New-York tribune., 1896-01-13

WORK DONE DURING THE YEAR.
EXPERIMENTS WITH GUNS CARRIAGES AND En-
srvEs-ApPRopRIArIoNs TOO SMALL TO
PERMIT SATISFACTORY WORK ON
sEAcoAsr FoRTIFIcATIONs.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBrNE.l


Board on Ordnance and Fort!fcations has maze
its appearance from the Office OF the Pubic Printer
II shows what has been accomplished III 'ne '"''
year In the way OF improving the ordnance ma
teria OF the Army. intended to be employed IN the
coast defences of the country. The general opera
tlons OF the Board during the year have mciuasu
the supervising Of tests OF experimental guns ana
pun-carrages: the investiga ton OF the relative
value o. different systems OF gunmountihs' 'he
preparation OF a scheme or IRE cohtroi io' 'io
harbors OF the country; the development Oh ms"
explosives for bursting shells and OF smoXeiess
powder for the propelling charge In guns or an
calibres and the examination OF devices tnat give
promise o, being or becoming valuable accessories
for seacoast defence During the year great
number OF devices. ranging from POSITIVE aps"rui'S
to real merit have been carefully ih'es'sa'e' ~
the Board and what was good III u'es" '"ea' "
been sifted from the worthless VII" '-e" ~
utilizing everything valuable
The elght-inch Haskell muiti-charse gun IL III"
ished and mount mas been made for 1t 50 that
!, can be fred from a proos-carr!age. MI HasKeii
was requested on April l6. 1885, to furnsn de'a'eu
estimates OF the kind and amount OF powder 'na'
will be required for firing the gun twenty rouhus
ard also an estimate for twenty projectiies III or
der that the proper allotment might be RECON-
mended. Up to date this Information ia" io'
been furnished by the inventor.
The Government now has contract with the
Bethlehem Iron Company for the manufacture OF
,vontv-Gye eght-nch rnea. fifty ten-inch rifles and
Twenty-Five twelve-inch rifles. Reaths 10 '"e
progress on the work of turning out these weapons
the report of the Board says that ten eight-inch
guns ara practically completed. five we'll adj
vancol and rhe parts for the remaining ten are
nearly all forged and some Of them mach.he1'
Fourteen ten-nch guns are assembled OF iea"'
70 be assembled and the majority or me lorR"ss
for nine more rifles are made, and rev mach "e'.
v,re,rtco ont OF 10 lorgings for the first ten or
f,,h
cepted The act OF Congress authorizing this con-
tract proyded that one type gan OF each caliDre
should be subjected such test In respect 10 ac-
curacy, range. power. endurance ana sehe''' e'''
c'ency as the Board on Ordnance ana foru"c'-
tons prescribed. AS the guns were bult a',er the
plans Of the Ordnance Department. ana u''ue' '"e
,,snectlon OF an ordnance officer. they are pre-
srr,ahlv IN. same IN every respect those turned
ont by the gun factory at the WatervEet Arsenal
Therefore, the Board decided some time ago tha'
II would involve unnecessary expense 10 suoJe.'
one Of the guns TO the exhaustive test ordinarily
required OF type gun, ard recommeh''i 'na' '''e
wors,-appear.ng gun be sent TO 50 ndy Hook prov
ing-ground TO undergo a partial test ENPe'''"'"''
with this gun are nov In progress
TESTING NEW GUNS
,,o ro,or, mentions the test OF the Crozier wire
o,,,1 ,sr-nch breech-loallng rifle. ana says
,bat the expermcn;s have been continued during
the year as opportunity afforded Al the na'e OF
the report 23l rounds had been hrei' Inc gun i
IN the hands OF the Ordnance Board ana 'he test
Will be carried go rounds. mus iar 'he i"'e"
,,or has stood the tr.a.s we'll The bore shows the
or,,,.rv eros'on due 10 long-continued firing. but
~, weakness has been developed In the structure
OF the weapon. ;,
Referring to heavy rapd-are guns for coast ne
fenccs a subject which has received mlch at'eh-
,,on lately at home and abroad, the report says
that four weapons of i72i inches. the Armstrong
nj Scbn
,der ollotments OF the Board and tried. The tests
bave nrocee,led at the Sandy Hook proving grounds
during the year. but none of>the guns nave sue
cessfuffy gone through the programme prescribed
for this class weapons. The breech OF the Hoch-
kiss KUN was blown of at an early stage OF the
,csts the breech- block OF the Canet was blown out
hv a premature explosion. and the mechan!sms OF
ho,h the Armstrong and the Schneider arms were
Disabled In firing.
