The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-05-09
DISAPPEARING GUN CARRIAGES.
General Miles Report Forwarded to
the senate.

The Secretary of War has forwarded to
the Senate a copy of the report OF Gen.
N A Miles, relative to disappearing car
riages for seacoast Notifications. The re-
pert says in part:
THE coast armament completed or pro-
vided for. to include the act OF March 3,
1899. embraces the following modern guns:
Twelve-inch breechloading rifles on dis
appearing carriages, 50; 10-inch breech-
loading rifles on disappearing carriages,
los; s-ineh breeehloading rifles on GiSap-
pearing carriages, 66; 6-inch breeehlosding
ri1es on disappearing carriages. IS; 12-inch
breeehloading rifles on non disappearing
carriages, 20; l0-inch breeehloading -ites
on non disappearing carriages. 9; S-inch
breechloading rifles on non disappearing
carriages. 4: 4-inch rapid-ffre guns. 4; Al
inch rapid-fire guns IS; 5-inch rapid-hre
guns, 81; 6-inch rapid-ire guns, "a; B.
Founders. 80: 15-pOunders. so; Pinch
breechloading mortars, 344.
"A glance at this list reveals the some
what startling fact that tUo-thirds Of our
I2-ineh twelve thirteenths of our 10-ireh,
ana sixteen-seEenteenths Of our S-ineh
guns are being supplied with disappearing
carriages. to the virtual exclusion Of other
adopted types OF mount
Full appreciation of this fact ! believe
to be of the -gravest moment at the present
time. Our coast armament already rep
resents expenditure of upward OF $40
000 900 while TO complete the entire pro-
posed scheme OF national defence will ul-
timately involve the expenditure Of as
Issech more.
The mechanism of these disappearing
carriages is complex in the extreme, con-
sistirg OF a great number Of parts and re-
curing constant daily care on the part ~
the artillery troops TO keep it in proper
working order. even under the conditions
OF peace practice. During the past year
accidents which have temporarily disabled
the guns have been OF frequent occurrence
at the different artillery posts, due. in
some cases to defective material; in 9TH
ers, and more rarely. TO lack of proper
care. but primarily due in most. if not all.
cases to defects inherent in the disappear
ing system.
1T should be also noted in the above
list that So or more than one-half the to-
tai number OF 6-inch rapid-fire guns. are
to be placed on disappearing mounts, thus
preventing that rapidity of fire which is
the chief value Of this gun, and notwith-
standing the fact that the Board Of ord
nance and Fertilization has not yet adopt
ed a type carriage for guns Of this calibre
In my opinion the disappearing car
riage as an element Ia coast defence is still
more or less an experiment II has yet
TO be subjected to the rigorous test Of
actual war. 1t Is costly 10 install and
maintain. and al least p per cent more
costly in the engineering work of empiace
ment and magazines than the protected
barbette mount. Experience thus far has
shown it TO be more easily disabled than
any other type Of seaCOast carriage The
modern coast defence systems Of Europe
afford US a striking contrast in this re-
spect. since. with the exception of a very
few installed for purposes of experiment
there is not. so far as | can learn. a single
disappearing gun carriage In use in any
foreign service today. l an informed by
probably the greatest living authority on
artillery matters in England. Sir Andrew
Noble. F. r S. that the CONSENSUS OF Opin-
ion among artillery experts throughout
Europe IS utterly opposed TO the use OF dis
appearing carriages Of any kind