New-York tribune., 1869-03-31
THE ORDNANCE CONTROVERSY.

There is O brisk hight IN progress at w ASH
ington between the Ordnance Bureau and GER
tain outsiders who hold themselves aggrieved
by its action, whereof we judge only that the
public interest is certain to be promoted by
its prosecution to the end. We have already
been enlightened by it, and we think Congress
has also been, or will be. In q public d0cu-
ment recently printed we find the following,
which we give as condensed arraignment OF
the Bureau by its adversaries. There are OF
course other charges which imply direct NAL
feasance, but this testimony goes to the COM
potency of the Bureau and the efficiency OF Its
service
Examination before me Joint Committee on Ordnance
Nor. II.
NORMAN WIZARD reealled-Qtestion by Senator Cameron
DO you know what varieties OF cabers aud AMMUNITION
were introduced the service during the war and have
Won any opinion TO the importance otestablshng
uniformity OF cabers and ammunition
Ansrer. | am familiar with the cabers OF our guns
and when relate OF the facts within my knOWledge
think you will agree with me that our Ordahco ma arr
ments have got our smalarms artillery ana guns INTO
most reprehensble confusion Tor want OF uniformity
calber aud ammunition. The ordnance departments OF
France and England have no greater dlherehce
in the systems they have adopted than there between
the two branches OF our service The caoers models
those adopted for the army The navy nhed 2pounder
boat howtzer has caliber OF 40 inches while the
army i2pounder red OF the cabers OF inches
inches, 67OO inches and 5000 inches The navy
l1pounder has parabolic form OF chamber while the
army gun has either no chamber or II Is
oycloida The navy l2pounder smooth-bore'
ferent form Of chamber Apparently each OF these
chambers has been devised to prevent the use OF navy
ammunition IN tne army & gun ,h OF n y Ss are ntireV df
ferent, and neither will go on the others carriage the
army gun being furnished % Of Se old earTonas
The sights are OF entirely different kind IN the two
guns and graduated as to make 1t impossible Tor
navy to use an army gun or an arterst OF tne
army to use navy gun Tor an emergency Deihg
elevation The 2Opounders ana OF % Tue %nag g
different from the army guns of the same knI the
navy guns having sharks mouth Tor the Dreechng'
which is not on the army guns Ihe navy Dangsen ~
FOUNDER. 30pounder aud 6Opounder are OF ulnereht
model caliber form OF chamber, and kind OF rliing
from any other gun in the navy or army, all purposey
different. seemingly, TO insure the use OF certain
Invented being essentially the the socaed Dyer
prolece, but which found latterly TO nave Deen
used and patented by Others long before The Dahgren.
like the Dyer, abandoned after large numbers OF
them had bsen produced The Dahgren 6o,pOunder mas
Of ideas could only produce new diameter OF eanDer
which no person had thought Of The army 3inch
sdapt il 10 the Dyer proece, which being condemned,
Il happily found could be used with the hOchss
projectie The navy have, then. 6Opounder Parrott
adopted as shown by the lucid explanation OF Capt.
Wise chief Of Ordnance as 10 have between
is given for its adoption Ine navy vyatS 1a bores IA
IXinch. NIineh, and NiiilnGh lnGhmrers Of inches
Tor luck The army smooth-bores are 6Ineh
Sa.poanGcrs,. 1pl sinsh t6tpounders and lSineh
30 ~ the calibers Of their guns probably because
the army fancifu preempuon night TO the more
common figures In the guns adopted and actually Is
sued to service, in tho two branches OF tno ser
vice there Is not sinSIS y IN 16 ip5bers adopted
OF thoSe below the calber OF the 30pounder appemu
tabuated statement of caibers models weSncs nIete
organizations OF ordnance officers eduoateu a. n tad
expense experimenting with the Iresshry M & ~ b beea
III Dmei6 & noT % o the extent TO which they have been
faH affs
life Of citizen soldiers ana and 6OnSr Wasted it ' is
not within my power to even estimate, 1nl; u;
however confident that no example Oh , aver beiore
attended nm effort conducted with SO much noursn, o 81
grand and expensive scale Win Win 40 nporant
and where tho class OF persons chargea Win ~ ear
braneh of the public service for so many critical years
have brought their departments o srv spv cnen and
would receive them too. were the facts known WI i
calbers OF smaarms aud the amnnhoOn iUr & he th
though IL would seem Impossible SO minute uS' nus 10 &c s
dferences where the greatest Is 10 OF an hona %
diverse as in the eld siege ana heaVy Suns nuu for
want OF uniformity exists In order 10 nu & III
diversity the dimensions OF cahners are gwen
in hundredths or housandths of an inch ana our
I a ,iae of 81 and Springfield OF .5s but no i1stru
ments common In the hands OF inspectors OF soueis
determinng the difference. Hence during th9 %a&1 & M
nr,,,, has negiteuty found itself on nc Petd Y ode
6acg he enemy with GmnluhtOt . oo AZ cont
yeb oo args % be inserted IN The gun About 70 dHerenl
uI In ~ Ammunition were furnished the Burnside ex
nedon from "A TO 69i and lest one trasoi' 1 o y, rs
IN ~; one cabcr should be lost, each vessel had 10 DC
.d with an assorted cargo made up OF certain pro
noPio1s of the whole 1t the same with the BANKS
pync1iion making il necessary TO stow aNey lhe S4L8o
with eonsdebIe SKILL that any OF the various KINDS
cnid Inc cot az upon the recurrence or an emegency
nTeimnary caution likely to be overlooked IN the hurry
Of the embarkaton OF army the 4l eH
ecng which-and no caulloqsry oruer py VIC eas 70
Denoifment Is given on such an occasoh-ase ~ Ss{ W
conceive A great many hundred thousands OIL spring,
deid muskets are now be sacrificed 10 uioiiny yS ~
caber The Ordnance Department IN snds, az s m,se ~
uestiop whether 10 was better 10 have Dreecu OF
caders were undecided during the nny war Ony @ had
cludng their cogitations when the L That ~
passed In 1851 when every tyro yrs Knew bna 1na' an
hrcechloader was best--n fact nopouy ons an
dtot or nm officer Of ordnance DeparI
ment would ever decide otherwise-the Ote, oh ora,
nance of the United states held and advocated that
Uarpers Ferry smoothboro muzzleloauus gun, MIL a.
buck and ball was tho best arm that couu po Poou ~
the hands Of soldier :" and asserted nc wouiu nwo 4 ~
snch gun as breech loader in service because IL Wuu
suo s nie m carry the ammunition for each soldier
III woud be shot away so fast Now i Is propossa 10
alter ali the Springfield rifles hand to
and in order TO get uniformity OF ealiber g. to have Ihe
,ssket conform 10 the calber OF the carDe the patei
E fo Ina reamed ont another barrel Inserted the new I'M
ING k IN be bored out straightened and rod the Dreech
~ the barre IA 10 be bedeyed by the insertion OF com
pication OF parts and thus new gun 10 oe made Du
gentlemen tlis will more than TO make now gun
aud that is not ALL for although II Is an approach W UNI