The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-11
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS

greatly facilitate the control If The
firing line and extend the influence of
officers and n0n-commissionea officers in
ali the stages Of fire action. Expert
Inents We're conducted at night to aseer-
tam Wnefher any reduction of flash is
accomplished by the siIencer. particu-
larly with a number of guns firing. pro-
duclng a number of flashes Without
the sllencer the flash is duh colored.
but plainly seen. With the sileneer.
about one shot in every thirty produces
a flash or the same color as the normal
flash. No indications were found that
the flight of the bullet was in anv way
disturbed by the sileneer.
IN regard TO the value of the silencer
IN reducing noise. the report states that
the device may be a tactical disadvan-
tage IN situations where ii is important
that the firing of advanced bodies of
troops be heard by troops in reserve.
Inc report sets out that the advan-
| tages of the silencer are: Reduction of
| recoli, muffling of the report at the
firing point, the absence of visible flash
while firing at night, and diminution
of the sound of discharge as it will be
heard by an enemy. The iisadvan-
tages arising from the use of the silep-
Ger are slight increase in visibility of
products OF discharge under certain
/ weather conditions and the difficulty of
handing when heated, and additional
| manipulation required when necessary
| to fix the bayonet.
| 1t is stated that in principle there are
no disadvantages which weigh seriously
against the advantages set forth, hut in
| its present form the silencer as adapted
to the military rifle is not a serviceable
| device. The bayonet is an indispen-
sable part of foot soldiers armament.
/ which comes into play in the acute
stage OF the infantry fight, The action
of fixing the bayonet comes at a time
corresponding to the period of max
| lmum heat, when the silencer cannot
be handled, and, even if this difficulty
could be overcome through the use of
| some self-cooling material, the addition
al manipulation necessary to remove the
| silencer, occurring as it does at a stage
when emotions are at their highest
pitch, is great disadvantage, which
cannot be disregarded. In the Excite.
ment of such period many silencers
would be lost.
The report states that the advantages
that have been set forth are too val.
liable to be rejected, although to make
them available without detriment to
other considerations of Importance is
merely mechanical problem, which
| seems to present no insurmountable diff
fieulties. The solution appears to be in
making the silencer an integral part
of the piece, to be detachable when
necessary for cleaning, but normally a
part of the assembled piece. 1t is rec
commended that the sileneer IN its pres.
ent form be not adopted for use in the
service, but that the inventor be invited
and encouraged to continue his efforts
to perfect the device along the line in
Dictated.
Brownson' Views Remain Unchanged.
Rear Admiral Willard H. Brownson,
. Z. S. n, retired, former chief of the
bureau of navigation of the navy de.
partment, who in December, 1907, Re.
, signed that Office after a controversy
with President Roosevelt over the as
sigpment of Surgeon Charles F. Stokes,
U. S. ~, to the command Of the hospital
ship Relief, left Washington last night
for Thomasville, NC, where he will
spend week hunting, When asked if
he had anything to say about the recent
decision OF President Taft and Secre
+, tary Of the Navy Meyer to assign Sur
geon George Piekrell, U. g. n, to COM
mand the hospital ship solaee, he re-
piled: Nothing except that 1t Is to be
regretted that matter of so much i'm
portance to the best interests of the
service should not have been decided
entirely on its merits