Hutchinson gazette., 1900-12-27
MANY MILLIONS WASTED.
Mortar Purchased for Coast De-
tense Denounced by Experts
as Without Value,
BATTLEsaIPS DO NOT FEAR THEM,

Army and Navy Men Declare II Ia Impossl-
bio 10 Aim tho Morlars at u Moving Ship
War Vessels In More Danger OF Being
Struck by Lightning Than One OF These
Mortnrs.
Washington, Dee @j.--Slrenuous cf-
forts are being made by certain IN
terestcd parties 10 prevent an expo
sure of one tremendous item of e&-
trayagance which has accumulated
from year TO year IN the work Of for
Elfying the consts of the United States.
II is not generally known, but there
are corporate influences which have
been eNertcd upon congress year after
year FOR the express purpose Of IN
duclng that body to provide money
Tor the building and installation OF
large number of riiled mortars for
coust dcfenses.
There are now in position or under
construction 372 OF these mortnrs,
and the total number contemplated
under the general coast defense
scheme Is no less than 800. These NOR
turs cost IN average Of about $4,000
each, so that the cost of the mort0rS
themselves will aggregate fully &c.
100000, 70 place these guns in posi-
tion, providing them with the neces-
Bary carriages and the usual heavy
cmplacements, costs more than as
much again.
II Is estimated that the total eX-
peniliture on account Of 19-inch NOR
tnrs when the present coast defense
scheme Is completed will be not far
from Si5,OOO,OOO. This enormous eN-
penditure would be justified as nee
cssary feature Of the defense Of our
Consts, but inquiry among both ar
my and navy gunnery experts de-
veIoped the fact that in their opinion
these mortUrs are absolutely useless
for the purposes for which they ore
!, intended. Distinguished ordnance
Z officers admit that there is not n
mortar in existence which can be de-
pended upon to drop its shell any
where within radius of about ten
times the length of an ordinary war
ship.
\ IL is an open secret In both the
navy and war departments that the
average bnttleship would think moth
ing at all of sailing right up against
n whole battery of mortars, whereas
81 would hesitate TO encounter a sim
gle 12-inch rifle. The mortar bat
tery fires its shell up in the air at n
distance of several miles, and ii is not
an eXtrnvngNnt statement to say that
there Is not one chance in thousand
OF the shells striking battleship
moving even ut the lowest rate OF
I speed.
4 II is impossible to aim these NOR
! ars at moving ship, and even the
nrge finders are of slight assistance,
W avail experts estimate that battle
hips are in more danger of being
struck by lightning than n hostile
blow from all the mortars in the
;orld. There are now in position
slO of these 12-inch morturs, scatter
ed along the coast and supposed to
auard important ports on the Attain
= c, gur and Pacific coast Besides
hat the mortars take as much care
as rned cannon.
10 cap the climax Of the ubsurdity
It is TO he noted that even during the
nst wear no less than Gl of the ~
q oh mortnrs have been put into posi-
~ on. 10 show the contempt with
which military men view these relics
of byponc duys il is sufficient to
say that proposition has seriously
bern ,nodn hy certain muoprrv cy.
,,nrts nbenlu+n1,. 1nrVinp thn yynr 1p.
Pu.''''"' w. u"','' 81" WV "''S