The invention OF Lieutenant Seabury OF the
Navy OF the 72i-!nch type was also experin"nted
with bv the Board. The gun made TO fit the
uotchkiss mount and use the same ammunition
The Board purchased the gun for experimental
nurposos IN trials its breech mechanism was dis
nbled I'm the effort extract sticking cartridge
casc II is now undergoing repairs. upon the COM
pl.tion OF which the trials Will be continued. The
briggs Ordnance Company now has before the
Board IA rapid-nra gun OF the finch type. Tests
with 1t are being carried on at Sandy Hook.
The Board states that the advantages OF using
metallic ammunition for field guns is fully appre
ciatcd. aud the efforts Of General Flagler. Chief
of Ordnance to obtain the best brcech mechanism
have been seconded by the recommendations OF
such allotments those desired FOR the purposes.
Allotments have been made for the adaptation OF
the Seabury Dashlell and Fletcher systems OF
brc.ch mechanism to 32-inch field guns The hope
is expressed by the Board that from these Amer
lean systems one can e selected that Will satisfy
all the requirements Of field service. The report
says that fault is found with the present e1-
ceent field gun OF the Army. but by the use OF
rapid fire mechanism and smokeless powder more
compact ammunition can be employed, the primer
can be dispensed with and II more powerful gun of
the weight obtained The OF smokeless
powder Will also be a valuable feature In field
work
THE DEVELOPMENT OF GUN CARRIAGES
In relation TO the developments In gun carriages
the report publishes a letter OF A. H. Emery the
inventor ok the l4-llch elevatng carriage from
which 1t APPEARS that the design for his carriage
is finished. but the carriage itself has not been
manufactured. a l2-inch minimum port casemate
carriage has been successfully tested. and the Board
is OF tho opinion that there is no doubt that with
,s n,,TnaI Ts' mo % ms carriage will answer
carriage Is required. The contract FOR the new
Pneumatic Gun Carriage and Power companTy NY a. ths
cost OF fo1"0. has been uded bur the carriasa
date OF the report It is said 1bs, fHoH tH az the
nicdntd iO-Ihch disappearing carriage became dis.
abled IN experiments conducted at Sandy Hook to
determine" the effect OF the blast upon the para.
pet taptain Gordon, the inventor has notified the
boaid that ne proposes TO submit a model of a
gun,carrage on an improved design and the aa
Nisahllity OF repairing the damaged carriage has
uot p.en acted upon by the Board. The s-inch
ana lO-inch trozer burlington carriaras bay"
passed the experimental stage. and have been
hdopcd Tor all positions requiring the front MINI.
construction. Drawings OF the Adams io1inchh ho Az,
app.arns caFriase have been completed and ey-
ahmed by the Board. but action has been def.rr.t
uhti the board can have all the different plans ~
cehfe-p -pntle disappearing carriages before it thSi
are expected In the near future - ''"'
. or the seacoast mortar carriages tho car5on ,o
neeh tested with excellent results With tho excen
toh OF a Few accidents due TO the lack OF strength
oi some or the parts. which were readily reneirsd
sneaks a. isn.,h - Aat sld'iorly. The report
mehts conducted under It's direction among others
NE ,rial or the mortar battery az SANDY Hook
IDlnIng 1At1,rani VIccVH-