The Van Buren press., 1898-02-05
TARGET PRACTICE at SEA.
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Target practice At sel by ships Of The
arg aarr costs the government annual
II haIf . million dallars, ind with tie
completion Of ships now building me
easf .ill auun1ach ss1g 911 This III
slades 1nIR the cost Of powder and the
a1rau v8taeir If SHELLS used. Ware I'll
powder charges aud the regular arndr-
piercing proieetiles employed tie cost
would he at least s. 900 1B0. Nane but
ne best kind ef powder can be used ii
lae Dig gins, 1nt the shells need not De
# he duest workmanship.
FROM not more than s1Ga.90G year
for target practice 10 nearly one million
iea Big jumpin the eosaof maintaining
t1ie navy.. and yet officers claim that
there Is not half enough practice as it
IS. Economy has prevented the fire.
qneut use Of the batteries and the
workmanship records show that
qunners are not SO proficient as they
should be, The fact that the navy has
not been well supplied with either pow
der or shells for years is the cause of the
poor scores made by some ships conn
pauies, say the officers. The president
recommends in his annual message the
appropriation of $1,000 600 to provide a
reserve supply Of powder. There viii
soon De. delivered more than half a
million dollars worth of projectiles un-
den. contracts awarded last summer
These roiectiles are intended to I'll the
ordnance rooms Of ships not provided
and leave on hand a fair supply in ease
the vessels are called upon to fight.
Powder is needed to propel these shells,
and unless congress Authorizes its pur-
chase soon there will be a good many
ships short on their allowances for tar
get practice.
Recent regulations provide that
every vessel in the navy at sea shall
haVe a certain amount Of target prac-
tice annually. The limited supply Of
powder and shells prevents fun service
charges from being fired often and in
all target practice the charges are
greatly reduced and the shells used are
of the cast steel variety. All practice is
TO be conducted on or Oft soundings at
ranges varying from sec to 3,010 yards,
the ship eircIing the target at a speed Of
not less than eight knots, such practice
being intended to simulate, as nearly
as possible, the conditions Of battle IN
der a spirited and continuous fire. At
two sea practices each year all vessels
are 10 be cleared for action, and men
are no be stationed "a in actual battle,
with necessary officers, aids and quar-
termasters in the coming tower, and
all other officers at stations. ProiectIles
used in practice are either semi-armor
piercing or simply cast iron with little
power TO break through heavy armor
The powder, however, is oft best fur
nishcd the navy.
Capt. O'Neil, the ordnance chief, estf-
mates that IT will be only two or three
/ years before the service must approprf-
ate at least 100000 annually for the
purpose Of target practice alone. It be-
comes necessary, he finds, to educate
I gun in the handling Of their pieces and
in accuracy Of fire, and skill can be OBJ
tanned only by means Of liberal prov;-
sion for target practice. Next year. he
says, the navy will burn up and shoot
away powder and projectiles worth
I 300. .O00.-N. Y. Sun.