,882 foot lbs., a much larger amount of damage was caused to the 
plate, viz. a penetration of 4J".” 
The quality of the material of this shot (No 562) is thus recorded; 
“ The steel shot used in the 8th round was of great toughness and strength ; it 
suffered but little from the blow, and nearly the whole work was expended on the 
plate, as was evident from the great damage.done/* 
This shot was only “set up" T2" in a length of 1T7". 
In November, 1863, experiments were made to test projectiles of cast-iron, 
wrought-iron, and various descriptions of steel. Tor this purpose one 12-pr. 
Armstrong B. L. rifled gun, and one Whitworth 12-pr. B. L. rifled gun, was 
used and the shot were fired at Z\ f/ unbacked plates, at 200 yds. range; the 
general result obtained was as follows:— 
Whitworth shot.—Six flat-headed homogeneous metal shot were fired ; all 
penetrated the plate; five were broken, and the sixth was shortened 0‘6". 
Armstrong shot.—Twelve steel shot manufactured at Elswick were fired, 
viz. six round-headed and six flat-headed; ten of this number were fired at 
a plate, and all penetrated without breaking up, the average shortening 
was 0-39'' flat-ended and 0T4" round-ended. Two of the round-ended shot 
were fired at a 3I" unbacked plate; only one struck, and made an indent of 
2 , 75' / ; the shot rebounded 17 yds. and was shortened 0-86". The report 
adds : 
“ The metal of this shot must be of excellent quality to have resisted the blow 
without breaking up.” 
Bessemer's.*—Two steel shot of this nature were fired. They were not 
sufficiently hard for penetration. 
Cast-steel.—Three cast steel shot, made at the Tow Law Iron Works, 
penetrated, and were only shortened about 1". The report states: 
“ They proved to be next best in quality to the Armstrong shot. Considering 
that these shot were unforged castings, and consequently can be produced at far less 
cost than when steel is cast and then forged, the Committee consider that further 
experiments should be made with metal of this description.” 
In this experiment a Whitworth B. L. rifled gun was used, which being 
longer than the Armstrong service B. L. rifled gun gave an excess of velocity 
to the Whitworth shot, viz :— 
Whitworth. 1274'. 
. , fT.H. 1116-7 
Armstrong | R H lm 
Under these circumstances it was thought desirable to ascertain whether 
the breaking up of the Whitworth shot was due to this high velocity, as had 
already proved to be the case with cast-iron shot.f 
Tor this purpose a Whitworth muzzle-loading rifled gun was used, from 
which a velocity on impact of 1120' was obtained. The report states :— 
“The trial of a 12-pr. Whitworth homogeneous metal shot at a 21" unbacked 
plate, at 200 yds. range, with a velocity on impact of 1120' per second, resulted in 
* A description of Bessemer’s process of making steel will be found in Yol. I. of “ Occasional 
Papers,” p. 323, in a paper written by Col. Eardley-Wilmot, R.A. 
I Vide page 199. 
