The times., 1898-10-19

NINll estADusE1ntDt al navy NIius...- o-'coo-SV
Machinery for new ordnance building
at League Island. and..............,..-. dO,Uoooo
near Norfolk. ''.'...'............. 27,5OOOJ
Steam lighter for League Island navy
yard aV,VoVvo
Toward armament and armor for YES
sels authorized. d.................-... 4'OoJ,CVooJ
Total se,475,S5s.5O
Washington Gun Factory.
Referring TO the work at the Washing
ton Navy Yard, the report says:
Since the date OF last report, 1l2 guns
of various calibers from to l3 inch have
been completed at the naval gun factory,
viz: Sixteen 4-inch fifty-four 5-inch,
twenty-nine 6-inch, one Pinch. and twelve
l3-inch, and thirty-three 6-inch and two
S-inch guns of ordinary type have been
converted into quick-firing guns.
"Thirty-seven 4-ineh guns and mounts
under contract with private firms have
also been partly completed. Forgings
have been ordered for five s-ineh twenty
5-inch, twenty-six finch. and one 3-incn
Q4-pounder) guns.
While no material change has been
made during the year in the general sys-
tenn of construction of guns under manu-
facture new designs have been prepared
for future guns of all calibers. calculated
to insure a much greater muzzle energy
than is now obtained from guns of the
same caliber at present In service. The
first of these new guns will be installed
on board the battleships Maine Ohio and
Missouri, and on board of the four har-
bor defense monitors authorized at the
last session of Congress.
THE work on gun construction is well
in advance of all vessels authorized; more
so than is that upon the heavy gun
mounts, due to the tardiness of some of
the contractors in delivering steel cast
ings therefor, but there is good ground for
believing that all will be completed before
the vessels themselves are ready.
THE guns and mounts and their appur-
tenances In service have been severely
tested during the recent war, and 1t is
gratifying to be able TO report that their
performance has been in general thor
oughIy satisfactory. Some minor defects
in the details of some of the mounts for
guns of small caliber developed, and were
quickly, or are being, corrected.
Were Armed for Wnr.
ASIDE from the current work of the bu-
reau a vast amount of work has been
performed at the various navy yards and
stations, during the recent war, in fit
ting out auxiliary vessels and in the
preparation and distribution of ammuni-
ton and ordnance supplies of all kinds,
and in increasing the reserve supply to
meet probable requirements.
las soon as war became imminent or
ders were given for large quantities of
powder, projectiles of all kinds. fixed
ammunition, small arms, and small guns
for secondary batteries, and contractors
were required TO carry on work without
intermssion, and to increase their ca
pacities. All vessels of the navy were
filed up with ammunition. even those on
foreign stations, and supply vessels laden
with reserve supply were kept in readi-
ness to supply the fleet.
"Guncotton mines and mining outfits in
large numbers were prepared and issued,
and launching tubes. etc, for seventy-fve
auxiliary torpedo boats were also pre-
pared. The government shops were re-
| quired to work continuously, and by these
means an adequate supply of war ma
terial of all kinds was procured
''The bureau fitted out 107 auxiliary YES
| sells during the war with Spain, which re-
| qured 576 guns of all calibers. In ad-
dition to these, fifty-nine guns were re-
| quired to arm the following vessels of
| the regular navy: The Craven, Dupont.
| Davis, Dahlgren, Farragut, Fox. Gwin,
| Morris, Mackenzie, Mckee, Princeton,
| Talbot. Vicksburg, and Winslow.
New Engines of Destruction.
THE bureau has in process of manufac-
| ture at the naval gun factory 100 heavy l.
| FOUNDER automatic guns, nearly half of
which are practically completed. These
| guns fire at the rate of $50 shots per min
| ute, but are nearly as heavy and as large
as a 6-pounder, and have the disadvan-
| tage of using their ammunition from
\ belts, which Is always source of more
| or less trouble. The bureau does not con-
slider the 1-pounder guns as of any ap-
| preciable value in the economy of a bat
| tleship or large cruiser except perhaps.
| for boat guns, and will substitute for
| them on the torpedo boats about to be
| built the 3-pounder semi-automatic guns.
| When automatic guns work well they are
ideal, but when anything goes wrong the
| difficulty cannot be quickly remedied as
| a rule.
1.-The bureau is also making 65 semi-au-
| tomato 6-pounder guns at the naval gun
| factory, intended for the new torpedo
boat destroyers, which will carry in ad-
| dition to five such guns two 12-pounders
| each. A 6-pounder semi-automatic gun OF
| the kind above referred to was recently
fired LOCO rounds at the proving ground
without hitch or the failure of any part
of the mechanism, and probably might be
| hred many more times.
| "A new high-powered 3-inch gun Qi-
pounder) has been designed, calculated to
have a muzzle velocity of 1000 foot-sec-
onds, and the forgings for the type gun
have been ordered. A new mount is also
| being made for this gun
While number of smoothbore guns
were prepared for service during the war
| none was put In use during the late
| war except such XV-inch guns as were
| on board the coast-defense monitors
| The bureau is convinced it is useless 10
longer retain the old cast-iron smooth
bore guns that are on hand in large
numbers at all the navy yards with their
mounts and ammunition, and will take
| steps to have them surveyed with view
TO disposing of them, as no contingency is
likely to arise which could render them
OF any use whatever, and 1t is useless to
| regard them as a part of the country $
naval assets.