The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-13
rORTIFYINC The COAST
Annual Report Of the Board of
Ordnance.
Sa,tisfu tory Progress Made-In.
crease of Artilley Force Rer.
OrsInended.

The annual report OF the 30 ard Of ord
submitted TO the Secretary of War, hut
has not yet been officially promulsat ri.
1t is {, document which will be read with
irfrrite interest, after the recent tx
prcssiors of Anieriea's peace and friehI
ship with allthe world, as those expressions
have been made by the pacificos Of che
American Cabinet.
The report of this board is a clumsy
wait fer protection Cor the coast at any
cost, and that. too,s when there is pro
fond peace all over the land nd not
sneck of red blood on the horizon. The
fear OF the War Department cannot refer
to England heca use bne of the America n
English iuurnaisiiof New York announces
that Sir Julian Pauncefote has been asked
To get new treaty through with tile
United States. ~ 3
Neither does the fea:' arise from any pew
in vasion Of the Irish; but all Of the
recent reports on guns, vessels and gun
powdcr. and all the belligerent talk of
army ana navy officials means just what
they saw. the apprehension OF a conflict.
notv itlls.anding the profusion OF red ana
yellow chrysa atheinWns.
rie following extracts from the report
Of the board SPEAK for themselves:
Tho work of arIning our seaco1sts Is
progressing with greater radditY tisin
ever before. Types of neatly every en-
gire ana appliance OF war for our service
are adopted, and we have but to procure
then. 10 complete our defensive system.
There IL much left to do.
Ut IL held by military and naval author
tiles trat no fleet unassists ID bya land force.
viii ever undertake to capture a properly de
Tended fertilization The danger il tha a
few swift and powerful vessels VIII run the
batteries and, one, inside the defenscs, VIII
hold the great cities At their mercy. To
prevent such raid every modern appliance
of war SHOULD be in rea diness. TOTpedOes
should be planted along their route. Se1rch-
tigj'iS to illuminate their course, range find
ers to carefully predict their positions At
9, cry instant 80 that no shot viii belost n nj
d Icihie torpedoes 10 attack them at every
point should be provided.
IAN tllis requires much more than guns
and IT * the purpose OF the board in equio-
pihg the typical artillery station At Fort
W.tdsworih tn demonstrate how much the
effectiveness OF the armament can be in
creased by the appliances Of scientific war
fare"
While approaching that the board has
nothing 10 30 with making any suggestions
relative tnaninCrcase in the enlSt eG strength
OF the artillery, the report states that out
81 i.Tdid guns and scientific carriages W I'll
he az NJ, avail without trained force 20
firht them. and an increase In the Person
ne, uf the artillery is urgently demanded ="
TIE test OF the S-inch Haskell multi
charge gun has been completed. Tie gun
was found unsatisfactory, and no more
tests viii be made. The S-inch Calling
cat steel .sIn is now under construction.
A Iu-inch Brown sesmental tube wire
W, untl gun j. also under Construction, the
bui,,d la win & made an allotment q $4,000
for thi, purpose. Tie report refers To trials
of 5-inch Brown segnental gun and the
e,sud results attained, and thinks these re-
suits are such a. to warrant the building II
tn, lo-inch gdt. The W eapOn viii be com
pl,ted 10y July /, 1898.
In regard tO.the 90 gun contract witt
the BcthleLern Company. the report states
that al oi the twenty five S-incl. guns CON
tracrcd for have been shipped. Of the
fit lu-mch guns more have been shipped.
Tno suUk ele>S powder that will b. sc
lcCted fol- the use OF the Army Will be q
q n,IbunG 0f nitro glycerine iii such pro
pertl.us and or SucE n graie Of gun
cuttcr, as to prevent All undue erosion o. the
bore and still give high bNllistic results.
The lizard ~ stil experimenting with en-
mersite and nitro iycerine for use as
hiGt explosives.