The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-03
HINDSEGHT OF ARMY
AND NAVY BUREAUS
From the Chicago Times-Herald.

from the chicago I1meS-f1erald.
The experience of our government in
meeting the emergencies of war teaches us
that army and navy officers as a rule are
not as intelligent and progressive as the
average civilian, particularly those officers
filling the so-called bureaus and boards for
any length of time. This is particularly the
case in the United States, where officers
and government experts are always years
behind in knowledge of how to accomplish
certain results in comparison with mechani-
cal engineers. For instance, that smoke
less powder possesses great advantages
over the common powder has been known
to the latter for years, while our chiefs of
ordnance and their experts for army and
navy were still ignorant of that fact and
ridiculed the idea of improving their gun
powder. 1t Is indeed a discreditable fact
that the smoKeless powder was offered first
to our government and our government was
last to adopt it, and then only after our
chiefs of ordnance were driven to it's adop-
ton. Many of our soldiers found an early
grave at Santiago on account of the unwill-
ingness of our bureau chiefs to recognize
the Importance of smokeless powder.
Most mechanical engineers who had given
the subject any study We're aware that the
breech-loadng rifle was superior to the
muzzle-loader. Notwithstanding this, the
Austrian government officials only became
wise enough to adopt a breech-loading rifle
alter they were defeated by the Prusslans.
Ericsson was sneered at when he explained
that a screw propeller had a great many
advantages over the side wheel for man.
of-war. 1t took six long years before our
mechanical engineers were able to convince
our distinguished naval officers and their
experts of this fact. The Monitor would
never have had a chance If the board of
naval officers had had their own way. but
Lincoln, not being a graduate of Annapolis
stepped over them at the last moment and
thereby did our navy service relatively
greater than his greatest service to the
country. 1t is impossible to say what would
have been the fate of this country if Lin
coin had not overruled those bureaus The
Monitor affair shows that naval officers
may be very primitive in their notions be-
sides being very short-sighted
Providence meant well with us in spite of
our navy ordnance bureau. Captain Erics-
sons plan was that the exterior of guns
for the Monitor should not be turned, as all
men posted in the science of metallurgy
knew the exterior Of iron castings to be the
strongest part, but the bureau had those
guns turned, thereby lessening the efficiency
of the guns. If Erirssons plan had been
followed the first few rounds would have
disabled the Merrimac. But as it was, his
tory tells us, it was indeed a hard struggle.
Mechanical engineers were long aware
that steel was far superior to cast iron for
guns. Still our ordnance experts swere sat
isfed that cast iron was so far superior TO
steel that they expected the European gov
ernments would be obliged to come back to
It. This was my own personal experience
twelve years ago, when L made a strong
effort to convince our army and navy Of
ficials of the superiority of the built-up
gun, but failed, and millions of government
money was thrown away in worthless war
materials. All mechanical engineers of this
day, and at least so per cent OF all mechan-
les working in metal were aware of this
facts, but still our government experts were
unable to comprehend 1t 1t does look queer,
but these are all facts.
There has been a continuous struggle be-
tween armcr and gun, one day the gun