The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-07-24
THE SPRINGFIELD ARMORY.

| What 10 IL Now DOfng-Ret tire nc h rne mt
or Expenses the Order OF the Day-An
About Breech Loading Arms and Their
| Utility, &c.
OUR SPRINGFIELD CORRESPONDENTS.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, July Is, 1895
Retrenchment Of expenses the order Of the day at
the national gun factory in this city the is
ended Up TO the close Of the rebellion the capacity Of
the workshops upon the hin was taxed the utmost to
accommodate workmen engaged in the manufacture for
immediate use, OF that world renowned soldiers friend
| the Springfield musket For than two years pre-
| vious to the fall Of Richmond the pay rolls at the
armory embraced the of three thousand men, to
whom one hundred aud eighty thousand dollars were
paid monthly-an average of sixty dollars per man.
With this labor expense one thousand guns turned
out daily, and still the demand than equaed the
| supply Private enterprise stepped in TO supply
the deficiency, and instances of large profits
accruing from the necessities OF the government
fresh in my memory It will be borne In mind that
since the destruction of the Harpers Ferry Armory tho
Springfield establishment has been the only government
institution Of its kind in the country Enlargement of
its manufacturing capacity contemplated believe,
when the close the atened the market for guns
Upwards of thousand workmen have been discharged
from these works since them and more guns OF the
old pattern to be made. Pay roll expenses alone
have reduced to about sixty thousand dollars por
month. The workmen to be employed in finishing
the parts of muskets already in the works when peace
came, and in repairing damaged guns which coming
from Southern battle fields in large numbers Two hun
dred and fifty thousand stand Of stored in the
Arsenal fifty thousand stand have just been sent to the
Columbus lOho) Arsenal and others will be sent to the
different loyal States as acquisitions made, and store
room provided for the arms So far Springfield
kets concerned Uncle Sam in healthy condition
| for another war;
BREEcH- LOADING ARMS
in tha tofy dan nd0 he euba
ti0n Of breechl0adng arms and metallic cartridge for
the comparatively unweldy muzzlc leaders heretofore
generally used by infantry soldiers Three four years.
experience with the Spencer and Sharp rifles have
WINGED practical soldiers that rapdty well accuracy
In firing necessary to work the right kind OF dsmay in
| the ranks OF enemy 1t has taught them that q
slight reduction in the weight and bulk OF sixty rounds
desirable in the comfortable accomplishment OF long
| march. The Of breech loading offers
both these ADVANTAGES and .ong before the war
| Since General A. B. Dyer has been at the
head Of the Ordnance Bureau the subject Of breech
loading guns has received thorough investigation and
the results will be made public have doubt
board Of officers, OF which Major T. g. Laidey Super
inendent of Springfield Armory is president has spent
several months experimenting with the different patterns
submitted to the bureau for examination. Sixty FIVE
patterns examined before the board temporarily
suspended its abors all but Of American invention
Some Of the patterns possessed merits Of simplicity and
chcapness in manufacture others Of solidty, rapidy
old muzzle loading musket in all desirable attributes
The Peabody. Chick Remington and Joslyn arms were
sent to Washington several weeks yet there s
prospect that the board will soon be obliged TO It's
)abors Inventors have sent in improvements and alter
ations, and large number Of new patterns have been
THE MASTER lRxoRxR's SCHEME
While ingenOrs men throughout the country have
been turning their attention exclsvely TO the produc-
ton OF acceptable breech-loader from the
rial Mr. Erskne S. Alin master armorer n Springfield
has been cogitatng and experimenting with : view Of
altering the Springfield musket to breech loader He has
succeeded in producing an excellent gun by removing
Inc toCA Tho
ket barrel and substituting cartridge chamber which
lifts in and out Of place by hinge motion The opera
tion Of loading the piece with metallic cartridge Is
rapidly and easily orncd after the DISCHARGE tie
shell Of the cartridge Is thrown by Of spring
liable to get Of order slight eongation tho
hammer Is the only alteration needed in thS Springfield
aecon ase mode. TSs ,n"ssnd
muskets will be altered to Mr. Aims pattern and placed
In the hands Of the troops for practical test There
be no donht Of s perfect success Mr. Alln deserves
great credit for originating scheme that will result in
such great saving TO the government To sum up the
achievements of inventors IN few wordsthr prospects
that soldiers of next will not be bothered
| with clumsy muzzle loading 'fonl-ing'' pieces.
| TUE WOODBRIDGE CANNON.
