The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-03-05

The Ordnance Bureau at Washington ac-
qured a very bad repute several years ago
when arms were sold to France for the profit
OF n Ring OF official jobbers. II the state
ments made by Senator MORGAN, on his
resolution calling for certain reports "of all
trials and proofs Of all guns" be true, then
the reputation OF that bureau has not i'm
proved. We quote his words:
The Ordnance Bureau I may say without any appre.
henson of violating the rules OF rrorricy tho
charge Of men who compose Ring impose upon this
Government inventions which patented ordnance
aud artillery officers Of the United States; and il the
ordnnnce Bureau has seen proper suppress OF
these tests that is the hest Know OF why they
should he brought TO hight"
This is a very serious charge to be made
in the open Senate, and it was not answered
satisfactorily. There was an attemps at cx-
PLANTATION, and a very lame one 10 proved to
be. II appears that three or four hundred
thousand dollars year are expended for
heavy guns, costing some fifty thousand dol
lars each, without any tests of their efficiency
When tests are demanded, answer il made
that so much time is required to construct
the gun itself, that none can be given to try
its quality. So the favored contractor goes
on without restraint.
Mr. MORGAN cited as follows from the
testimony OF Mr.. HUNT, President of the
South Boston Company, where the big guns
are manufactured:
I'VE made i2.inch breech loading gun and an sinch
one They were made after what is known as the
CRsrIS design brcech OF steel screwed into the
east iron We used the best imported steel for the
York thai was obtarsbe. The rihcd was made OF
wrought iron. and yet when the Finch gun was
taken tn the proving grounds at Sandy Hook after
firing only few rounds the steel breech of ut its
thickest part and blew out The snc gun, made in the
same also broke and its breech blew after
ing few rounds This method of gun making u very
expensive one the steel breech costing enormously
These are the great guns now made for
coast defence Mr.. ALLISON and others
tried to make it appear that they were old
guns not in USE but Mr.. HUNTS testimony
that they were made after what is known
as the CRIsPIN design" silenced the cham
pions of the Ring on that point.
In the course of the discussion Mr.. ALLISON
inquired as follows:
" But DOS the Senator cav that any inventor is a
member of the present Board'
Mr. MoRGAS-I do not say the present Board; but the
'h'.t ofNetr OF ordnance
MI AttlsoN-I know that OIL CRlsriS in former Years
a member OF the Ordnance Board.
MIR MoRGIS-tni he was a member Of that Board at
lhe time the 'RisfIN system MAS adopted
1t is quite clear that the Ordnance Bureau
suppressed reports which, published, would
have stopped this extravaganza, jobbrry,
and favoritism. And now that Senator Nor
GAN has begun the work OF investigation, it
is TO be hoped he will pursue it, regardless
of the obstacles that will be surely thrown
in his path by Interested parties in and out
of Congress.
This subject WAS before the Committee on
Appropriations last year, hut the testimony
was only printed for the use of the commit
tee ana not for the public; very convenient
practice of suppression sometimes. Mr. BECK
let the cat out of the bag in saying: There
were some personal matters, some climina-
tions and rrcriminatiuns, that none OF IA
wanted put in print" Why not Because
some ugly facts would have been exposed.