The times., 1897-11-14
THE CONDITIONS FOR WAR
Ordnance Supplies and Provis
ions for Coast Defenses.
EXPERIMENTS WITH GUNS
Operations of All the Rapid Fire Of
Great and Small Calibre- Develop-
Work of Arming the Sea
Coasts Proceeding Rapidly.

The most interesting of all the reports
from the War Department was given out
yesterday afternoon. 1t deals with or,i-
nance supplies and coast defenses and pro-
visiou OH both Of these subjects ;or :he
ei.sCine year.
The general operations of the board
uuIinB the year nave comprised the con-
Sideratlon OF great many suggestions
auu pans Tor SedcOaSt defense, and the
examination OF devices and machines per
t4tIinS thefeto the perrectinE of a system
OF lire control for seacoast forts, including
the equipment or typical artillery station
at + orr nadsworth;une Test oI experiment. al
guns and carriages; the investigation oe
the penetration OF shot into concrete,
paiapet and its sand covering, and the
development OF a suitable high explosive
iof charging shells.
The test Of the eight-inch Haskell multi
charge gun was Completed in February,
1897. Only two rounds were fired AT
the second roand the metal between .ha
forward pocket and the bore was found
To have been crushed in, ana the gun was
consequently unseryiceable.
Test OF the multIcnarge system was
authorized by Congress in 1888, and since
tnat time sInokeless powders have been 50
developed that the advanta yes OF such
gun, even though II equaled in every re-
.
nave 10 great extent disa ppeared. 1t
was anticipated that great muZZle velocity
with low and sustained pressures w0nld
be obtained, but with modern SInokeless
powders the same result is attained with
out lne complicated anu uncertain mec ia IL
lsila Which cnaraeterizes the multic harge
gun.
The & inch Gatling cast steel gun is now
under construction, na wing been cOntrac ted
Ipr py the secretary oi War by virtue of
the act approved June 8, 1880.
.rt fs,,r s-f a =s... t,.,E
Llat IN case the o-incn Brown gun did not
develop any radical defect In the system
NJ was its intention to alIot money for
the construction OF "a 10-incn gun.
The 0-luch gun failed at the one hun
dred and nety-secOnd round, but it en-
dured some enormous pressures and its
IalIure was not conclusive as to the merits
OF the system. 1t was also believed that
Congress desired that the gun should have
q thorough test. For these reasons, tho
board decided TO recommend the allotment
Oh S33,OoO Tor the construction OF To-
inch rifle, and the recommendation was
approved by the Secretary OF War.
The trustees expect TO lave the gun
ready for test about July / 1898.
Under the hunureu-gun contract twenty
five s-inch, fifty 10-inch and twenty-five
12-inch guns are TO be made by the Beth
the L 90 guns VIII be delivered considerably
In advance of the contract time
The purchase OF the Seabury 4.72-inch
gun Is conditional upon it's fulfilling GER
tam tests II failed TO operate salts
Iactorly at its trial and was removed
from the proving ground for alteration.
Ihe nreech mechanism hsa been radically
cnanged, and 1t Is understood that il Will
soon be returned TO the proving ground
for further test.
The 5-Inch rapid fire gun, single forging,
Is not yet finished, but the tests 50 far
taken verify the theory Of its censtFuc-
ton.
Thereport gives in abstractthe opera lions
as TO all of the rapid-fire guns OF lesser
cauher and gun carriages.
The Development of satisfactory smoke
less powders for cannon has been under
the Immediate supervision Cf Cant. Sid
Dey T.; Stuart, of the ordnance department,
and allotments have been made by this
DoaEd from time 10 time 70 carry on the
Nuik. a very considerable advance mas
been made during tue past year. In or.ier
To put themanu1actureon practical bass,
contracts were made with the leafJpg
powder makers to supply powder of sOln-
position specified by the prdnance .i,,-
partment, but leaving the form OF gram
to the manufacturer. This has resulted m
the production OF several forms OF grain
cent of energy, when fired. over the brown
cocoa powder previously employed. These.
powders are now being delivered, aud
tl4ugh the tests have not 3arn Complet-
ed, they have proceeded sufficiently far
to settle definitely the composition and
TO indicate that the selection OF the fol.n
The question or the adoption OF type
for automobile diFigible t0rnedoes is still
In very unsa tisfactory state. The Hal
pine torpedo appeared TO the board promis-
ing, ana one was ordered.
Lieut. Halpine reports that he found il
necessary TO design and build a special
type or motor in order to get the power re-
CURED within the limited space and weight
alloWe ed, and that the firss two OF these
motors built did not fulfill the contract re-
quIrements. Another is nearly finished
TfF 40 ts~fn
presented for test shortly.
Other tOrpedoes have been brought to
The notice OF tile hoard, such as the Pa trick
and Lay but action upon them has been
deferred until the result of the HalDine trial
can be known.
The Patrick has been tested by the
much more expensive than the Halpine.
The Lay system has been used extensively
la Europe.
These weapons, costing from 81. 600 tn
$4,000 each, II provided in proper nun-
oers' VIII require very large outlay, and
the board is deSirOuS OF procuring the cnpaD-
est type that Will effectively do the WORK.
Tie subject OF high explosives has npen
Ia charge OF Major Frank III. PhiDps,
ordnance department, acting a. S a con
Inituee of the board. Very satisfactory pro-
gress has been made toward the sci pctRin
,t an explosive for shell c harges but further
should be made before finally
deciding this ma tier.
The invention OF a safe and effective
letonator by Lieut.. William Pierce, of
ne ordnance Department., ha SalSo slIpulied
a long sought for desideratuln
OWing 10 the laGt that number Of al
lrely used, and were revoked last wear.
nus increasing the funds at its disposition.
he board decided that the appropriation
Il 81 500 made for the past two years
5ould be reduced to 100000 without !
interfering with its work.
The work OF arming our seacnasts is
Progressing with greater rapidity than
yer before. Types of nearly every engine
md appliance of war for our service are
ldopteh and we have but to procure them |
o complete our defensive system Rnt |
We Should not assume that we are secure
'ecause few of our chief harbors are |
lartially fortified. There is much lett |
O do. /
1t is accepted by military and naval |
authorities that no fleet, unassisted by n i
and force, Will ever undertake to capfure |
properly defended fortress. The danger |
5 that few swift and powerful vessels |
Will run the bate ries and once inside the /
efenses VIII hold q great city at their !
mercy To defeat such raid every mod |
m appliance of war should be in Readiness |
loTpedoeS should be provided to he planted |
dong their Route, search lights to illuminate |
nelr course, range finders to accurately !
,fedlct theif position at every instant so !
nat no shot VIII be wasted, and dirigibl. /
orpedo boats To attack at short range. An /
MS requires much more than guns and /
and 1t is the purpose of the |
oard IN equlpping the typical artillery sTa-
lon at Fort Wadsworth to demonEtrara
ow much the effectiveness of the arma-
nent can he increased by the appliances
j scientific warfare
i Ilit fioard' s special province is to inyes
igatc the material that viii be used in
oast defense, but it does not think TINT
{ transcends its duties If 1t points out 10 |
congress the fact that the means of caring /
Oh ana lianeuver1ng all this costly nrnla.
nent thatIS being accumulated are entirely
inadequate. Our splenddgu ana scientific I
arrIages VIII be OF no avail without
raiued uen to fight them and an inoraoso
d Che personnel of our fortress derenders is
Irgentiy demanded TO keep pace with the
eyeiopHent Of our defensive system.
Inc anoutalous status of our harhor de-