DR.. Woodbridge ingenious gentleman, Of Little
Falls, Herkmer county N. y, has invented q cannon
which destined to work wonderful revolution in 6cld
ordnance. DR. Woodbridge has taken a simple tube OF
bronze, common cannon metal having uniform
thickness Of half an inch with cabre Of two and one
half inches. This tube has been wound diagonay from
muzzle t. breoch and from breech muzze with stout
though flexible steel wire, until its thickness was
II
whole was then dipped into molten bronze
the interstices of the wire filled by the metal and
tube was then turned down and polished and the bore
rifed This completed the piece with the'exccption Of
| trunnions. The Doctor subsequently submitted his
| invention to the Ordnance Department for test
| when an appropriation was made TO that end. The
trial OF the piece made before Vice Admiral Dahl
believe; but that worthy old hero probably seeing
| no chance to stamp It. as "Dahlgren gun, rather
dashed the hopes of the inventor by pooling hs
ject The Doctor persevered ut the epar however
~ lace W. cd In
test and report trunn0n band Of wrought ron four
| inches broad and half an inch thick was shrunk and
screwed and the gun mounted for trial Major Laid
ley commenced the test than two weeks since and
the gun has been fred Under his direction thousand
three hundred and twenty seven times seven hundred
| times with charge Of one pound OF powder,
| and a and bali pound shot, the balance
with and half pound OF powder and ten pound
shot II has been found Impossible to burst it, owing
TO the ightness Of the gun and the weight OF the pr0ec
tile there is considerable reco On the thirteen hun
dred and twenty seventh round the runnion band
broken and the piece flew back couple Of rods through
the side Of wooden building; but there was appre-
ciabe enlargement Of the bore Major Idley proposes
to remount the gun and continue the up to fourteen
hundred rounds with increased charge II 10 does
burst and nobody expects il will, the piece will receive
his unqualified approval. Dr. woodbrdges gun weighs
ono hundred and thirty nine pounds; Parrot Rod
man field piece, throwing the same sized procctile ten
pounds, weighs hundred eight hundred pounds
DR.. Woodbridge thinks the principle may be applied 10
heavy ordnance as well as to Geld pieces
THE CoHMANDANr AT SPRINGFIELD
Major I. T. g. Laidcy, tho commandment ut Springfield
Armory has been In charge there since the promotion Of
General Dyer TO the head Of the Ordnance Bureau The
head Of the government works here Is necessarily
prominent citizen OF Springfield and am told that Ma
jor L. popularity all that his old friends in the.
vice could wish Major Laidcy will be remembered by
the people Of Fayetteville N. c. commandant the
Arsenal at Fayetteville before the have 70 thank
him for permissons and Mr.. l. C. Aln, foreman Of the
fling department, for explanations
SMITH And WAGONS.
These famous pistol manufacturers are running their
works 10 their full capacity One hundred pistols
turned out daily yet they cannot half supply the demand
for their favorite weapon They filing orders
Tor pistols received many weeks ago Judge pistol
making In profitable. Looking the income returns
to-day, noticed that each Of the propretors Of the ps
tol factory acknowledge returns up 10 $4,000
Duties OF Railroad Companies-Diseom.
fort OF Travellers--A Remedy.
TO THE EDITOR or THE HERALD.
Having just returned from extended railway tour
over the principal lines In this STATE Ohio