Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-03
Bids for Them Opened at the War and
Navy Departments.
FIRST STEPS FOR SEAC0ASr DEFENSES
Much Wok Provided for the WASH
n :,
ington Gun Foundry.
THE SIXTEEN-INCH GUN


for large supply of forgings for the big
guns and their mounts for the two branches
of the military service. The occasion marks
the first practical steps on a large scale
for the proper equipment Of our seacoast
with adequate means of defense against
attack from a foreign foe. and also the
equipment of the vessels of the auxiliary
navy with modern armament
The Navy Department has invited pro-
posals from all steel manufacturers of the
United States for furnishing the depart
ment the following material:
Rough-bored and turned forgings for
breech-loading rifle-twenty sets four-inch
thirty-five sets five-inch, fifty sets six-inch
and two sets eight-inch. These forgings
are intended for use in the manufacture of
guns for the armament Of vessels OF the
merchant marine accepted by the govern
ment as part of the auxiliary Lazy. The
guns VIII all be assembled at the WASH
ington gun foundry, and will insure the &C
tive opera ton OF that plant >1or L!any
months to come.
For Qualifications.
The preparations for the manufacture Of
ordnance are even more extensive in the
War Department. The bids to be opened at
that department this afternoon are for
forgings for guns and mounts authorized
by the last Congress in the fortitications
bill. and involve the expenditure of about
III 22sD,HD. Although the ordnance depart
nent is authorized to make contracts for
that amount the appropriation for the cur
rent year Is but S650,UJO. Proposals have
been invited for one set of forsinSs for
s.xteen-inch gun. model of 1888. compr!'-
Ing the tube jacket, trunnion hoop. cylin-
drical hoops and breech mechanism: eigh-
teen sets of ten-inch gun forgings and
eighteen sets of twelve-nch gun forgings.
| similar in character and number to those
| anY incl pltn q
II gS for twelve-inch steel mortars and forg-
irgs for the finishing and assembling of
sixty of these mortars; forgings for sixty
tWelve-tnch breech-loading moi tars COM
p!ete; supply Of six-pounder rapd-fire
! guns. with mounts and ammunition. and
100 armor-piercing project!les, together with
a supply of common shells. canisters and
SmokeleSs powder. In addition to the
above. proposals have also been invited for
thirty ten-il oh disappearing carriages.
hfty-six spring return trr.ages for twelve
inch mortars, 3d. steeldeck piercing shells
and 40 twelve-inch torpedo shells.
Largest Gun in the Service.
The 16-;nch gun authorized by Congress
Is the largest gun In the service of the
United States and its proposed manufac-
| ture as part Of our system of coast de-
lenses Is largely in the nature of an ex-
pertinent: The board of Notifications of
1880 adopted this type of gun as a part Of
our coast defenses. and Congress has been
asked 10 make an appropriation for its
manufacture every year since that date
but without success up to the last session
ms fallcre on the part of Congress was
partly due to the opinion of some military
experts that the l2-nch guns have sutfi-
cient power for all ordinary needs. Gen
fldgler. chief of the bureau of ordnance.
however. has been consistent advocate
OF Inc larger type of guns, and 1t was main
~ through hls representations that Con-
sress was finally induced to make an an
preparation Tor the manufacture of one of
| mem. Inc principal foreign powers have
guns of l6-inch or larger calibers In tha,r
coast defenses and navy but the United
| states has never adopted a heavier gun
| IMAM the modern 13-inch, and there seems
| y, 70 De general disposition in favor of the
Finch gun as a more efficient weapon than
those Of larger caliber
Gen. Flnx1er's Views.
In his last annual report Gen Flas,er
speaks as follows of the sixteen-inch puns.
| rms department has never had anv
ooubt OF the nee essity for the sixteen-tnch
guns nor OF the wisdom Of it's adoption by
| ne board OF Notifications in 1856 Since
me me GATE OF the report of that board the
history or Gun versus Arnor has steadily
shown all increased nece ssity for cun of
as high power that of the sixteen-jrch
cailter. Granting what was perhaps true
nine years ago, that the twelve inch p,n
couin' under favorable circums tances-that
| IS, at close range and with the vessels side
! normal to the rajectory-penetrate any
armor then in existence or under Lose
| favorable circumstances and at longer ran
Ses. destroy any vessel by continued ham,
mering later experience shows that this ia
not the case with modern armor now
Moreover. the enemy will not place his YES
sci exactly In the position desired as we
pace plate Tor experimental firing and
| the problem in most cases is to destroy
| vessel which is doing its best to run IA It
| cur batteries. Only small number of shots
can be fired from any one gun at a pa ssine
ACCOMPLISH
amount OF hammerlng great many twelve
men guns would be required. Not more
than one moderately fair hit would be re-
| quired from the proposed sixteen-inch gun
| to destroy or stop any vessel known at the
| present time. There are sites for our forth
| fications where one sixteen-:nch gun should
| be the equivalent of dozen twelve-inch
! guns. and as the question reduoe s itself to
| one Of dollars and cents, the sixteen-inch
| gun is the more economic gun for the work
| in hand.
What Experiments Show.
| Some Of the latest experiments Indicate
that even with continued hammering with
| the Pinch gun we cannot expect 10 pene-
| trate the best modern armor and could not
| destroy or stop certain vessels, except by
| a rare and exceptionally lucky hit In some
weak spot The repor. of the chief of the
| bureau of ordnance of the navy fo:. this
year will show that in some late experi-
ments at Indian Head it was utterly I'M
possible TO pcaetrIte modern heavy armor
| with Pinch rroIe:tile fired under the
| most favorable circumstances at a range
| of only $50 yards and with the plate held
| normal to the trajectory. In some cases a
| 13-inch projectile barely got through the
| plate under the same favorable Circum-
| stances. In some later experiments with a
| modern plate the 13-inch proiectiia passed
| through while the Pinch produced little
| effect. -, 4
This department again submits in its es
| Inmates fo1 this year an item for the man
| ufacture Of type 16-inch gun After an
| appropriation is made it will REQUIRE about
three years to procure the forgings Gorg-
| ings of a magnitude not heretofore made)
| to finish and assemble the gun and to sub
5ect it to the tests required by law for
| gun Of new type. No 16-inch guns can be
| adopted and manufactured for service until
the preparation and test of this type gun
| the government to the adoption and manu-
facture Of 1o-inch guns for the service at
! the expil ton of the three years II thew
are not then wanted. 1t is deemed certain
| that they will not only be wanted. but that
| they will become an imperative necessity
1t would Re an act Of plain wisdom and
| forethought to advance by three years our
| condition of preparation for nroduc;ro tho