The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-25
qHE Field GUN SCANDAL
Lieutenant General Miles Exon err
ates Captain Lewis.
Explanation of the Latter's Mission
to ACKNOWLEDGMENT Methods
Were Wholly Unnecessary to OBJ
tain Desired Information Con-
cerning the French Ordnance.

Lieutenant General Miles, in an inter-
view given out yesterday. completely ex-
| onerated Capt l. N. Lewis, Recorder of
the Board OF Ordnance and Notifications.
| from any charge that he had secretly OBJ
| tanned the plans of the new French gun.
1t appears from General Miles statement
that the French Government has made no
secret of this gun since the beginning OF
the autumn maneuvres in France early
this fall. He quotes from the November
number of Arms and Explosives" Lon
don military magazine. to show that the
fertilization attaches of all the Powers
were enabled to see the working of the
gun quite plainly. General Miles said:
THE public is liable to be misled into
supposing that there is some great mys-
terry concerning the subject. The fact is
that the progress that has been made in
artillery in the last few years by Ameri-
can inventors. several of whom have gone
to Europe and established their factories
there, has been very remarkable, espe-
cially in such instances as Hotcnkiss.
Lee. Maxim, and others.
1T is a fact that the entire German
army was resupplied with artillery be-
fore it was generally known to the rest
of the world, and it is also fact that
the French have made a great improve
ment in a piece of artillery which for
time surprised and mystifed inventors
and artillerists.
For time its peculiar construction
was unknown outside of a few persons
in France, but when guns are placed in
the hands of hundreds of artillerists. and
have to be taken apart, or are destroyed
or captured, and Wien they are, as they
were this year during the French maneu-
vres, before the eyes of anyone who de-
sired to see them in action, II is folly to
presume that the method of construction
or the means OF producing certain eff
fects will not become generally known.
There never has been time when the
importance of machine or quick-fring guns
has attracted more attention or been more
discussed than during the past
year. Captain Lewis was sent to Europe,
as other officers have been sent every year.
and as others are now there, to ascertain
all that could be ascertained in regard to
modern artillery or appliances of war. He
was not furnished any funds with which to
purchase any secrets. and there. was no ne
cessity for using. nor were there used, any
mel oGs which were not honorable, and any
that questionable or dishonora-
HE methods were used is simply an unwar-
ranted reflection upon the Secretary of
War and every other officer concerned"
General Miles then read the following
from Arms and Explosives"
.'The French I5mm. Field Gun---After
making point of absolute secrecy for
couple of years or more. the French au-
thorities seem to have come to the conclu-
sion that they can no longer maintain the
air of mystery surrounding the construc-
ton of the new I6mm. (2.95 inches) gun.
At the maneuvres two years ago gen.
darmes were specially detailed to keep all
strangers at a distance from the batteries,
but This year there was total absence of