The Washington herald., 1909-07-26

Capt. P. P. Bishop, Official observer OF
target practice, has laid his report OF the
battle command practice. which took place
al Fort Monroe last week. before Lieut.
Col Bailey, acting chief Of the Coast Ar
tilery Corps; Gen. Wotherspoon. acting
chief Of stan. and Secretary Of war
Dickinson.
According 10 the authorities. the prac-
tice has never been equaled by any other
nation, even under actual military opera
uons. The guns were handled by the Of
fcers Of the Coast Artillery School at
Fort Monroe, this being their annual tar
get practice. The guns in operation were
the two Pinch guns at Battery PARROT
and the three 12-inch guns In Battery De
Russey and the two 10-inch guns each in
batteries Eustis and Church
According 10 Capt. Bishop, this was.
besides the most efficient, the most spec
tacular coast gun work that has ever
been INDUCED in. The reports OF the
American army observers on the opera-
tons OF the Russian forts at Port Ar
thur show nothing 10 compare with II.
The Russian forts gave better account
Of themselves than has ever been rem
dered BY any other military post in the
world
Shower OF Big Shells.
Tho firing BY the student officers was at
a material target moving at the rate OF
about seven miles an hour, az a mini
mum range 0f about 5000 yards. The
target was q piece OF canvas sixty feet
long by thirty feet high, placed upon a
barge, which was towed by a tug draw
ing long hawser.
At the command Of the battle com
mander all the batteries opened fire on
the target and at the end Of two minutes
and thirty seconds the four batteries had
fired twenty-four rounds. Eighteen clean
holes were counted In the material targe+
at the end OF the practice, showing that
these batteries had scored Il. Der cent OF
hits. The shots from all the batteries fell
upon the target so rapidly that II was
practically obscured by splashes during
the entire series.
War Department authorities are highly
elated over this work. since IL proves
conclusively that a battle ship eudeavor-
Ing 10 run the fort would have sustai med
eighteen square hits in two and one-half
minutes In fact II is believed by the
umpires that three other shells would
have registered as hits. and. since q
battle ship averages nearly 800 feet I'm
length, Instead Of sixty feet. Il Is re-
garded as possible that all shots would
have struck home. While the average
battle ship upper deck is about twenty
i've feet above water. shells striking tur-
rets and superstructure ranging from ten
70 tweny feet higher, would materi-
ally assist in putting a ship out Of com
mission.
Practice to Be Extended.
While it has been nearly nifty years
since the American Coast Artillery has
had actual duty to perform. the army
authorities say there Is practically no
comparison between the work OF last
week and what could have been done
during the Spanish war. In fact the
battle command practice showed that in
Quiclness OF gun operation The work az
Port Arthur, then so universally praised.
would be poor IN comparison.
Ten years ago It was considered good
work TO make 70 per cent OF hits on
stationary target, operating one gun at
time. Later a portable target was
brought into use. with one gun; then two
were brought into practice at once, and
then two batteries. Two batteries were
the most operated at any one time at
Port Arthur. they representing four guns
firing simultaneously.
This is the hrst time that battle prac-
ice" including all the big guns In com
mission at one fort, has been attempted
with such marked success. Orders will
now be Issued for this practice to be
conducted at every coast fertilization at
home and in Pacific waters.