Daily national Republican., 1863-02-27
Fw" 1870 a &. W. T E Fss.s Sss. H.A'n
THEY DO NOT REsEsrBtE EACH oTHEF !

THEY DO NOT REsESBLE EACH oTHER
"Mlatakes win happen IN tho bot q fanal-
lies, . bot how two such articles ns We quote
below shonld appear Is lesdcd editorials In tho
same paper, on different days, both Purporting
10 be commentaries on the same rqDort, is one
81 those occurrences that cannot DO. called q
mistake. Tho one pubiiAhed Dec. 5, 1883, reads
very much as though 1t was written by the edi-
tor, and seems 10 be an honest expression OF
opinion. The other roads very like produc-
ton that had been " handed in" written by an
outuidsr, a man who either wants the place
now so ably filled by Capt. Dahlgrcn, or has a
0ul to SEA, which, perhaps, the amiable captain
has on some occasion reported against. We
don't kAow anything about the matter, Of course
not, but these thoughts naturally occur TO us in
reading the two articles. They are certainly
very remarkable and are as follows:
PICTURE NO. i.
From the N. " Tribune, OF Dec. ID, 1852.
The Report from the Ordnance Bureau Of the
Navy Department, which we publish this morn
ing, is document Of great interest as well as
importance. Presented in a style unusually d.
rect and forcible for such papers, FREQ from YER
biage, and combining itself to clear statement
Of the facts which Il wished TO set forth, II will
prove as attractive TO the general reader as to
the professional man, while each will gain from
II an accurate knowledgeof the subject Of which
Il treats. Il will attract no less attention
abroad than at homo, as It seems TO be an al
most exhaustive history Of the present condi-
ton Of naval defences and Of offensive naval
power. On this subject, Of so much importance
to every maritime nation on theglobe, the events
Of the last two years have put the United States
in the attitude Of teacher. The practical sug'
gestions Of the Report In regard 10 the exposed
condition Of our seaports will command the
attention Of Congress and the country. Though
this condition was already known and has been
the cause Of great deal Of public anxiety, this
clear statement from such authority will, 1t Il
10 be hoped, insure etheremedlal measures which
are so imperatlyely called for.
PICTURE NO. II.
From the N. Y. Tribune Of Feb. ~, 1850.
Our ordnance officers very properly com.
mence their reports with o general confession
Of ignorance, they occupy page after page
with information Of what has not been done,
giving copious details Of costly experiments
which have failed, and sum up the total results
| Of their experience in a confession Of partiCu
lar ignorance. Such is the character Of the
report Of the Navy Department rendered by
| Captain Dahlgren, Chief Of the Ordnance Blu
| reAu, at the close Of last year. II may be di
| yidel into two heads, namely advice 10 thu
Department to do certain things, and alaboreC
endeavoT TO provo that II Is almost impossible
to do them; and In this respect 1t ls the coun
terpart Of RodmAn's work on Ordnance, one o
the most important chapters Of which Is head
cd What We Do Not Know" As a kRowl
edge Of our own ignorance is the beginning o
wisdom, this should have been the first chapte
Of the work.
Captain Dahlgren's report sets forth som,
curious facts. II states that the Monitor wal
armed with 11-inch guns, and that In It's actor
| with the MerTimac shot were used with al
initial velocity of ,120 feet per second;" bu
that, since that time, the same class Of gul
has been ascertained to be capable Of throwing
solid shot Of l69 lbs, with charge Of 80 lbs
of powder, giving an initial velocity of l, 40
feet per second" By this we understand tina
the capacity OF the 11-inch gun has only jus
been discovered, notwithstanding the vas
amounts of money, gunpowder, and gun-meta
expended in experiments and trials, but whic
might have been expended to greater advantag,
A similar discovery has been made with regar
10 the 9-inch gun; but 1t would seem that W
owe these (asserted) discoveries more to acc
dent than to the intelligent purpose of ou
} ordnance officers.
To what end, then, we would ask, has Cap
a " uBNOlou lodIh W lllbIdlll paving tue Edblbi
Bank Of the Potomac with Thousands of tuns
iron shot and shell in his trials and exper
D mentsl What arc the results Of his experience
Thousands Of guns burst; millions OF none
uselessly expended; and our large guns, up /
this time, failure! The Navy Ordnance OF
GERS burst the Army guns; the Army Ordnanc
officers burst the Navy guns; and the struggl
seems TO be which shall decTy the other th
loudest; but out Of this struggle comes n
trustworthy gun-out of official ncapacit
comes no light upon the subject. If the Chic
} of the Ordnance Bureau was ignorant of tn
(now stately power of the guns by himself IL
vented, tested, of course approved, and no.
through his position forced upon the Govern
I ment, what have we to expect from the DepaT
= menti We know the inviolability which SUI
rounds the Bureaus; we know that they are 81
cred from outside intrusion; that talent ente
prise and genius would feel strange If the
should surreptltiously get in there. lthe onl
r possible way to do so)i but we bd1eve that Il
eIigencies Of the country demand that routin
, for once, should be set aside, and that ligl
from the outside should be let into the ment
/ darkness which misgoyerns and misappropr
ates the ample means placed at the commar
of those incapable Of using them to the adya
tage Of the country.
Upon which of the above editorials does Il
Tribune take Its stand in judging Of the meri
D Of Captain DAhlgren's reporti
8 PERSONAL, &C.