New-York tribune., 1906-12-26
ARTILLERY NEEDS NJ EN.
Coast Defence Useless Without
Trained Specialists, Noso Lacking.

not to be understood generally by those not the
services; hence the following may prove of interest:
Away back IN the days when forts like Fort
Trumbull, New London. Conn, OF old Castle VIII
lam, New York. with muzzle loading armament,
were the defence of the seacOast, the artillery
vice and its requirements were simplicity itself.
Baroette or casemate guns. with ranges not much
beyond thousand yards, served by gun crew
and ammunition detail were about all there to
It The guns were loaded. laid and fired by direct
sight; ranges short that they could be est
mated and the guns laid accordingly, and no pro-
vision was made for any night work. 1t was
slam bang, hit-or-rniss kind OF service. similar In
way to the hand-to-hand short range fighting then
in vogue in the navy.
But we have outgrown all that; the power Of our
guns has been enormously increased The old guns
of the Civil War and later are but babies TO
our present ordnance Except for certain elevated
sites the barbette gun is obsoete the casemate gun
has long since passed away.
With the increased range due to the power OF the
guns OF to-day to say nothing OF their cost and
the cost Of the ammunition hitting et1clency/(and
to shoot and hit is function and only excuse for
our existence) required at elaboration not
necessary in the olden days: accurate range find
ing at once became necessity, and various sys-
TENS put in, tried and tested, and by process
Of elimination and evolution our present system OF
range finding and fire control elaborated
BY this system. IN connection with searchlights.
the field Of fire any water area can be watched
either day night; hostile ship can come into
this area without at once being seen and its
position determined accurately BY the means or
communication this location be at once sent
down to the guns and the latter be loaded and
laid and at the proper instant hred so as 20 have
a more than reasonable certainty of making
hit" II hit" is not made the location OF the
splash" be determined and corrections be
made accordingly, until finally g probable "hit
would result from every shot fred.
We begin to see just what is needed
for coast defence. Besides the gun crews and
ammunition details always needed actually to load
and lay the guns. another set Of highly trained
men at once becomes a vital necessity. Fine and
accurate range finding instruments have been put
In regardless OF cost; base lines have been laid
out. measured accurately. orlented and connected
up with electric communications; plotting boards
have been devised for the accurate mechanical
process Of triangulation, with the data given by
the Observers so as to locate accurately the ships
(targets) IN both range and position; searchlshts
have been put in to let work by night as well
as by day, ana electric power has been put In TO
furnish the electric needed for all the null
titudnous vitality necessary. so that now
the gun, the gun crew and ammunition detail have
become simply integral parts in a system found 70
be necessary to utilize these guns so as to have
maximum efficiency.
OF course all Of these details OF the system need
men highly trained for their various functions:
not to go into tiresome detail. observing instru-
ments need observers ana readers to use them and
give the data OF these observations; this is just
the same as so much ordinary survey work by the
civil engineer with his theodoits other angle
measuring instrument, except that It IS at a NOV
ing object hence observations cannot be reread to
eliminate errors; the observations must be on the
instant OF signal. they lost; they are taken
every twenty seconds. hence the evident necessity
for specially highly trained man to do accurate
work
The data OF these observations go to the plot
ting board; there the plotters with accurately
laid out board mechanically plot the ship and
thus determine Its range and position from a gun,
saf Of he for w
for berometric condition Of the air, for rise ana
fall OF tide these all affect the actual range
at which the gun must be laid. and this corrected
range must be then sent down to the guns: all
this must be regularly and spontaneously dono at
q regular and fixed time interval.
To fix this interval a time interval bell'' is q
part of the system; it rings regularly and syn
chronousy every twenty seconds at every station.
In the plotting and at the guns; this interval
fixes everything. and regulates and guides the
gunfre so that everything may work efficiently
and tremendously.
All of this means a large number Of highly and
specially trained men. Rapidity and accuracy of
fire is the result and the old slam hit or
miss days have passed. never to return.
Searchlight details must be had for night work;
electric power must be had to run them and TO
furnish light and power for magazines. galleries,
gun platforms and all the numerous stations that
must have artificial light This again means
highly specialized to IRE boilers run dynamos.
care for engines and manage searchltghts.
Electricity is a faithful servant when properly
managed: nothing be worse than this same
electricity when Improperly or ignorantly gene
rated and handled. Generating plants, searchights
and the like costly. Hence must have the
very best Of talent for this management and
maintenance so as not to 'get left" In emer-
gency crisis; a breakdown might spell "dis-
aster." Hence all such must be guarded against
by not only having proper skilled talent. but plenty
of It to insure proper relefs during the day and
night. All OF this spells "men,'' skilled men. and
plenty Of them
Any aggregation Of men must be fed, housed.
clothed and cared for in every way to maintain
their health and maximum efficiency. The Ousi-
ness of a garrison must go on. war or no war;
the sick must be cared for; animals needed for
service must be fed and cared for and In geqeraL
all administrative details must be maintained
This means another body OF men Of the nom
oombatant class but Just necessary for eff
Client service as the most highly specialized man
In the fghting force Cooks bakers, police, guards
teansters, clerks, hospital attendants, and so on
down the list are just much needed as the gun
crews The layman seems to forget this; the de-
tails OF his life may be we'll regulated in city
that he fails to appreciate how many people
actually are needed his needs; except,
possibly a row with the kitchen lady, he may
never observe or appreciate his dependence upon
many things that conduce TO his health and COM
fort
In q garrison all Of this is a part Of the daily
routine OF administration that must be kept in
smooth running Oh de-. in as well as peacei
the men at the guns must have no thought
or care as 10 when and how they are to get their
next food; they must eat. sleep, as well as WORK
or fight, and the supply Of water. food. heat In
winter and all the mutitudinous requirements for
the preservation of their health and energy must
receive constant attention. Hence the absolute
necessity for a force CT administrative non-com-
batant men is Of as vital necessity as thoss that
fight the guns.