The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-05-23
ARTILLERY PRACTICE.
The Seasons Result With Sea-
Coast Guns and MOrtars.

General Miles has promulgated in orders
the result of the target practice of the foot
batteries in the Division of the Pacific for
the season of 1889 with the kind and cali
Der of guns and mortarS available at the
posts and at all the ranges practicable.
Speaking generally of the practice he says:
Deficiencies n armament and in one case, or
ders from the War Department, prevented prac-
tice with like calibers by all tile batteries. All
III e guns were mounted ON old pattern carriages,
permitting The use OF only minimum charges.
The powder with which the practice was held
was old, having been stored In The magazines of
sea-coast forts for from seven 10 twen.y-seven
years exposed TO the searching Influences of sea
air. AS Investigations by lie Ordnance Depart
ment in 1877 show That gunp0wder similarly
stored deteriOTateS below the standard OF ser
vlceability at a rate exceeding II per cent per
annum, lie condition OF this powder may be in
ferred. Satisfactory or uniform results In Its use
at target practice were not 10 be anticipated and
were not realized. Floating targets and mooring
tackle suitable for the deep water and strong
currents which prevail on the Pdcihc Coast were
not furnished on The acquisitions therefor.
Although no instruments or material nave yet
been supplied 10 the posts In the division from
The special appropriations OF March 2, 1889, and
J it was necessary 10 borrow from the Qnartermas-
ter and Engineer Departments, The officers have
been brought into actual contact with the pgacti-
cal work OF conducting heavy artillery firing &C
cOrding 10 The uresc ibed methods and, as tile re-
suit OF the years effort, there is on The part OF all
intelligent compTehen of the objects OF the
system and OF The fact that artillery firing can
not be made instructive or e1ecilye until I'M
proved guns carriages and a good quality OF
powder shall have been provided for Issue To the
service.
The practice with sea-coast guns was
with 412-inch siege rife, 8-inch converted
rifle ana 15-inch NJ. l.. 5. b. Rodman guns
at 100 and 2100 yards, with the exception
| of the batteries at Forts Candy and Mason,
which used 10-inch instead Of lJ-lnch Rod
mans. For the converted rifle there was a
| fixed range to rock on the north side of
the entrance to San Francisco Bay and the
| distance 2244 yards.
She summary of this practice IS given as
| follows in the order Of merit: Battery l OF the
| First Artillery, 30 shots, figure of merit 70.45;
| Battery NJ, AlcatraZ, SO and 1929; Battery
| ID, 80 and 7S3j; Battery G, Alcatraz, 81 and
| S5.SS; Battery l., Fort Mason, As and 90.S;
| Battery c, 81 and 9J.65; Battery A, % and
! 1O0.53; Battery b, Fort Candy, 30 and
| 1924; Battery Ii, 50 and 1882. the 9th er
| batteries not particularly designated hay-
| ing been at the Preside.
In the firing with mOrtars S-inch and 10
| inch siege guns were used at 1000 and 1900
| yards, with the following results: Battery
| ID, 20 shots, 10l.S1 figure of merit; a, 20
| and I'D 20; l. Fort Mason, y and 12T37; |,
| 20 and 13l %; ii, 20 and 1875; c, 20 and
| 1921, the ether batteries hot having taken
part III this practice.
The report OF hits on actual target makes
the following showing: -Four and half
inch rifie-Battery A, shots, 1900 range, 1
hit; b, s, 1856, l; Ii, s. 1885, /; L, 7, 1900, l,
and s, 200, l NJ, Z, 1900, 3; S-inch converted
ritle-C, 3, 2244, l hit; 15-inc II NJ. l.. 5. B.
A, Z, 100, Lit. and Ii l hit.