The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-24

Gen. A. R. Burlington. Chief of the Blu
reau of Ordnance has decided to make a
| statement to the public in defence of the
| charges against him in connection with
the publication Of Captain Lewis letter
| regarding :he secret of the French field
| gun carriage. The announcement was
made yesterday in the Ordnance Bureau
| that General Burlington has up to this
| time RETAINED from talking for publica-
ton because of the army regulation which
forbids army officers to discuss their con-
| troyersies in the newspapers. General
| Burlington could not say when he would
| be prepared to talk, but one of the ord
nance officials intimated that it would not
be long after the return of the Secretary
| of War.
Meanwhile quiet investigation has
been going on in the War Department
with view to placing before the Secre-
tary of War a report showing that there
were many sources from which Captain
Lewis letter could be obtained. 1t has
been charged that the Ordnance Bureau
alone had copy of the letter, but this
investigation discloses that the copy in
General Buffington's possession was not
the original, as at first supposed. The
original is in the files of the Adjutant
Generals Office, and has been through the
hands of several clerks since it was given
to General Corbin by Secretary Root for
filing.
From General Corbn's office it went to
the record room, where ii was in the pos
session of a certain clerk for some time
before being properly entered. Even after
it was entered there was no special Sc
crecy observed, and for several days it lay
on a table with other papers. The ord
nance officers, who claim to have looked
into the ma tier, declare that there is just
as good reason to believe that copy OF
the letter was secured from the original
in the Adjutant Generals Office as from
the Bureau of Ordnance.
There are other features of the con-
troversy. however, which army officers say
point directly to the Ordnance Bureau,
and II not to the Bureau to some member
of the Board of Ordnance and FOrtif1ca-
ton. 1t is regarded as significant that
on Saturday, the day before the letter
was published the board had its meeting
and took action with reference to gun
shields. 1t was decided to put shields
on the coast defence guns. and this state
ment, together with the boards action on
Captain Lewis letter, was published with
the letter. IL
An army officer said yesterday: This
shows that whoever got the letter was
also given information as 10 boards ac-
ton of the same day. That information
could not have come from the Office of the
Adiutant General. No one in the Adjutant
Generals Office had the inforrna ton. The
board did not adjourn until late in the
afternoon, and the information regarding
the gun shields must have come frrm
some member of the board or Some one
connected with it,"
1t was ascertained yesterday that the
copy of Captain Lewis letter which went
to General Burlington passed through the
hands of several clerks in the Ordnance Bu-
reau. and that General Burlington had con-
flded to one of his officers the entire .ac-
ton of the board on the letter. together
with the approval of Secretary Root He
had also confided to the same officer the
action of the Board of Ordnance and Forti- |
fication with reference to the gun shields. |
Who this officer is could not be learned. but |
the investigation of the past few days is
said to show that General Burlington was |
not the only ordnance officer possessing full |
information regarding the French gun and
the action of the Board Of Ordnance and |
Fertilization.
In this connection 1t is said that General |
Burlington will be fully able to establish |
his personal innocence in connection with |
the publication of the letter. The whole |
subject will be referred to Secretary Root. |
however, early next week. together with a |
special report from an artillery officer on |
the condition of the coast defence guns and |
field guns of the army. This report attacks |
the Ordnance Bureau very severely and de- |
clares that so far as the field guns are |
there arc but two modern field
guns now in use by the United States. 1t |
points out along the line of General Chat /
fees despatch that the modern field gun
must have fixed ammunition to give it
rapdity of fire, and must have better brake
to prevent It's recoil.