The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
OUR CHANGED ARTILLERY.
4 BBAsING-uP FOLLOWED SECRETARY
ROOFS xPPEIRANCE.


British Rspid-Fire Guns Bought Overnight
and sent to Gen. Otis-Eoreign Devices
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Powder Sent
to Manila and New Proj-ctiics Secured
While tho British and tho Beers are fighting
with modern field guns firing high explosive
shells tho American forces In the Philippines
have been fighting for more than year without
q single piece 81 the new artillery ana without
. single pound Of high explosive. Were the
rebels Of i.uzon armed as arc the Beers, with
rapid fire artillery from tho Continental gun fac
tories. IL would hardly be possible to put the In
surrection down without terrible losscs Of life
Fortunately for Gen. Otis, Agunndo's army Is
even worse OF than our own, and the vigilance
Of the blockade Of Philippine ports prcclud"s
tho possibility Of the rebels strengthening their
artillery. On the other hand, the new Secretary
Of War intends TO provide Gen. Otis with an nde.
quate artillery. and he already has on the Pacific
Coast bound for Manila the first shipment Of new
ncld guns and high explosives.
When Secretary Root entered tho War Depart
ment there were seventeen batteries OF artillery
IN the Philippines but Of these seventeen all but
i've wcro fighting as infantry with small arms
Only Ave batteries had field artillery. -Four OF
these Ave had tho heavy old % inch slow ht'ng
guns, which, in the opinion Of artillrrists. are
fintiock muskcts TO KrnE JotEcuscns" The
remaining battery had llotchkiss guns given
to the Government by John Jacob Astor. Gen,
Otis himself who. the artillery officers say. went
10 Manila believing that the infantry was little
In need Of a heavy support Of artillery cabicd to
Washington that the heavy old ncil guns were
Inadequate The exact condition of the artillery IN
the Philippines was made the subject OF n special
report to the new Secretary Of War when he began
his work. lie assured army officers, who pointed
out to him tho weakness Of the artillery equip
ment, that the President wanted to put down
tho Instruction speedily and that the artillery
would be strengthened at once.
Within month Of the day he became Sc
rotary Of War Mr Roo, came up from Washing
ton with Gen. Miles to witness some tests Of ne"
ordnance at Sandy Hook 4 few days before
this Lieut. Buckley Of the Third Artillery, who had
tccn ordered 10 the Philippines, was directed TO
60 10 Woolwich Arsenal and from there TO Paris
and Amsterdam TO investigate tho use Of noun
tain batteries in India md Africa one of tie
guns tested at Sandy Hook was n new NicScrS
Maxim mountain gun purchased In England
by the board of Ordnance and Fertilization.
In the opinion Of the ordnance cSncriS ~ The
proving ground this was Just the gun needed Ia
the Philippines, and Secretary Root accepted
their verdict Red tape was slashcl. A cable.
gram was sent that night tu Lieut. tucSey, Mh"
had Just arrived in England, t,lling him " buy
a dozen Of the mountain guns at once Mr. Root
saw. the guns were needed aad the first thing
The two batteries lien Of English mountain guns
will be at Hong Kong in few days. Amerl'nn
at Sandy Hook say tina. II l. one II the most per
feet pieces OF ordnance ever mounted at the prov
and Russian armies have BEEN clnpnrd with
this new rapid re artillery for several years
while our own army has been struggling along
will heavy, slow firing field guns European
armies have gone ahead while our own has been
at standsull in this respect. American ar'!l.
icrists and gun makers have plcndc Tor III" ar
tllery. asserting. what nobody denies. that this
country could lead in gunmaking u y had a lar
chance to go ahead Hut distractions have
american ordnance Secretary Root It Is known
in Washington has quickly Erosrcd the situation
the question without prejudice Attill'frmrn
believe that the new head Of the War licya7tm"n'
will speedily rerovc some u! the chief ohsiFu sons
This English rlourtNin gun is only one II
The many tyres q the ncw sItillrry but com,
run viii show low far this country j. hrhiEi
The other day II was Announced n WashinEt,n
twenty-five l2rounder mountain guns. THIS
- the l2-pounarr Nuchkiss. hnc gun IN
us day, bu, now hncS ngmbHt II Is NE Gest
gun Of its kind In our crny, however The I'm.
