Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1894-10-03
INDIAN HEAD.
Where the United States Tests its NaraI
Supplies.

Only a few miles below Washington,
on the banks of the beautiful Potomac, is
the naval proving ground, where the
Government tests its costly naval supplies.
Indian Head is the name Of the spot, and
it is as closely guarded as though it were
a penal settlement. There are two rea
sons for this precaution. No Government
is willing that its army or navy business
should be open under all conditions to
possible spies of other Governments
England is even more cautious than the
United States on this score. The second
reason is that Indian head is no pleasure
resort-no picnic ground. At all hours
of the day proiectiles are flying through
the air and performing gymnasic feats
over the water, and it is as much as a
mans life is worth to venture within
reach of the range.
There are 12O workmen here, black
and white. There used to be a force of
$50, but it has been reduced since the
proving ground was made available for
the complicated tests which are now had
there most every day. There is much
improvement still to be made and the
men have few if any idle hours.
Across a wooden wharf, along path
way to the foot of bluff and then up a
flight of brick steps to a pathway that
skirts the hill on which the Inspector S
house stands. On the other side of the
hill are the offices located in little frame
building. Here Mr.. Mason, the inspec-
tor in charge, and his three assistants
Ensigns Tisdale, McCully and Miller
make their headquarters. Here are To-
Gated the chronographs, as far as possible
from the disturbing influences of the
proving ground. Here is battery room
whose shelves are crowded with La
clanche cells which furnish the current
for the chronographs. Here also are the
offices where Mr.. MasOn's clerks look af-
ter his correspondence and where the del
icate computations which follow the OBJ
servation of a test are made. 1t is pref
ty well out of range, this Office, but one
day 5OO-pound projectie went through
an armor plate and its oak backing, and,
DETECTED by piece of timber, ricocheted
into the little strip Of timber which sur
rounds the office. But that is one of the
incidents of life at naval ordnance
proving ground,
On the day when l visited the grounds
Mr.. Mason was testing smokeless pow
der of foreign make The smokelessness
of the powder of necessity is not its only
virtue. 1t must exercise the same pro-
pelling force as other powders to be ac.
ceptable. Therefore Mr.. Mason was tC
test its recoil in the gun-the expansive
force of its gases-and the velocity Of the
projectile with which the gun is loaded
We walked back along the hillside path
at one time almost in line with the
long distance range. Mr.. Mason explain.
ed that every one had to seek shelter
when a shot was going to be fired for il
piece of armor was being tested, there
was no telling where the debris would
land after the shot.
Great guns are scattered all over the
little valley. Jast below the hill on the
south are a Is .ve-inch gun which weigh;
about sixty-fve tons and Il thirteeninch
gun which weighs little more. Both are
products Of the naval gun factory al
Washington, which was established only
ten years ago, but which ranks to-day
with the best gun factories Of the world
These are the guns with which the recen
tests of armor and armor piercing projec
tiles have been made. Beyond them is
group of small ordnance. Not all of thi