The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-09-13
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Army and
Navy News
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First Lieutenant Moses, Z. S. Nj. o.,
who was stationed here until short
time ago. returned 10 the Islands with
| the armored cruiser squadron. He IS
! s+o+ioned nm board the cruiser West
Virginia. First Lieutenant Underwood,
II s NJ. c.. who was also here for con-
siderable time, is greeting his old
friends in Honolulu, he having arrived
on the Pennsylvania.
Major Ray Better.
General pleasure was expressed last
evening when it became known that
Major B. B. Ray, Army Paymaster
| here. was considerably improved. Dur
ing the past week, his condition has
been so serious as to cause grave ap-
prehension among his many friends,
but last night it was announced that
he was much better In fact, unless
something unusual happens, the boys
of the Fifth Cavalry will get their
paw TODAY. word coming from Major
Raw last evening that he would prob
ably Journey out to Leilehua today.
Hawaii on Non-Com. List.
Unofficial reports received at the War
Department indicate that excellent
progress is being made in the difficult
task of instructing the special class of
non commissioned officers under train
| ing with view to their permanent
detail to duty with the National Guard
| in the various states. It is now the
expectation that the work with the
class, which is in charge of Maj. w.
Fl. Johnston, 18th Infantry, will be
completed in few days. Soon there
stations, according to the necessities of
| the case, without much regard to the
preference of those assigned. There
are about ifty-nine applications for de-
| tail, or twelve less than the number of
non commissioned officers under instruc-
ton from the cavalry, field artillery,
| infantry and engineers. None was TAX
en- from the Coast Artillery Corps. The
| twelve remaining after the assignments
are made will constitute a list of eligi-
| bles for future details. OF the applica-
| tions on file. calls are chiefly for in
fantrymen, ffty-three being asked for,
while but three are desired from the
field artillery, two from the cavalry,
and one from the engineers. The states
and territories that have applied for
| these details, with the number Of non
commissioned officers going to each, are
/ as follows: District of Columbia, 2;
| Arkansas, 1; California, 3 Hawaiian
| Islands. /; Idaho, /; Iowa, 8; Ken.
| lucky, / Maine, /; Michigan, g.; Mis-
sissippi, l; Missouri, 7; New Jersey 2;
New Mexico, /; North Carolina, l;
North Dakota, L; Ohio, 9; Oregon, l;
Pennsylvania, 9; Virginia, 2; West Vir.
ginia, 2; Wisconsin, 8; Wyoming, l.
| Testing Wrapped Ordnance.
! The army ordnance bureau will short
| ly test at Sandy Hook, N. J., two IL
inch wire-wrapped mortars of new
design, developed by the ordnance of
| feers in Washington. It has been found
that by strengthening the mortars by
wire wrapping it is possible to reduce
the weight of 12-inch mortar abou
80 per cent, as compared with the NOR
tars of that caliber now in service. I'm
provements have also been made in tn,
method of loading the mortars, so a
to give greater fire rapidity. It is tn,
purpose of Gen. Crozier, chief of ord
nance, to construct sixteen of thes
mortars. They will be placed in tn,
1 81 l.
some of them will be sent to the de
Tense of the Hawaiian Islands and O
Manila bay.
: Army ordnance officers are gratife,
with the results of the preliminary ties
of the new 6-inch rifles of the wire
wrapped type. These guns are to b
further tested at the army provin
grounds at Sandy Hook, and much de
ponds upon those results in the exten
sion of this system of construction
D The principle is expected by some en-
thusiasts to bring about revolution
in heavy gun construction, in that
will be possible to wrap the Jacket
of heavy guns with wire instead o
constructing them on what is know
Il as the "built-up'' method Certai
Improvements have been made b
adopting superior quality of steel i
the tube. Tt has been found that nc
|. only is the elastic strength of the gu
: increased, but there is a saving G
about one-fourth in weight, togethe
with reduction in the cost of man,
facture.
Delay in Completing Hospital shi
The naval hospital ship Solace at IL
Charleston navy yard was expected |
be ready for service by September l
.. but owing to the delay in the deliver
of certain fixtures, the vessel will NJ
be able to leave the yard much befo
the first of October. The naval medic
officers who viii be associated with Su
geon George Piekrell, who viii be
- command of the Solaee, will be desi
mated within the next few weeks.
is intended to assign the Solaee to pei
J. odical duty with the fleet, and at 9th
times to have the vessel act as a he
pital station ship at places where the
are no hospital facilities on shore.