The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-15
ORDNANCE OF THE ARMY
Synopsis Of Brigadier General Buf-
fngton's Annual Report.
serious Criticisms Upon the Present
System of Disappearing Gun Car
risEes-Tzhe Department Ready to
Devote It's Attention 10 other 5Ieth
Ods-seaconst Defence Armament.

The report of Brigadier General Buff
fnstcn, Chief of Ordnance. United S ates
Army, for the fiscal year end. June 81
was made public today. The am-unt Of
expenditures IS given as Ss.7I2. 1s5-74,
while the resources amounted TO Sz9,-
39s, 78s.
It IS stated that during the year 80, %
small arms had been distributed TO ths
Various States and TerrltoIiss. C-n-
demned cannon to the numDer of zo2
and 2,144 proJectiles were given away
and loaned TO associations and municipal
corporations.
The report states that the output of
the Springfield Armory during the year
was Increased TO 4g0 guns per day. in
volving the employment Of a day and
night force. AT the elise of th5 year the
output was reduced to zOo arms per day.
with single shift, necessf.aIng the
discharge OF aDOut LOCO men. The total
number of aEIli5 manufactured during IHe
fiscal year 1SUU was al, 7v1 rifles, cautre
80, and ), $50 earbineS, besides sabefS AMI
swords for the artineTy and cavalry,
81, 232 bayOnet sc1bDards, and iarSe nu-li-
bers of spare parts. Inc present capacity
Of the armoTy, working eight hours per
day, is 2e0 arms.
Under the head Of rapid-fre sea-eoast
guns. the report says:
The progress o. the armament mas
reached stage, long ago contemplated. at
which guns OF smaller and medium caiibTe
are called for by the engineers and are now
being built and emDiaced. These guns
should be in as hisa degree as possible
rapid FIRE. and also OF the highest p3Wer
for their respective calibres. In anticipa-
Of 10 are
els for 5-inch and 6-inch guns were de-
signed in 1897 Recent Improvements IL
smokeless powder and in the methods OF
mounting have rendered possible an In
crease OF power beyond what was then
thought practicable or advisable. and new
model (1960l for ire 6-ineh gun has bean de-
signed, which is expected to give about
S.00e feet muzzle velocity. as compared with
2 100 feet for the 1897 model or this latest
model, tTenty-nine 6-inch guns are under
construction Or the 1887 model, twenty
eight 5-inch and thirty 6-iHch have been
very nearly completed. lacking the primer
seats, which have been changed in design
developed reactaonary 1eeiing
in respect to the present
disappearing system of carriages for sea-
coast guns. aud the belief on the part OF
some officers that it has been followed too
exclusively. II this opinion IS we'll found
ed, II is serious matter The disappear
ing system was adopted by the EndicOtt
Board in 1856 After exhaustive enquiry and
most careful consideration by the distin-
guished ofncers who composed il, and was
accepted By the joint committee Of. Cen
gress which had in charge the general sub
iect Of coast defences for legislative pur-
pCses There was at the time no disappear
ing carriage known to the world which
sat{-fird fully the reGui-emeDts and II IS
inferred that he highest military authority
deemed that tbs disappearing principle was
OF such paramount importance OF 50 pc
culiaTiy desirable that Il must be adopted,
and thai q suitable carriage would uitI-
mately be forthcoming for IL
II was therefore presented 70 the Ord
nance Department as 4 problem TO be
solved, and the present service carriage Is
the best solution it has been abie 10 find
So far as experience has gone, il has
worked well, and in fact much more sat
isfactOrily than was anticipated. It i
presumed, however. that the question
raised involves the disappearing system
itself. and the severe requirements Il in
poses upon the carriage builder 1t chat
lenges the necessity for such protection TO
the gun, its carriage and men, and sus-
gests an open rampant carriage simpler in
function and therefore simpler IN design
and perhaps capable of quicker action and
more rapid fire.
1.-The department is not by any means
welded to the disappearing system. Il ac- I
cepted 1t from higher authority as con
dition to which it was required TO con- i
form, but IS ready to take up from the
proper authority any other system and I
devote its energies to making It success /
full It has already provided the balanced |
pillar mounts for 5-ineh guns, and is max /
ing similar ones for 6-inch guns. and is /
prepared TO take into consideration forms /
OF pedestal or pillar mounts for still /
larger caiibres, or carriages of nondisap-
pearing barbette type as may seem best.
Additional contracts for Isl, 600 /
pounds Of smokeless powder have been /
made during the year, OF which 500, 600 /
pounds are for heavy seacoast guns and /
mortars. It is believed that the difficult |
ties encountered last year and referred to |
in the last annual report have been over /
come. and that the powders now in course
OF delivery will prove as satisfactory in I
respect to their keeping qualities as they |
have proved to be in respect to baIlistic
qualities.
In this country mixtures, of gun cot
ton and nitroglycerine have been expert
mented with extensively, and powders
containing about Is per cent of nitrogly-
cerine were produced, which at first show I
ed excellent ballistic qualities without |
the appearance Of any excessive erosion.