The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-08
6o-62 West 23d st,
NEW BATTERIES FOR OLD SHIPS.
The Proposed Fitting Up or the Mesa
Wooden Vessels with Modern Guns.

$3.50 -l.
WASHINGTON. Sept. There are grounds
for believing that a feature In tho policy Of
Secretary Herbert will be to put those wooden
vessels OF the navy that are to be retained In
moro effective condition for service In tho mat
ter OF gun power -,
1t is true that tho wooden vessels Of the
navy have almost run their course, and that.
oven tho best OF them cannot be expect
cd to last many years longer. For this rea-
son. while the gun factory at Washington
was fully occupied In providing modern
high power ordnance for the new steel ves-
sells. very little attempt was made to
rearm the wooden craft and tho small
iron vessels Of an earlier date that were
fitted up with old-fashioned muzzle-loadinG
rifles and smooth bores. But thanks to the
energy with which work Is carried on at the
Washington Ordnance Yard tho guns. which
used to be behindhand. are now usually AM
ished before the ships for which they are do.
signed. and are ain readiness to be mounted.
Besides while OF late much larger and costlier
ships are made than In the carly days OF our
new::construction. the relative numbers are
falling of. Thus in one way or another tho
gun factory Is 30 we'll ahead Of its current
work with the steel ships that the project OF
supplying modern ordnance to the wooden and
iron vessels can easily be carried out.
II we refer to Appendix In the last annual
report OF the Bureau OF Construction and Re-
pair wo find among the small Iron ships the
main battery Of the Alert. including two 8-inoh
and one 1l-inch smooth bores with one 60
FOUNDER breech-loadine rife: that of the
Monocacy consisting OF four S.inch smooth
bores and two U0-pounder rifles: that OF the
Palos. four "a FOUNDER smooth-bore howitZers
and two 2O-pounder rifed howitzers: that Of
the Pinta. four l2-pounder smooth boro how
tiers. This Is very miscellaneous as
we'll as mostly old-fashioned system Of arma-
ment. and among the larger and more
important wooden vessels we find like.
relics OF d-time guns. Thus the Lam
ca ster's battery consists OF ten S-inch mug
zle-loading rifles: the Marion's Of six 9-inch
smooth bores. one S-inch m9zzle ioading:
and one EO-pounder breeSh-loadtng rifle: the
bores the Kearsarges OF four 9-inch smooth
bores. two S-inch muzzle leaders. and 90
Alliance. the Essex and the Enterprise. OF the
same guns as tho Kearsarge's, except that each
the Yantic Of two g-inch smooth bores. one s..
inch muzzle loader. and one 90 FOUNDER muz-
been slIsht changes since that report Was pub.
lished. but prooably the condition OF tho bait
Some Of these vessels have sueh short lives
remaining OF active service that 1t would not be
@ sse othos s
s%De Tss ns hnsxR 5S Il } sssp
reconstructed and made one Of the best of our
wooden vessels; Several others will be recog-
good condition. The Kearsarse and Hartford
can be fitted up with modern batteres on the
strength OF their express exemption from the
rules as to repairs while the repair limit is SO
low In the case of other vessels that the sub
stitution OF 4-inch and 5-inch rapid guns
for their antiquated batteries can in some
cases be done judiciously while other repairs
are going on.
The navy gun factory has earned the high
est praise from foreign visitors we'll as from
our own experts for its splendid system and
working power. When 1t runs at full time
throughout the year 1t has nearly Thousand
men employed. and besides making the guns
and mounts does much other ordnance
work. The pride Of the Navy Department In.
this plant is 80 great that It will seek to carry
struction are supplied with guns. In fact. one
good use to which the factory could then DO
turned is that Of accommodating rapid fro guns
OF the smaller calibres for use on auxiliary
cruisers which might be called into the Gov
eminent service from the merchant marine.