The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-03-12
They Will Be a Material Aid
to the Big Guns in Many
Ways.
One Of the New Artillery Regi,
mentS to Be Stationed at
Baltimore.

various bureaus OF the war ana navy
departments Of the $50, 900, 900 voted
for the national defense. The secretary
felt that there was Nc reason for fur.
thef delaying the necessary steps for
the Procurement of these guns, as it
was felt there would be no trouble in
arriving at an equitable adjustment Of
the money available. Ever since the
battleship Maine was wrecked in
Havana harbor the ordnance depart.
ment has been fastening the de.
livery Of guns already finished, and
making arrangements for the supply of
such a number of additional ones
as the officials felt warranted in order.
ing without the additional funds,
which have since been put at their dis.
posal. The ordnance bureau will take
all these rapid fire guns that can be
procured within a reasonable time, and
they will be shipped to the sea coast
Notifications as rapidly as possible.
They constitute what is known as the
auxiliary defense for the Notifications,
and are a
Material Aid to the Big Guns.
which are necessarily slower of move.
ment and firing. They would also he
Invaluable in assisting in keeping the
enemy's ships from the vicinity of sub.
marine mines and other obscure means
of defense by maintaining a constant
fire over such places. Contracts for the
delivery Of carriages for these rapid
fire guns have also been authorized,
and will be shipped to the Notifications
as soon as completed. The car.
riages can be made and de.
livered much quicker than the
guns, so that the expedition in
the officials OF the ordnance bureau are
urging. Quite a number of establish.
ments throughout the United States
have responded to the departments in
luiries as to whether they can assist in
making these guns. They include the
Army Gun factory, the Bethlehem Iron
Works, the briggs Ordnance company,
and the American Ordnance pan
The guns are mounted without much
trouble, so that haste in their manufac.
ture is the essential in the present
crisis. 1t is now admitted by
the ordnance department. and directions
have been given to the various arsen.
ais and armories controlled by the
government to increase the working
force to the fullest practicable extent,
with a view to hurrying the compile.
ton Of existing projects. Likewise, all
drms having contracts to supply the
government with ordnance have been
requested to work their men night and
day in order to finish the work in hand.
and to arrange their business with a
view to increased orders.
AS to the small arms extra ammuni.
ton, orders have been already placed
with the Union Metallic Cartridge
company Of Bridgeport, Conn, and the
Winchester Arms company Of New
York. The negotiations for the supply
OF large numbers Of small arms, arms
equipments and accoutrements are now
III progress.
One Regiment at Baltimore.
Fort McHenry, i'll Baltimore harbor,
Will be selected as the headquarters OF
Il OF the new regiments or artillery
instead Of Fort Wadsworuh, New York,
a. was originally proposed. This
change, 1t is said, is due to representa-
lions that have been made to the sec.
rotary OF war that both the new req.
ments should not be located in New
York, bat one should go further south.
The selection of Fort Slocum, as the
headquarters of one Of the regiments
will not be altered.
General Greedy, chief signal officer,
has been given authority by the secre.
tary OF war to proceed without regard
to ordinary restrictions in esta blishiny
RAPID telegraph connections between
the sea coast Notifications. 1t will not
be necessary therefore, to invite propo-
sails for furnishing supplies, and to fol.
low the ordinary slow methods of pro.
curing the telegraphic material, and
doing the work.
This rather extraordinary authorize.
ton was conferred upon General
Greedy after a forcible presentation by
him to the secretary of war of the press. |
ing demand for modern means of com. |
m~unication between the forts. He
showed that even in New York harbor |
where the war department had devoted |
its best means to the protection of the
Notifications, it requires t~hree.quarters
OF an hour to pass a message from one
battery to another. Fort McHenry. /!
Baltimore, is worse off, while, strange
as it may seem, the only method of
communication between the national
capital and its most important defen.
work, Fort Washington, on the
Potomac, is by means of a messenger.
Before leaving for the cabinet meet.
ing, Secretary Long said that he had
received nc report thus far from the
court OF inquiry nor had he ordered the
feet i'll China to the Philippines, as
rumored here.
The secretary spent a good deal of
time in consultation with Assistant
Secretary Roosevelt and Captain Brad.
ford, chief OF the bureau of equipment,