Arizona republican., 1899-06-07
Not Enough Men in the ArtiIl-
 cry Service.
A CRITICISM BY ARMY MEN
A Circumstance Which May lnfIu- ence Call for VOIunfeerS-On Account Of an inadequate Force Both inc Efficiency of the ArfiII. cry Service and inc Big Coast Guns BOfh Suffer.

Washington, June GA phase of the
 army situation that IS receiving con- siderable attention from those in- l terested in the artillery arm of the
 service is the increasing shortage Of
 men to care for the constantly in-
 creasing number of guns in the coast defenses. This question indeed may
 have considerable bearing on the ques-
 tion of whether a call TOT volunteers
 will be necessary to supply the addi-
 tional troops that it is felt reasonably
 certain will be needed in the Philip
 pines.
 The army reorganization bill passed at the last congress made what was considered by many a very liberal provision for artilerymen, the corps | being raised to nearly 12,0O0 men, q greater proportionate raise than in
 most of the other branches oS the
 service.
 In spite of this provision there are
 not enough artillerymen, as the case now stands, to take care of the modern
 guns already installed on the coast
 defenses, and while the number of
 these guns is being constantly aug
 mented by the industry of the en-
 gineer corps, the artillery force is
 being constantly depleted by being
 sent on foreign service to act as in- fantry.
 This fact is being seriously dis
 cussed by army officers familiar with
 the situation. They say that the Sixth artillery has been sent to Manila, that a part of the First and two batteries of the Second are also there. Other batteries Of the Second are in Cuba.
 and of the Fifth at San Juan, Porto Rico, while part of the Third has been sent by General Shafter to act as in- fantry in Alaska, while the colored infantry is retained at the Presidio, where there are val uable guns to be cared for. It is pointed out by those famil- jar with the situation that this state of affairs is not only detrimental to the
 
 ments from having proper drill at the guns with which they are supposed to fight in time of war, but meantime the guns themselves are suffering for want of attention.
 The emplacements for the heavy modern guns. while they are immense masonry and cement structures, are built with the mathematical accuracy of fine watch, and they have to- be cared for in approximately / the same way. The guns upon them weigh many tons, and proper care of the emplace- ments requires that the guns should be trained each day in a different po- sition to keep their masonry founda- ton from settling out of true.
 Coast defense gunnery is matter of mathematical accuracy, much more so than gunnery on shipboard. In the latter case, with the roll of the ship and other things to be taken into ac- count it resembles wing shooting and the personal equation of the gunners enters largely into the success. In the big coast guns the whole problem = IS worked out by mathe- matics. and if the gun and its founda- tions deteriorate all the fine work in their original construction goes for nothing.
 It IS said at the war department that there are actually not enough artlI- lerymen in the department of the gulf to average hall of lone relief in caring for the guns now in place there. The best interests of the service de- mand three full reliefs at each artil- lery post. On the Atlantic coast the case is much the same. One post in particular, where the minimum of one relief to care for the guns in place would be sixteen men, is now supplied with only ten. This, the officers say, is not enough men to keep the guns piled and cleaned, to say nothing Of them properly or drilling the men as regular guns crews.
 The comments of the officers above quoted are not made by them in spirit of hostility to the departments nor for the sake of sem 'ational discussion, but they claim 7ery earn nestly that the lack of artillery orce at the posts where ar illerymen are supposed to be rafned is not only injuring he corps by depriving ct of Irill and instruction, but causing the GH millions of dollars Eorth of new coast defenses.