The daily critic., 1890-12-04
PRAIsINa kMERICAN nsDNANCE
Distinguished Eugifsh Experts
Opinion Of Our Naval Guns


Opinion Of Our Naval Guns.
NEv York, Dec f-The accom-
paniue letter. wrucl By Lieuonsa
Colonel Hope, v. O.. of the Seventh
REGIMENT of foo of the British ARMY
TO an American navsl officer. s., very
frank acknowled meut by an ordnale
expert of NE highest reputation th1t
our naval guns are not only superior b.
those of Great Britain, but also TO those
of any other nation in the world.
It has long been known to our
ordnance sharps that the finish OF our
work was superior to that Of any Of the
Euglisb Gunshops The amount uf la.
vistion allowed from the exact measure
myrts of The designers has been much
larger iu England than we have per.
miisi iu This county, and it has been a
matter of considerable wonder that iu
view ot The results obtained here, the
Er Clish should have been content With
such loose work as has been turued nu.
by their eun-makcrs Following is C5l
Cr gl Hopes letter
WASHINGTON. ID. G., Nov 9f.I-11
Nlf DEAR Mr. D.. cannot leave
Washington without congratulatug YOU
and Your brother officers ON what have
seen at the Navy Yard
I know generally from newspaper aud
magazine articles what The Navy Depart
I mtrt bad been doing in recoustructiug its
I naval ordnance. but I dil NOT know how
I they were doing Co., That is, knew gen
| orally that they had adopted O gun similar
/ TO the English and French guns. with am
/ Interrupted screw brecch aud Ne Baugn OH
. ..F oil
/ with what degree tl perfection or imper
/ itciion the system decided upon was carried
out
am old enough 10 have seen the FIRST
| slot fred ont 0i li1gd gun iu anger, and
90 have been a SPECTATOR aud To some eX-
| tent an actor, hi ail thai has taken place Ia
/ gunnery matters since the siege of Sehas-
| topol.
The history of riled guns i'm England has
1 tren one unhrnkeu record Of failure I'm
/ 1861 pr0phosied ia an official report the
I failure Of the original heavy Armstrong
| muzzlcloadiug guns. In few months The
failure was admitted. and the s0edisHBl
armor piercing guns are hidden away in
the rear. facing laudWard, of our coast de-
ftuscs.
just a quarter Of century later prophe
sled the failure Of The rev heavy ureerh
loading steel guns, more partic llArly Tho
l3tUu, The 63-tou NOW b1 and 6gl and the
! OtOn luow III. The very next day one
90 the iJtOnueis burst, aud they we're al
turned summarily ont of the navy. TIL,
failures of the G. and C9-tonner5 have beer
too many 10 enumtwtc while the failure o
I J ord Armstrong; much vauntcd li'-tut
guu is now admitted, even officially.
But I'm between were the "Shuut' an,
"NoolwiCh' muzlle-lUading guns ol n1nl
different marks And IN all these Thirty
ycars we iu England have never, I an
| .fF Ia 8 al
safe, reliable gun, or ouc that could bc rc
lied on to 10 Tor any length Of time th,
work that % Is credited with uu paper ",
have spent money like water, and so fi
with no result except as regard, some o
Tie smaller guns, though oven some Of thcs
have proved uapri,iuusly unreliable
With this long and depressing record o
Eilurts IN ENGLAND was quito uuprplre.
tI your brilliant succrss iu this country
I nssuwgl that you were copying ou
bluulers. but io my astOuishWcuf yut lr
making uOtu Your gun shop l,thy best
not the largest, but Tue best boo The world
ltis simply p,ri,rt. I can hul nothing q
Dut'l anywhere. Your Latest aud lIrEcs
laflt, Irr the best ] ever saw.
Your gum though on the same g .ucra
lilc- aud principles as ours D. much im
proved 10 design, especially M The create
thickness Of the central tuha The obiurg
tor Is also slightly improved aud there i.
NEST Useiul ratchet i9r uuscrewing Ola
lfCryh
But when we turn from the dcsigato tn
execution 1 Pm lo-t IN admiration ot w
! Perfection of Sour work. Your standard %
steel is higher than ours, and ths minuu
care with which Oh measurements are ad
heICd 10 and the eXagtnCss with whlcl
every part Is finished are beyond all praise
Your naval guns are superior to those o
any other power % the present moment.
Win warmos: congratulations 10 all th
fIierds have made 10 the Navy Depart
W. Horn.
SOMETHING ABOUT TnE WHITTIER.
Lieutenant. Colonel Hope, Y. c., VIII
writes the above. Is a distingushe
/ OlIicer in the English army, who ha
|. made a particular study OF ogduanc,
, and vino has by his writings 10 th
public press. reports, lectures and s
forth opened the English peoples eye
10 the defects and fuully cnnstrucllo
Of their heavy guns aud 10 the inferlC
quality Of the articles supplied by th
b English Ordnance Department, such {
, worthless swords for their cavalrl
worthless bayOnets for the infantry an
i worthless cuilasses for the navy, inferlC
ssddleIy and intTenching tools, al
I | scTyiCeable transport wagons and ~
certain fuLes.
Colonel Hope has been employed .
, his Government on many important an
confidential missions requiring gre
. intelligence and scientific knOWledg
In 1851 5S be was military attache
the English Legation In Washington
For very gallant and important seryiu
4 during The Crimean war be receive
! not only The written thanks Of his cor
, manding general. but also from q
I Queens own hand the Victoria cross,
b u,CoIaliOn bestowed only for herois
in The face OF an enemy. Al vari0'
times bc basTeceiVed the aIilten thaGl
# The Minister of War for valuable .
+, luts. ana be has made % series Of /
senlions and discoveries in guns %
gun construction.