ported mountain gun fires a twelve and n.halt
pound shell but its bore is The, same rs that II
the llotchkiss-thrccin inches The hotChl.iss uS"F
fourteen. ounce charge Of brown powder tire
NickersMaHim, sixteen ounces Of sr'ui c'"ss
I"wtcr tonscdncnt!y' whiie lhs mrIhe y,l.Ii'y
powder gun dcyrlpFcs 700 e. 'tscccrds. nearly
twice a. great y doubling 4 velocity means
Tremendous increase IN energy. The Amerlc'u
f3 font.tons will he English gum mr.rlr
energy is go fnrt;"ns. nearly ~ grra, rs hat
I6vrlnIed by tie heavy field guns low IN the
Philippines
Raj idty Of fire /. one Of the great features Of
the artillery This Is attained by the 81
fixed ammunition, quick. acting brcsch rlcyhan-
ism and svecial devices tor taking M the tecnll
III" l!othEiss mountain gun, uses hScd an.
lack like an old biundcrbuss. The \ickcT>
Maxim sun sent u the Philippines has nll Of
and It Us POSSIBLE to deliver with II tigcnry high.
EXPLOSIVE shells a minute Ten shells minul"
J.; i'g normal capacity ON the field Of battle lhr
minute, fur II has 20 he brought back into bat.
tety and resimcd after c'ch nruy
Gen Gus, rs hg@ ben said. has four batteries
Of The inch guns and nihc more hait'r,r~ ar"
being shipped - him. Brig, Gen. ilnglcr, IN his
last rcn9It - Chief Of OrInancr s@il u thi, piece.
AZ the time the present 2 inch field sun was
designed and introduced into service, some lftcn
years ago 1t was thought 10 meet all essential
requirements, and WAS proved to rc in last, fully
equal TO the best field gun cNtaHt at that u'rod
Since that time, however the Introduction u
smnkclcss powder and some improvements in the
construction 81 the gun and it's carriage. have
made II practicable 10 increase the power aud
slGcncy Of this piece without sacrificing requisite
Ever since the European ARMIES began dizrnrd
Ing tlnr old field icces our Ordnance l'G."rn hr,
bsCn lTNlis 70 make y modern KUN uul ~ IN" rll
S2-inCh gun, hut while our army ia It'll! using
this an,.GuGtcd gun all the GLcr; Armies o I,uroIe
have tie new artillery The Nckcrs Maxim
3-inch heldgun develops II muzA!r y'lgcity ui
2,7OO foot seconds, n mu1zlc energy Il G32 loot
TONS md fires from ten Ia twenty high 'nlo ,ly'
shells minute Tie tcet gun We have IN the
PhilirI ines, although Of slightly greater cslbrc
develops velocity 81 only 1855 ioptscconds, -
nuz2c energy Of only 1857 iuu'-ors, and DIES
well If il fires one shell minute \ muIIle
loader OF 1861 compares better w.th our present
army fcldgun than does the latter with the new
artillery We got from England
With ,hC English guns now ON the Pacific Hrc
shells of all kinds, Including shrnpnrl and high
explosive shells There isn't n high Explosive
shell in the Philippines to day The shrapuc
proicCtile, the same the British are using in
South Africa, will be- terror To the rebels IN the
Philippines The shell w. flied with nrNrly 800
lead balls, When the shell IL fired It's fuse is so
timed TO explode the shelf iu,t in front Of the
enemy. The bullets shoot forward, = lc'dcn rain
A dozen Of these shrapncI smells bursting over an
enemy's position in u minute ~ something more
Than hnlf-Cvi2cd fighters can stand, one Of
la (,pD u I'M % biol