The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-24
SECRECY IN GUN TRIALS.
NO NEWS TO DIVULGE TO FOREIGN
ARMIES, SAYS MIR. ROOT

That's Why tho Public Doesn't Hear More
About the Work at snndy Hook - A
New Rule, Now That We Have some
Secrets About Guns worth Having.
Nowadays very little news reaches tho public
about the War Departments work at tho Sandy
Hook proving grounds, less news, in fact than
during tho war with Spain, when all visitors
| were barred out OF the coast Notifications The
reason Tor this is that the new Secretary 81 war
believes that foreign military experts have been
| profting too much by the information they have
gained OF our ordnance trials through the reports
In the newspapers and scientific journals, and
SO he has instructed officers Of the army not TO
discuss publicly matters connected with the de-
| vcopmcnt OF our guns shells and explosives.
| The work at Sandy Hook goes on every day and
some highly interesting tests Of new ordnance
are made, hut the officers OF the proving grounds
keep their discoveries secret between themselves
| and the Ordnance Department and the only public
announcements Of proving ground work are
made in Washington by the War Department.
What little news Is given out at Washington
| Is already so well known by everybody who can
profit by II that 1t amounts to news at all.
The rule Of secrecy was made by Secretary
Root after he had read in the papers the reports
OF trial at the proving ground Of new form
| Of high explosive shell One OF the illustrated
wccklics printed an illustrated story Of tho trial
| OF this sheli, over the signature Of member Of
the family Of a prominent officer Of the Ordnance
Department Before Mr.. Root entered tho War
Department such thing would have passed
unnotccd. as the illustrated Journals frequently
! printed articles about new ordnance written by
officers Of tho army. But the new Secretary
said this must stop. What information the
War Department had abou, discoveries in guns
and explosives was too difficult, to learn to go
world hnv x,h liz ftsr
this MI Root made a visit to Sandy Hook TO
witness another trial Of the high explosive shell
He then personally asked Major Heath tho com.
manning officer at the proving grounds, to see
that all ordnance news was kept secret until given
out directly by the War Department.
Since that day not an item Of information has
reached the public about the proving ground
tests Major Heath, who was always glad TO
talk over with newspaper men the general re-
suits Of the important work going on at the Hook
now has TO refuse all Information. Since the
secrecy rule was made the most important thing
that has been done at the Hook is tho making
OF the new high explosive. thurite. for the army
In the Philippines This explosive as was 70.
Gently announced in Washington. has proved
50 powerful aud at the same time ~ safe to handle
seIvISe as bursting charge Tor she'll Ii is like
the Ehsiish lyddiie WHICH Is being used in the |
Var i,s = ; south Africa Thoriic was adopted and
aftltry was under orders 10 go TO the Philippines
70 make thorie IN Manila. weeks before the pubic
knew anything about IL. In laCt no new VI the I
adoption Of ihorite was published uniii long after
me Manila orders had been ro,oscd and the man. |
uihcturc oi the posiye had begun al SANDY Hook.
One n ed only to look hack over Tie reports |
OF inc ,hlsi OF Ordnance ana the Board Of ord |
nance ana Fertilization to see how little care |
was formerly taken TO keep ordnance information !
secret; The carly reports Of the Ordnance FOR
Of the tests OF new shells aud new expI"siycs
ana any foreign Gcyurnmcnt could get tunles
a. mes reports ana ind out everything We were
doing al sandy Hook. hut these rep r,s were
no, 81 much value To Investigators abroad, Tor
our ar'i,ierisls we're not learning much Of value
then They were only going over the work that
had already been donc BY ,hc arn,.rs Of E',r"pr
Abou, all VIC learned then was that the new dc.
vices No had we're failures. We burst gun after
gun trying 10 devise a safe way Of throwing miro
genuine and other highly sensitive dcstfuycrs
hcmsts brought forward various cNpluSiyrs
i"t testing, aud some OF them gave promise u
icing OF value, but nearly al Vi them failed at
Tlllcai moments.
Now illsdiiicrent. Las, summer Major Hcath's
experiments With high explosives came 10 some.
tmhs. Tue compound prepared by Dr lutte
ol hComa did remarkable things eut through |
batilcShlp armor without cApiodnE Wien il
WASH intended that II should cAplude and then
IN fused shell, II always did what was wanted
Vi " ! hats lie KIND 81 high explosive the Gov
ana no" that II appears that one has been iuund
ths secretary OF Mar doesn't want The powder
s m"E't ~ sGto@ ,a 70 INA out how 4 IS made And
pl"Sve shells fired at Sandy Hook Lerctofnr,
have been about as dangerous TO IN. men Lsr.
hihd the guns as the imaginary enemy IN front
of them But this invention Of The yurIinrtnn
enGihrrr has been as safe 10 handle as an 1rdi,
Sne y, arnh"uSh y carries enough nitro.
at one swoop. So far as We know no fnrryn
army has such a wonderful destroyer and Sc
rotary hoCt wants TO keep the invention for this
country Naturally. when our ordnance "x
pert1 are reaching results Of real value lis NO
. .h 10 tell our neighbors across the ocean all
While We are keeping our new knowledge
np' nra,r'ety 10 ourselves We are finding out
Nhat Ury are doing abroad. For cNauiplr
lhe ordnance Department has been puttcrinr
around with old field guns for several years
a. ne French guns the Beers are using andthr
English guns that have been shipped 10 he Trans.
va Ma a ,pp Engmnds use and 10 the Philippines
,a,nilirry our army is wofully behind the time
i, si,, me English made mountain guns were
piece Of field artillery in the Philippine Tor tie
f that the Ordnance Department had none 10
% condition OF our field artillery ordered guns from
EEngiand at once. somewhat to the chagrin Of
h1 ,. S, SIys in ,h the 3,ananss department Within
no,pnd r1nhdentlai Inflammation regarding tho
nfmn,Eo 81 mGdern asd guns abroad The in.
~ the ktupp Works in Germany, the French !
n snh factory as Genet and from he English gun
cry with guns equal TO those used abroad has
,een thoroughly stirred up by the new War See
r,S nnn w w IL no, DC long before american
~ a
he foreign guns. ''' ,
Officers u the army. Il NAV be said. do mot all
agree Win the Secretary Of War that any good il ,
lone ny preserving secrecy about the general ~
suits oi the tests OF new ordnance Some officers
,1ld that tho more foreign governments know
,nSut the strength OF our own army the more r.
MS was the idea American artillery officers Ind
n mind In the 'pring Of 1903. when they let The
1ubllc know how strong our coast defence was |
ne general impression abroad was that ali Of nWr
,eac"nst towns were at the mercy Of any hostile |
lcet which might raid tho Atlantic coast. Tho
newspapers at the time were allowed 10 yet dc. | !
allied Information Of the number and strength ~ |
he guns az Sandy Hook, Fort Hamilton. Foyt
W adsworth and the other coast fOrtifcntinns Il, |
,rdcr to let Spain know that our coast was i'm
prcgnahle. On the other hand, artillery oIlcrrs |
Wy that, try rs you will, you cannot keen mill
AIRY Information secret II leaks out Somehow
! he foreign military attaches in Wnshinrt"n
Keep their home Offices in touch with cyervthinu
nat goes on here, while American Army SficeTs |
abroad are not slow 20 find out what military prog,
and Russia. ' "''""n!
The Navy Department freely publishes what
focs ON at Indian Head the proving ground t"r |
ne navy News OF tho tests Of new battIesbp
amor, new guns, new explosives and the liz |
reaches the newspapers very regularly, "'