Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-28
THE naval BUREAU
OVER THIRTEEN MILLIONS FOR
WATER DOGS OF WAR.
NEW TYPE OF THREE.IN I. i GUN
Improvement in Projecti1es and Or
dnance-Use OF Electric Power for
Handling Guns-The "speed Craze
VS.. the Demand for Power.
NEW TYPE OF THREE INCH GUN
in Projecti1es and or
dnance-Use Of Electric Power for
handling Guns-rhe speed Craze
VS.. the Demand for Power.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. 21.-Adnlrai
ONeil, chief of the Naval Bureau Of ORD
nance, in his annual report, made pubic
today. says that the ordnance bureau
wants s13, 1872, S06 next year, Of which
amount S1OOO0.O0O is to be devoted TO arms
and armament for new ships. Inc sun
shop at the Washington maynard during
the past year turned out 324 new guns,
prepared sets of forgings for sl4o nlore'
and has 65 in course Of manufacture.
The bureau is preparing new type OIL
three-inch gun, fifty caiibres IN length, "
semi-automatic character to replace all
guns of this size now in use IN the navy.
Admiral O'Neil says that for the nrst
time in wears the manufacture of armor
has progressed in satisfactory manner,
| 1872 tons having been delivered at the
various shipyards during the year. Win
| prospects of largely-ncreaslng the de-
| liveries
| No improvements worth speaking VI
seems to have been made in the quailts
of arnor of late Guns, powder and pro-
! iectiles have each made a decided al
vance, rendering it all the more necessary
| that there should be an Improvement IN
! the quality of armor.
The most interesting event during the
! year in connection with projectlles is the
development of a new type of she'll COM
bining the advantages of the armor-plefc-
! ing with the common shell; that IS having
the perforating of the armor-plercing
proiectiles with the capacity for large
| bursting charge. The requirements OF
this shell on test are that at prescribed
velocity they shall completely perforate,
unbroken a plate Of hard-faced armor,
q calibre in thickness and then De IN
condition for effective bursting.
A novel device tried during the year
was 1.-The tracer. which renders shell
| visible during the night to the gunner
but invisible to the persons at the target,
this being accomplished by the insertion
of burning composition in the base of
the she'll.
The use Of electric power for handling
guns and turrets is unqualifedly en-
dorsed as better than any other system.
Admiral O'Neil finds that the best way
to illustrate the tremendous development
of artillery in late years is to cite two
cases, that of the siT-inch gun and the
twel-e-inch gun. The former used to
only AS tons, was only thirty calibres
in length with a muzzle energy OF 2,1l'
foot tons and a practicable rate OF hre
OF 21s aimed shots per minute. The new
type is so calbreS in length, uses smoke
less powder, weighs eight tons, can be
fired eight times a minute, and has a
muzzle energy of 1886 tons. In other
words, it is 600 per cent. more powerful
than the old gun. The twelve-inch gun
shows an increase in energy over the olo
gun of 35la per cent.
There is to be general renovation O.
the batteries of the older ships. Admira
O'Neil has much to say respecting speet
versus armament. He argues that snll
is naturally a compromise between va
rious necessities and says:
'.All nations are afflicted with the speet
craze at intervals, and this country is n
exception and unless each batch Of nev
vessels can equal or beat the worlds re
cord they are usually characterized a
failures and in Difference to public senti
. | 1nent the tendency is to design vessel
of the highest possible speed. irrespectiv
Of the uses for which they are intended
! and in consequence enormous sums
money have been expended by severa
countries in producing large and fast yes
sells which have but triflinS value 70
fighting purposes, and to-day it require
no little moral courage on the part of tn
4 designers to subordinate the popular ele
S ment of speed to other qualities. no mat
:. ter how important the latter may be-
, OF submarine boats the report says tina
: no important DEVELOPMENTS have takel
, place during the past year, either her
| or abroad.
4 Admiral O'Neil went to Europe las
! summer and looked over the great nava
: ordnance works there. He says tina
: while there are no such establishment
: in this country in point of size and ca
S pacity as many of the ordnance factorie
e of Europe. it is gratifying to know tina
y such as we have do not suffer in com
I parIson with any of them in regard to tn
: character of worl. or the method of per
n forming it.
n The last chapter of the report is devote
S to an urgent plea for the betterment G
n instruction of officers and men in CUR
d merry. AS showing how thoroughly tn
I work of improving the gunners is goin
> on it is stated that three battleships {
the North American squadron alone eH
pend for target practice during twelV
months a quarter of a million dollars
e worth of ammunition.