The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-12
COSTLY CHANGES.
Enormous Losses Caused I'm Keeping
Armies Up 20 Date.
F,rom the Phlladelphla Press.


From the Philadelphia Press.
In no private business and in no other
branch of the government service are such
enormous losses possible as in the army
and navy.
When a new gun or a new system OF for
tihcation is devised the old Is abandoned
forever, and the value which is repre-
scented Is total loss.
The British navy, not long ago, declared
obsolete a certain type of torpedo. In do
ing so 1t discarded torpedoes which had
cost it about 10000, or 100000.
The costliest change which the govern
ment Of the United States ever made was
when il discarded the muzzle-loading rifle
for the breech-loader, and the smooth-bore
cannon for the rined gun at the end of the
civil war The heavy ordnance discarded
at that time represented an investment of
many milnons-lt would be difficult to say
just how much. The discarded muskets
were about million and half In number,
and their cost had been from $12 to $ls.
Al an average of SIS they were worth,
originally, $22,5OO,OO0
OF this sum about one-thlrd or one-quar-
ter was recovered by the sale of the guns
to other nations in time Of war so the ac-
tual loss TO the government was $15,0O000O.
These guns, it is true. had been used in
the war, and presumably the government
had got $l5,000,O00 worth Of service out OF
them; but they were In good condition and
might have been used by our little stand
ing army Of 5000 men for half century
if the style had not changed.
The Springfield rifle cost little more
than the old-style musket 1t was replaced
by a magazine gun of small caliber and
high velocity. The old guns were not dis
carded when the new ones came in. They
are "as good as new" says Gen. Flag
Ter, the chief or ordnance of the army.
They were put through the armory, where
all worn parts were replaced and 10 per
cent of them were restored to prime con-
clifton. They will be kept In reserve for
use In time of trouble. The officers of the
government will not even say how many
of them there are, for fear foreign nations
should base on that information an esti-
mate of our fighting resources.
Some of the old heavy ordnance still has
uses but most Of II has been sold for old
II on or given away. Three hundred and
seventy-eight guns have been given away,
principally TO Grand Army posts; also 1872
gun carriages, and about 5000 shells.
This ordnance, like the muskets, had
seen good service, and besides It's original
cost was comparatively small. An old
eight-inch smooth-bore cost about $780,
while an eight-inch modern rifle gun costs
$4,000. Their is, an amazing difference in
the efficiency of the two, however. The
old smooth-bore waes y-six-pounder
and used ten and one-haH pounds of pow
der. The modern gun Of the same caliber
is q 3O0-pounder, and uses 1876 pounds of
powder.
When the navy department adopted a
new rifle recently, IL turned the old rifles
over to the naval militia. There were more
than 5000 of them, and they were worth
about SIS, co., Even II there had been no
militia TO equip, the loss by this change
would have been comparatively small
There are 10000 Of the new rifles, including
those for the marine corps, and they cost
about $4,000.
At the end Of the war the navy depart
ment did not forthwith tumble overheard
the old cast-iron cannon and substitute the
modern built-up gun. The change has been
gradual, and some of the old guns are still
in use on our ships of war. Nor were the
wooden ships of the old navy discarded, ex-
cept as they wore out.
The ships of the new navy are of the
very latest design, and cost $4,000 to S.
600, 900 each. 1t is not likely that condl-
tions will arise which will render them
entirely obsolete. AS for our four-inch
to thirteen-inch guns. which cost the gov
eminent from $3.50 to 100000 each, the only
changes likely to occur are In their me-
chanism. and these are small compared
with the total cost of the gun. Still any
day some genius may come to the front
with wholly new construction which
will leave millions OF dollars worth of
heavy ordnance practically useless on our
hands.