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Show 00 11 a HL. n IU. I B U V UL. Proves to be Effective At a ange of 8,000 Yards Washington, Fob. 14. In the light of fuller reports on the test In tho lower Potomnc, Friday, when 12-Inch shells fired by tho Monitor Tallahassee Tallahas-see penetrated armor plate targets erected on the Ram Katahdin, at a-dls-tance of 8,000 yards, naval ordnance exports have reiterated their contention conten-tion that service projectiles retain their effectiveness at lontr ranee bat tles. Only limited information hitherto hith-erto has been availablo In connection with an attack on armor under conditions condi-tions approximating those of actual battle. The exporimont is accepted by the naval officers as confirmation of tho theoretical deductions which previously previous-ly hae been relied on In regard to the flight of projectiles and tho naturo of the impact at long ranges. Tho first shell which struck the tar-got, tar-got, according to the more complete reports, penetrated tho armor plate, but the shell was broken to pieces. The second projectile struck the top of tho forward target, dug out a piece of steel measuring 3 1-2 foot by G feet, glanced off and was lost Tho third and fourth shots completely penetrated pen-etrated the two targets The experiment will be supplemented supplement-ed by tests on the old battleship Texas Tex-as during tho target practice, when projectiles londed with explosives will be fired. The firing against the Katahdin tar-gels tar-gels was with guns of comparatively low power, the velocity of projectiles being only 2,400 feet per second, as against 2,850 given by the 12-Inch gunB of tho modern battleships The penetration pene-tration given by these higher guns at 8,000 yards range Is declared by naval ordnance oxparts to be nearly 30 per cent greater than that of the guns of the Tallahassee. |