The evening times., 1896-05-20
PROTEST OF INVENTORS
Their Inventions Ignored by
Ordnance Officers.
DISCRIMINATION is CHARGED
Vow They Openly Propose to Protect
Themselves-AnA Amendment to the
Fortifications Bill Providing for the
Appointment of IN Ordnance Coun-
ell TO Examine All Inventions.

Numerous complaints are made by lead
ing inventors OF the country against what
they claim to be discrimination sho wn by tie
ordnance officers of the army ana navy III
declining to consider designs submitted py
persons outside OF tile service for Improve
nients in armor, ordnance, torpedoes and all
other kinds of devices OF modern warfare
1t is asserted by some of the most emncut
Inventors that Do matter how deserving
their propositions may be or cousideratonor
valuable for introduction ID the army ana
navy, the officers of the government wiilnot
report favorably upon them aud discourage
accepting them for tests and trials
To protect themselves they have sue
ceeded in having an amendment proposed
10 the Qualifications bill authorizing the
appointment Of an ordnance council, TO nave
entire charge OF all Improvements suggested
:or both services, this board to be non
partisan, and to have complete authority
TO examine all Inventions submitted, and
take the question entirely out OF the hanus
of the two ordnance officers.
The proposed ordnance council is to CON
.ist Of two leading army off"'".s two e1-
aerts OF the navy and three civ ilians whose
knowledge OF such matters is recognized
II is to be a continuous body and 10 receive
compensation ib ut equal TO that given the
civilian member of the fortification board
MAY BE ABANDONED.
Senator Teller. who has been interes'edin
The question. hopes to secure the adoption
Of the amendment, and If II passes as sub
uitted. II is surmised the Notifications
BOARD ma y he abandoned. asbeen repre-
sented for years that the work devolvlng ON
This board is greater than the Officers as
signed to il have time 10 properly ccislfer,
aud that particularly is this true OF the gen
eral comma nfing. who, by right Cf his rank,
sits president. 1t is urged thata permanent
council should he convened whose work VIII
he exclusively devoted to all matters rela-
tive TO the country's de feDses and new sug-
yestions and inventions.
Every week inventors submit ideas to
the bureaus of the War and Navy Depart
meuts, setting forth schemes. some Of which
no doubt are practicable, to improve the
equipment of the two services Many Of
these are the work of cranks, and are
quickly recognized as such, but. aside from
these, civilian inventors are known TO have
laid before the two departments many use
rul devices, which officers have cast aside
without even an investigation.
This action is said to be due to the feel
ing prevailing in each service that its own
officers are capable OF designing all new
arms and Instruments of warfare, and that
It would he extravagant and unnecessary
to call OIL outsiders for suggestions. If
such a council had existed as is proposed
i is claimed by those favorable 10 it that
calibers of guns adopted by the army and
navy, and it would not have been necessary
20 construct two distinct ordnance factu-
ries for the manufacture OF great guns for
coast defenses and the armament of war
ships.
The jealousy existing between the ord
nance bureaus of the two services has made
.timpossible for them toagree on any propo-
sitionin which both We're equally Interested.
DIFFERENT CALLERS.
The result has been that the land forces
aud the sea forces are now armed with
small arms having different calibers, and
thus ma king ii impossible to use interchange
able ammunition. which many experts con-
cede to tie a grave mistake that should have
been prevented 5v Joint action on the part
of the Secretaries OF war aud Navy. Each
side contends that its gun is the better,
but neither has yet proven its claim.
II is understood that both Secretary La
mont and Secretary Herbert would approve
)f body Of officers having sole direction
OF all questions arising relative TO questions
OF defenses.
One of the complaints made recently is
that the ordnance Officers of the navy will
not experiment with any inventions for
decorating high explosives in rifled guns,
and that several men who have devised
schemes and submitted them to the de-
partment have received no consideration.
IN all matters of this kind. and Others re-
,ating to ordnance and smokeless powder,
ordnance officers of both the army and
navy have disrcgarded the suggestions OF
outsiders and have continued on their
own line of experimental work with a
view to deciding themselves what they
| think is best for the service.
In dealing with the subject of small arms,
| however, each ordnance bureau invited
! competition. and the result was that the
navy adopted a gun invented by someone
not connected with the service and the
| army went abroad and selected a weapon.
| IN designing and manufacturing heavy
| ordnance, however, both departments have
| depended alone on the skill and ingenuity V
Of their own Officers. and no outside assis
| ance has been accepted.