New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-17
AMERICAS BIG GUNS.
ORDNANCE THAT is OUT OF DATE.


SANDY HOOK.
| fFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE.I
| SANDY HOOK, May 14.-lt may seem an extrava-
CANT statement, but it is nevertheless true that in
all our seacoast Notifications we do not possess
single gun equal to the heavy rifed ordnance with
which the fleets of all the great European Powers
are now armed. We have guns enough, and they are
terrible to behold with their huge black bodies and
big mouths; but they are. with very few exceptions,
old-fashoned smooth-bOres that could be knocked
to pieces while their shot fell half mile short of an
enemy's ship. The parsimony of Congress is partly
responsible for this state of things and partly the
extreme conservatism and exclusiveness of our
Ordnance Corps. 1t costs a great deal of money to
build heavy guns and great deal to experiment
with them, and this money Congress fails to appro-
pirate. In the flush times, when appropriations
were easy to get, ordnance officers welded
to the system OF the late General ROdman, q
member OF their corps, and gentleman
of high scientific attainments aud they
went on buying the hugo cast-rOn muzzle-lOadinR
smoOth-bOre guns made on his plane while
European nations were experimenting with Tifled
steel breech-loadeTs. The experiments abroad
proved successful and resulted in the production of
three or four kinds of guns. at the head of which
stands tho Krupp all of which are vastly superior
to the Rodman for range and endurance. and
all Of which have the inestimabe advan-
tage of breech-loading apparatus. Now our
ordnance officers see the mistake that has been
committed. but thoy have no mOneytO rectlfy it.
In recent years they have obtained from Congress n
small amount annually to alter few of the old
ROdmans into rifles by boring them out. inserting
n wrought-irOn core into the BARREL and screwiDg
steel plug into tho breeCh. With these altered guns
fair results have been obtained but they still
muzzleoaders, and are, therefore, behind the age.
EXPERIMENTS WITH BREECH-LoADERs
II is q little singular that. with all the activity
of American inventive genius our Government
should lag behind Europe in the matter of breech
loading arms. Our cavalry was furnished with the
Spencer and Sharp carbincs toward the close of tho
Rebellion. bnt our infantry fought the war through
with muzzle-loadmG muskets, though several good
models of brccch-loaders were urged uIOn
| tho authorities. The ordnance officers used
! to say that q soldier would fire away
his ammunition too fast il no could slip his car
| tridgo into the brccch instead of rammlng it into
the muzze OF his piece. 1t was not until the Prus
slams with their necdlc-gun and the French with
their chassep6t demonstrated tho immeasurable SUI
periority Of brecch-loadcrs that our Ordnance De-
partmcnt gave way. Tho private arms factories of
tins country were actually making excellent breech
leaders for infantry and selling them in largo qnan-
titles to foreign nations before We had single regi
mcnt furnished with the modern arm. At last the
efforts Of tho officers and master-mcchancs
at Springfield Armory produced n servIccable
weapon the plan Of which was borrowed in part
from English and Belgian inventions 1t shOuld
De understood that our infantry officers have moth
ing to say about the guns their mon shall use nor
have artillery officers any voice in tho selection
OF their cannon. This is dOno for them by tho
Ordnance Corps-a small body of intelligent,
highly trained officers who spend their time chiefly
in conducting experiments and whose de-
clslon in all matters concerning arms and
accoutrcincnts Is final. These gentlemen
ter the corps directly from the West
Point Academy, and. like the Engineers, are
lectcd from the best students in that institution.
They thus begin right. but their subsequent oxpe-
ricncc isoatcs them too much from the rest Of the
Army and cngnG closely to the traditions OF their
little corps, they are apt to disregard the progress of
invention and the experience Of troops in actual
service. They try new inventions rs in duty bound,
but they rarely look with favor ON any improve
mrnt that has not been developed by themselves.
For this tendency they are not 80 much 10 blame
~ many Of the eager INVENTORS VINO besicgc them
with their devices would like 10 have the public
believe. If thry adopt the invention OF any body
not m the military service the Government must
pay royalty TO the patcniec, whereas II they can
themselves devise something that VIII serve the
Same purpnse they can save the Government large
sum. They were, we have seen, quite successful
nj last with brrcch-lOadlng small arms, and 1t now
remains to be seen what they can
n u
single brcech-loadng battery in the hands Of
our field nrtillcrymcn, and not single brcoch-
loading gun IL mounted upon tile delcnces OF our
harDOrS
RECENT TESTS OF HEAVY RIFLED CANNON.
In 1872 Congress made an appropriation for ex-
pcrimcnts with heavy rned guns. and provided at
the same time that at least three of the systems
tired should DO breech-loadug. This clause was
inserted 20 move the Ordnance Corps from Its
obstinate attachment to tho old muzzc-loading
system. The appropriation stirred up our American
inventors, aud number of devices were urged upon
the Government. The three broecl-lOadcrs selected
were those of Mann. SutcG and Thompson. II. f.
Mann, q Plttsburg iron manuf0cluror was the first
to urge brcech-oading cannon upon the Ordnance
Department. lie began IN 1868, and has continued
his efforts persistrnty ever since. His gun is n
purcly American device. while Others invented
in this country have borrowed some
thing from Krupp and other foreign inventors.
Tho Government bought from him for the trial IN
S-inch rifle, and took from Sntclih 0-inch rifle,
and from Thompson l2-Inch rlllo' Al the same
time IT had a Iuuzze-lOading rIio constructed on
fine plans of WOOdbridge-a Cast-irOn piece with
wrought-irOn core lined with brazed wlre-and also
bought an " accecratng gum curious looking
object. having four powder chambers bullying out
from the barrel, the contents OF which arc urea III
succession as tho shot passes out. Neither OF
these guns was thoroughly tcstod-cgllt or ten
rounds only being fired from each, tho full test
being 900 rounds. They now lie useless In tho
sand near the proving ground. Appropriations Tor
their further test have been recommended By tho
War Department. but never made.
While the inventors of these guns were hoping for
their adoption, the Ordnance Corps was wOrklngOn
n gun of its own. Colonel CTspin veteran officer
of tho corps, who perfected tho systom Of alter
mo the old Rolman cnst-lrOn smOOth-bOres
! INTO wrought-iron lined rifles, took tho Krupp
brcech-loadng system, and with sOme slight modi-
| ications mtchcd IL on to of these IL inch
altered pieces A full test of 500 rounds gwen
| TO this gun with results which satisfied the Ord
nance Board, composed of Colonel Crispin. Major
n sGcd on the proving ground with Its brcech
| fully wrapped up IN canvas, and the officers seem
| reluctant to exhibit il. The general under
standing among Army officers IL that this system is
| 10 be adopted the standard for the service,