The Norfolk weekly news., 1899-12-07
OUR NEW ARTILLERY,
Changes In Its Equipment Made
by Secretary Root.
FOREIGN DEVICES INVESTIGATED

smokeless Powder Sent TO Manila
and New ProJectiies secured-Bul-
let's Contained In shrapneI shells.
While the British and the Beers are
fighting with modern field guns, firing
high explosive shells, the American
forces in the Philippines have been
fghting for more than year without
single piece Of the new artillery and
without single pound of high explo-
sivc. Were the rebels Of Luzon armed,
rs are the Beers, with rapid fire artil-
lery from the continental gun facto.
ries. 1t would hardly be possible to put
the insurrection down without terrible
losses of life, says the New York Sun.
Fortunately for General Otis. Agui-
naldo's army Is even worse of than
our own, and the vigilance of the
blockade Of Philippine ports precludes
the possibility of the rebels strengthen
ing their artillery. On the other hand,
the new secretary of war intends to
provide General Otis with an adequate
artillery, and he already has on the
Pacific coast, bound for Manila, the
first shipment of new field guns and
high explosives.
When Secretary Root entered the
war department, there were II bat
teries Of artillery in the Philippines.
but Of these II all but Ave were fight
ing as infantry with small arms. Only
five batteries had field artillery. Four
Of these FIVE had the heavy old 80 inch
slow firing guns, which, In the opinion
Of artillerists. "are as inferior to the
new rapid fire guns as are flint lock
muskets to Krag -Jorgensens." The re-
naming battery had Hotchkiss guns,
given to the government by John Jacob
Astor. General Otis himself, who. the
artillery officers say. went to Manila
believing that the infantry was little
in need of heavy support Of artillery,
cabled to Washington that the heavy
old field guns were inadequate. The
exact condition Of the artillery in the
Philippines was made the subject Of
special report to the new secretary
Of war when he began his work. He
assured army officers, who pointed out
to him the weakness Of the artillery
equipment, that the president wanted
to put down the insurrection speedily
and that the artillery would be
strengthened at once.
Within a month of the day he be-
came secretary Of war, Mr.. Root came
up from Washington with General
Miles to witness some tests Of new
ordnance at Sandy Hook. A few days
before this Lieutenant Buckley of the
Third artillery, who had been ordered
to the Philippines, was directed to go
to Woolwich arsenal and from there to
Paris and Amsterdam to investigate
the use Of mountain batteries in India
and Africa. One Of the guns tested at
Sandy Hook was new Vickers Maxim
mountain gun purchased in England
by the board Of ordnance and fOrtifica-
ton. In the opinion of the ordnance
experts at the proving ground this was
just the gun needed in the Philippines,
and Secretary Root accepted their ver-
dict. Red tape was slashed. A cable
gram was sent that night to Lieutenant
Buckley. who had just arrived in Eng
land. telling him to buy a dozen Of the
mountain guns at once. Mr.. Root saw
the guns were needed, and the first
thing to do was to buy them.
The two batteries Of English noun
tain guns will soon be at Hongkong.
American artillerymen who have seen
this type Of gun fired at Sandy Hook
say that 1t Is one of the most perfect
pieces of ordnance ever mounted at
the proving ground. The English,
French, German and Russian armies
have been equipped with this new
rapid fire artillery for several years,
while our own army has been strug-
Cling along with heavy, slow firing
field guns. European armies have gone
ahead while our own has been at n
standstill In this respect. American
artillerists and gunmakers have plead
ed for the artillery, asserting. what no.
body denies, that the United States
could lead in gunmaking II it had
fair chance to 60 ahead. But obstruc-
tions have been placed In the way Of
the development of American ord
nance. Secretary Root, 1t Is known In
Washington, has quickly grasped the
situation, and as he Is In posi-
ton to deal with the question with
out prejudice artillerymen believe that
the new head Of the war department
will speedily remove some of the chief
Instructions to ordnance progress.
This English mountain gun is only
one Of the many types of the new ar
tillery, but comparison Of 1t with the
corresponding American gun will show
how far the United States is behind.
The other day 1t was announced In
Washington that the ordnance bureau
would ship to Manila twenty-five II
pounder mountain guns. This Is the 12
FOUNDER Hotchkiss, a fine gun In its
day, but now back number. 1t is the
best gun Of its kind in our army, how
ever. The imported mountain gun
fires 1919 pound shell, but its bore is
the same as that Of the Hotchkiss-
three inches. The Hotchkiss uses II
ounce charge Of brown powder: the
YickersMaxim, 16 ounces of smoke
less powder, Consequently, while the
muzzle velocity Of the old gun is $40
| foot sannniS tho SmnEaIaSS nnwdar