National Republican., 1883-11-08
NAVY ORDNANCE.
Annual Report OF Commodore sicnrd-
Estimates for the Next Fiscal Year.

Estimates for the Next Fiscal Year.
Commodore Sicard, chief Of the bureau of
ordnance, navy department. in his annual re-
port, submits estimates for the fiscal year end
ing June SO, 1885, amounting to $2,n0871.50.
OF this amount 81 ,O73,00O will be needed to
supply the ordnance outfits of the monitors
Puritan, Terror, Miantonomoh, Amphitrite,
and Monadnock; $449O27 for tho ordnance
outfit of the four new cruisers $453210 for
fuel, tools, material and labor. small arms,
&c, and the remainder for general expenses
OF the ordnance department.
Tho work of preparation of type guns of
high power has progressed as fast as the diff
tioulties i'll procuring proper quality of
steel would admit. OF the forgNgs ordered
in the preceding fiscal year oINy two sets
have been received of quality suitable for
making guns, and these have been taken in
hand at the ordnance department of the Wash
ington navy yard and pushed as fast as pos
sibIe. These guns are of 6-inch caliber and
will represent the hoop and the wire wound
system. The former will be completed very
shortly, and with it will be settled all ques-
tions Of kind Of powder, weight of charge,
| and projcctilc.
The bureau was not so fortunate in orders
in the United States for the manufacture of
tubes for 5-inch guns, the steel makers in our
country not having thus far been able to de-
liver any forgings of this size. There Is some
prospect, however, of one being received ere
| long, and, If it passes inspection, more can
probably be obtained. In the meantime,
with the assistance of q gun designed by the
late Commodore Jcffers) which has been
heightened to 30 calibers, important progress
has been made toward the determination of
the character of the powder suitable for use
in the and S-inch calibers
Through the exertons of Lieutenant Com
| mander William n. Folgor, in charge of the
| naval experimental battery, q class of powder
has been perfected which gives gratifying re-
| suits in the gun mentioned, and it will doubt
less be entirely successful in the bore of the
regular service 6-nch gun behind 100 pounds
of shot. Tho pressures thus far obtained are
| very moderate, not exceeding 1872 tons per
square inch, and the velocities are high
| 2,O93 feet per second
| Forgings for tho battery of the Chicago
have been ordered and they are now being
manufactured. If they prove to be of suita-
| BILE quality, the machine finishings will be
| undertaken at once.
Considerable delay has been experienced in
| the production of forgings, and it was found
necessary to order those of the S-inch guns
from abroad The attempt to obtain a suit
| able quality of high grade wire for winding
| guns has been attended with difficulty and
delay. Such wire has not been manufactured
in this country, and offers great difficulty in
| the commencement. The matter is still pend
1
made in this direction ere long,
Several forms of carriage for the high power
guns have been tried, all with good success
Experiments have been commenced with
steel armor piercing prOjectiles, both forged
and unforged. Varying results were OBJ
tanned, the best being the performance of an
unhammered cast steel 6-inch shell, which
passed through 10 inches of iron backed by
| 20 inches of oak and 12 feet of earth, being
upset only one-tenth of an inch. This was
| considered quite successful for new branch
of manufacture. The bureau has ordered two
| experimental compound armor plates (from
two celebrated Sheffield frms), and will use
them in grading and determining the quail
tics of armor piercing projectles.
A great deal of attention has been given to
designs of monitor turrets, and several have
been perfected, which it is thought will unite
the advantages of moderate sized sufficient
interior space, and convenience for the
manipulating the guns The three Hotch-
kiss revolving cannon ordered last year
have been recently received, and will be
soon put afioat, The bureau has ordered
from Mr.. Hotchkiss two single shot
and tide torpedo guns, which will probably
form very efficient part of the defense
against automobile torpcdoes, and will be
much employed in engagements between
ships. Magazine small arms are still in a state
of transition, and new models and devices are
constantly coming forward. One of the cele-
brated Mangin projectors electric search
Light will be sent to the torpedo station for
the purpose of experiment and instruction,
and Others will be equipped with dynamos
and engines and issued to the service.
They are considered to be powerful factor
in defense against torpedoes, and are
also very useful for variety Of military
purposes on ship board. The Importance of
having a sufficient number of light and very
swift boats from which to launch offensive
torpedoes ia we'll known to the department
and it is suggested that congress be again
urged to make an appropriation for the pur-
chase of one abroad, The designing and con-
struction of gun cotton spar torpedoes for
ships and boats has been successfully accom-
plished at tho torpedo station, and there il
every prospect of tho navy being able soon to
manufacture its own gun cotton.