| Show aff r 1 i nr a s y B 0 I 1 H result declared to be des victory for construction old point comfort va may 27 the biggest naval gun the heaviest projectile and ho highest explosive known combined with close range aad deadly aim were today allowed to work their full havoc on the turret of alie monitor florida the result is declared to bo a victory tor turret construction and this not with standing the eleven inch hardened steel plate was blackened broken the seams of the turret sprung ana the rivets and screws loosened and it was not five minutes after the terrible impact that the finely balanced of abo turret was bang worked with perfect ease and the twelve inch gun bp the loft bide vias trained at will inide the turret acre stand the gunners and gun crew the havoc afta much leaa ap parent than from the outside exam jn atlon showed that 0 the many dell cately adjusted instruments for fire control sighting and operating the turret few if any were out of work gnp order if this had happened in battle the florida would be fighting yet said ano of the rear admirals with enthusiasm ihen followed an attempt to the newly designed bovo alre fighting maat on tho stern of th florida after five shots of the guns haj gone through it tho mast stood firm forty shots would not bring it down and no enemy would waste ammunition and time shooting aalt was the expert comment it was predicted that all new ships will be equipped with battle masts of this description the scene of the demonstration was hampton roads the florida which had been in tho hands of exports for gome time lay with steam up her jnoes pointing out through tho virginia capes near thimble shoal light and about four allos from old point comfort just yards on the inside of the florida lay her sister ship the ar kanaan this Is such a test ne never occur in actual rs a rear admiral as the big party of boarded the arkansas the aim will be perfect the distance is go cloae that the impact will be at its full velocity anif the part of the florida to be hit ip weak cat A strip of canvas was stretched h tween two staffs on the turret 0 alie florida tho arkansas fired a 12 inch projectile at the canvas to get the range there was a crash a the monitor kicked back into the water and sprang up again and target came into alow it had a hole its lower half then the turret of the florida was sprung around BO that her genri and those of the arkansas looked squarely at each other at 10 42 the bis nolde came two crashes so close tog othor that they bounded like one the 12 inch projectile hotd hit its target it was a crash a flash and a cloud of yellow smoke quietly drifting away over tho top of the florida what was left a big black wound just to right of the right gun there was what looked like a hole the went to the florida but bogoro they got there her crew of twenty or thirty jacklean jac klea from the receiving franklin officered by commander john G quamby commanding lieu tenant J K and a gunner had como up from the hold and were looking over the damage aho plato bad been broken through from the gun port to the edge juat above and juat below where tho shell struck tho broken piece had boon driven into the turret several inches but not the of tho plate so that no hole was actually mada entered tho turret at once and ltd mechanism was operated tho turret being swung completely around each way and alio left hand su trained but tho turret bore evidences of a fight tho paint along tho beama had disappeared many of the beams were sprung bolts were loosened and silvers of the plate lay around A board dummy on the aneldo intact and the opinion of waa that even with the terrific impact tho iu abo turret would not hove bom in erred the in tho turret bore no outward evi donca of camago and the belief was expressed that a test would find it in working order attention wag next turned to cyst ing abo fighting mast the farat shot at that structure was alred from one of alie four inch guns of the arkansas and besides piercing an iron plato target at ita baab it cut ono 0 tho supporting pipes and injured others abo second shot was from the earna gun and cut two tubes a little higher up and on the bolher aldo of tho mast the third ahot and then abo order was given to fire a four inch explosive shell high up near the fop of the mast this shook the structure bild tore asunder a number of ahn aubee but tho mast warned an as over tho fifth and last shell was a solid shot from the big 12 inch gun aimed so as to hit the mast on ita outer rim on the side leaning toward tho water the structure having purposely been tilted at an angle ot ten degrees to acko it easier to fall this terranc ahot tore holes through many of the supporting bubos tubos but tho maat still stood farm the advantage of ue mast is d alured to have been fully remonstrated its points are that it la practically indestructible with shot or shell and has the still further advantage of weighing leab than half that of tho olit type solid mast now an use iho florida wag taken to norfolk navy yard to be fitted a specially baht bulkhead into which a white beail torpedo Is to bo fired within ten days to demonstrate whether bulka heads of thlu type may not be ably used to protect the hull of ship |
