The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-17
CANADA BUYING ARMS
AND HER POWDER FACTORIES
WORKING NIGHT AND DAY.
Unusual Activity Displayed by the Do
miniOn in Importing and MAX
ing Munitions of War.

QUEBEC, Aug. 16.-Whether or not it is
due to a revival of jngoism in Britain to
her increased affection for the Lady of
the Shows" to the enthusiasm inspired by
the jubilee, or to fear of what may result
from Canada's remarkable stand in the
matter of the seals and of the Klondike
gold fields certain it is that the Dominion
is signalling the year of the diamond jub
lee by such enormous importations of NUM-
tiOns of war as are creating any amount
of quiet conjecture and comment here.
The mere enumeration of the Warlike
stores now arriving here from England is
calculated to prove very surprising Should
one posted in these matters succeed in OBJ
tanning admission to the several armories,
stores and magazines in the citadel and in
the artillery park, he would be amazed to
see the quantity of valuable modern ord
nance and ammunition that fill the place of
the useless and obsolete smooth-bore guns
and muzzle-loading rifles which have occu-
pied these stores since 1870.
For the old Snider rifle, which was better
than a gaspipe, but useless as a gun, a re-
liable modern weapon has been substituted
in the new Lee-Enfeld rifle. Forty thou
sand of these have arrived, ready to arm
the whole militia force, together with
quantity of '303 ammunition, ordered from
England before the authorities of the Que
bee cartridge factory had altered its ma
chinery to enable it to make it here. Since
the making of these alterations and the
Importation of the necessary cOrdite several
million cartridges have been turned out of
the government factory and are now stored
in the citadel.
loading field guns are now ready for issue.
Six guns complete will shortly be sent to
"A" field battery at Kingston and a similar
number intruSted to ''B" battery here. The
remaining four batteries will be kept in
store for the present. There is an ample
supply of ammunition on hand for these
guns, which is carefully piled in the citadel
armOries, while the cartridges and limbers,
$50 in all, are temporarily placed in the drill
hall, awaiting shipment. There are also
number of Maxim Nordenfeldt guns, which
are loaded automatically and are said to
fire 600 shots a minute.
These guns are very modern, and it is
claimed that they are quite effective in the
field. They can be placed under cover upon
a species of tripod formed of the trail and
a distance for safer keeping. The recoil
simply causes the barrel, during this rapid
firing, to telescope within larger barrel
filled with water, so that the firing, may be
continuous without the barrel heating and
without changing the position of the tripod
or disturbing the noncommisSioned officer,
who sits comfortably upon the saddle fixed
to the trail, merely turning to the right or
left to follow the movements of the enemy
lnlS gun consumes the 0Oo COIQilS ileuo Ill
the government factory here.
The quick-tiring HotchIiss six-pounder
3.35 guns are among the newest and those
that take the eye most. Both the gun and
ammunition are very attractive in appear
ance and are said to do marvellous execu-
ton. The Hotchkiss is a fixture suitable for
inland forts lake shore, but moves on
pivot and is fired with great rapidity. The
ammunition. consisting of cOrdite, neatly
put up in brass coil somewhat thicker than
a mans wrist, with the siX-pound shell and
detonator attached, might be supposed
when fired off to cause an enormous re
bound to the gun after so powerful dis
charge. but as matter of fact, it is fired
from the shoulder of a man who remains
in the same position during the quick firing,
except that by a slight touch he moves the
gun upon it's pivot in the desired direction.
Almost each succeeding steamship brings
out new stores, and Colonel Forrest, the
superintendent keeps foreman and over
dozen storemen constantly occupied now at
the citadel in receiving and issuing newly
arrived and modern war material. These
are. of course, quite Independent of the en-
ployes of the gOvernment cartridge factory,
who arc working on full time and turning
out an immense quantity of ammunition.