New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-01-15
rErogT or THE CHEF or ORDNANCE
OsnNANcr OPFICE, WAR DEPARTMENT,

REPORT or THE CHIEF or ORDNANCE
ORDNANCE oPFIcE, WAR DEPARr,M dIs
s,,. suLmit tl,e following Report of the Princi-
nal Operations OF the Ordnance Department during te
fiscal year cudcd June 80 lo6 Win s9sh remarks ana c
military service seem g. require: ,.,.s..
The seal resources ana the disbursements OF heu'F
incUt duliuc the year were rs follows, VIZ
Amount Of appropriations in Treasury Juno
Amount IN Government Repositories 10 tho
credit Of Dis0urSns Officers, Oh same .,c,, %, %
AMOUNT noun Of Appropriation. from June 90, 1865,
to June 80 1866, including tho Fixed Annn-
a. i0'AIanS anu hqurp-S s55ooo 90
Amount received since june So 1868, on &c.
count Of Damages TO Arms IN hands OF
Troops, from sales of Arms 10 Officers, ana
so sduTSGs SG before stS Mentioned tG o 7
ro.., ....... e55,3ol, Oo2 &c
Amount Of Expenditures since June so 1862 loolo" 90
Amount In ReosIU Tne 1869, 7O58O
A@ ss@6 date al Appropa'ono ~ 'U 1sOiaOl %
s9ssoI O62 66
9 Estimate for the next fiscal year has been carefully
prepared aud Includes only such objects as are ars
aba explanations detail referring to each item OF InS
estimate and thereto appended IIe5e y Iesgned
show gpeCific objects TO which e0ch
to he applied and the amount OF us ret yo re-
The expenditures at the arsenas nave pee ge =. c,n
dnced dripg the past year. and the operations at men
have been limited TO tho manufacture oI non 20 ot
carriages and ta tsS S Sre and Of the
Immense Quantities Of ordnance stores which were on
hand az tile conclusion Of the war TO breaking up u
sryceabe ammunition, and to the erection OF buildings
at the unfinished arsenals , IL. :, Moth.
The report then speaks of changes made Ill Nor'h-
ern Arsonsls. OF these in the South it says;
me temporary ordnance Depots which had been es,
eptlties of ordnance stores had been collected have,
with the exception Of the one at Hilton iGeu pe'
mn and the seryiceable and such unservceaDe properly
rs was worth the cost Of transportation ana repairs sem
10 arsenas The residue has been dsosCd OF unutL 9u
Instructions orders for the removal of the ordnance
1
Rouge, San AntOuiO Augusta, Charies,o, eu aInis
Vernon bsvS been by this department
but stores have been sent TO them IRON te ia
sue TO troops The small arms and some OF the other
stores which collected at those arsenas nave peo
removed 70 Northern ATSenals. The Norm 'aiOhnss
Arsenal was destroyed by Major-Gen sherman toward
the close of the war do not think u SU ,d ~
rebuild It, About eighty acres Of land were aSSTu
this arsenal. which are no longer IequlreG Io ~ S
ment IrecOmmend that authority DC nshcu VI n 49,
TO sell II, 1T such time ana IN spoh lae. d" aroer's
tgrv OF War may direct. The workshops AT harper
its rcOccupatOn 10y THIS Department u mas OJll ISL
Ordnance Depot IL is no longer needed Tor tht PURPOSE
and the establishment OF the Armory Il not rooo'
mendod Tho property which Is Vauaple snVuu Se SUI
have already recommended that Congress Should DC TO
ouesed to authorize the sale Of IT, In such manner as the
Secretary OF War may dl!ect me AphaViOs -, A.
in Florida which had not been used as on arsenal lO u
has been temporarily transferred TO the Froedmens
Bureau by your order. The Little Rock ATsenaI,
during the carly part Of the war Is now occupied by
troops the ordnance stores which were collected tDete
10 is not thought necessary TO maintain an arsenal al at
point ut this time At the close Of the war an extensive
also been erected by the Rebel authorities at Augusta,
Georgia. were taken possession OF by the United saEs
troops and turned TO this Department Application
hes recently made 10y the Feodmens Bureau iorthe
q the and eas Should R be
eded that these properties rghtfuly belong TO the ORD
ing Of the amoTy and laboratory at Macon, and 80 much
Of the land and buildings belonging to the p0wdcr~ors
at Augusta rs may not be required by the DelatIent
Authority TO sell the land win have to be obtained from
ne experiments which have been carried at Fortress
Monroe arsenal 10 test tho power and endurance OF he
sinch and Pinch rifle guns made OF eastro ny s ne
parment are highly satisfactory ana warrant the poi
that iron rifle guns OF these cabeTs may De nLo
duced into the military service with safety and adyant-
age The Pinch rifle, throwing proicole OF coo
and with % pounds Oh haS peen ar or las ever
given great endurance The further taloi these guns
| win he continued .,
regiments for three consecutive years shows cosump
! ton by loss and weaTof
| Cavalry pistols, % per cent per annum.
! Cavalry sabers, 90 per cent per annum
Carbine sccoutorments, 80 per cent per annnm
| Baber accOuteI1nents, 81 per cept per anhum
| Infantry Eifle muskcts, 13 per cent per ennun.
| Infantry nccouterments. &c per cent per annum.
This would indicate the average service me OF 9ayary
&c foT az and tbs same Of ali cSy sccoaermens
except those for sabers whose duration Is only three
The average service life OF Infantry rifle muskets "a
seven years and that OF infantry accoutermens Is six
Of active service in war and with ordinary repair
append 10 this report summary statement OF INC
principal ordnance and ordnance stores which this De
parent provided for the military service from the t OF
January 1851 10 the end OF the past fiscal year being
period Of five and bal; years, and including the entire
duration Of the q the Rebellion From this IL VIII DO
that there provided, 1892 cannon, 75 ar
tnlery carriages GS52gb artillery pToiectcs shot and
she'll $50 zoe pounds Of grape and canister shot 22 III
rounds OF fixed artillery ammunition, 3477655 small arms
(mskots rfes, carbnes and pistols, l475 swords,
bers end ancC 2ii675 complete sets OF infantry
termcns 2l63 complete sets OF cavalry accOutemeuts
1854 complete sets Of horse equipments, 28lG4 sets OF
twOhOrse artillery harness, 1880 horse blankets, lG22
l78474 cartridges for small arms l23O5J5i 5 percussion
cap for small arms lO25lS0j cannon primers, 4I2C3I7
fuses for shell 234tO0s pounds OF gnpOwdcr. G395l61
pounds Of inter- 9O6295 pounds OF lead In pigs and bull
let's besides immense quantities OF parts for repairing
and making good the complete articles which dam
aged lost destroyed In service The statement % ur
cases also appended. shows the kinds and quantities OF
! supplies so procured moro in detail, With therCOst
The work Of arming the permanent Notifications, and
OF increasing their efficiency by providing guns of large
cabers and replacing the perishable wooden carriages
by durable carriages OF wrought rOn hae progressed rap
idly and will be continued fast as the available means
viii admit, until oil the light guns which are Ineffective
against rOncad vessels and all the wooden carriages
shall have been superseded by tho most effective and
durable articles OF their respective kinds. Since the
cent introduction into service OF wrOughrOn seaCOast
carriages there have been fabricated and supplied 20 the
forts 2g Of these carriages for Darbote and casemato
guns
The armament OF our Notifications includes $3.50
serviceabe cannon, OF which 1884 of heavy caber
10 and inch bore and 6J3 fied cannon. The