New-York tribune., 1910-12-24
ARMY AND NAVY NOTES
West Point to Have New Com
mandant of Cadets.
Iron The Tribune Bureau. ]

ARM.-The Military Academy at ives.
Point Is to have q new commandant OF ca
dets The present incumbent. Lieutenant
Colonel Frederick ". Slbley. 4th Cavalry,
is to be relieved in few weeks at his own
request and will be detailed to duty in the
Inspector Generals department in place OF
Lieutenant Colonel ". E. Wilder, Of the
cavalry arm, who is destined TO become
colonel Of the 9Th Cavalry when the COM
manding officer OF that regiment, Colonel
Alexander Rodgers, is retired, on January
II. The position OF cornmandent of cadets
is one Of the most prominent of army bill
lets. 1t carries with it the increased rank
and pay, and it will be filed on Colonel
Sibley's detachment by Captain F. ". Sla-
den, 14th Infantry. now on duty in the War
Department as secretary OF the General
STAFF. Captain Sladen Is graduate Of the
Military Academy. class OF 80. He is
native Of Massachusetts, forty-ttree years
old and entered the army from Nebraska
He will be the first cornmandant OF cadets
in many years to be selected from the in
fantry arm.
IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTS. - The
naval ordnance officers are planning an I'M
portant series OF unusual tests with ord
nance, projectiles and arnor. By an ar
rangement with the Navy Department the
Bureau OF Ordnance has obtained the old
monitor Tallahassee, formerly the Florida,
and the ram Katahdin. which became obso-
lete as soon as built, during the Whitney
administration The combination OF these
two old vessels will serve as a floating
proving ground. the nautical adjunct of the
proving ground at Indian Head, Nd. At
that place 1t has been found impossible TO
obtain fhA long ie
proposed to use in ascertafning the effect
OF pro1ectiles on armor. Such tests have
been conducted on theoretical basis. and
the criticism has been made that no one
knows exactly what the effect OF attack
would be under conditions of war.
The difficulty now in the way of the ord
nance officers is to obtain a range in the
Potomac River which will furnish an extra
two OF three miles to allow for the ricochet
OF shots. Care must be taken not TO dam
age passing craft or property on shore 1t
was at one time thought that such long
range could be obtained on shore, but it Is
realized that this would necessitate much
expense in the acquisition of the necessary
land. and as the experiments will occur
only two or three times year the Navy
Department concluded that it was not
worth while going to that expense. With
these two vessels any range can be OBJ
tanned.
The forthcoming experiments will have
to do with the penetration OF shells against
various thicknesses Of armor, and different
calibres Of gun will be used up to Pinch
ordnance, arrangements being made TO
mount these guns On the Tallahassee while
the Katahdin will be used as target. 1t
has been necessary specially to manufact-
ure the supports for the plates which are
to be attacked, and this may delay the test
for several months
In the mean time the chief of ordnance
Of the navy has prepared statistics which
will answer any criticism made in the
House during the debate on the naval ap-
preparation bill 1t is understood that Rep
resentative Hobson possesses some infor-
nation Of which he Intends to make use I'm
this connection. It has been alleged IN
some quarters that the Bureau of Ord
nance has not made use of high explosives
10 the extent Justified by the effectiveness
Of that class of ammunition The critics
have gone so far as to assert that the
naval ordnance bureau has adhered to ord
nance and projectiles incapable of infiictins
the damage wrought by available high ex
plosives. The experts have not been in
rItned TO use high explosives because of the |
risk involved in their storage on vessel
Of war
ENGINEERS FOR PHILIPPINE DUTY. |
HEADQUARTERS and Company I. of the |
Third Battalion of Engineers, are slated |
'or duty in the Philippines The company i
now Is stationed at Fort Leavenworth. |
Kan. and an order issued from the War
DEPARTMENT to-day directs the men to hold
themselves in readiness to sail from San
francisco on October 5 next for Manila,
ybere thew will relieve the headquarters
md rou1pany c. of the Second Battalone
p Engineers. which will come to Fort
NEW NAVAL, CHAPLAIN.-Leroy Nell
on Taylor, Of Schenectady, y. Y, a Meth
dist clergyman. has been appointed
h haplain in the navy.
ORDERS 1ssUED.-The following orders
rave been issued:
ARMY
Jator DAVID ]. BAKER, Jr.. 11th Infantry,
detailed in adjutant generals department 20
take effect May ST. vice Major WILLIAM
from detail in that department. and assigned
to 11th infantry from May 81 Majo.
sbsence. to duty in office OF adjutant general,
Department Of the Lakes. until May 8.
thence &
Iator ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL. coast artll-
lery detailed In adjutant generals depart
ment to take effect April Is, vice MAJOR
SIDNEY s. JORDAN. adjuranr general, re
heved from detail in that department from
April H. Major CAMPBELL to San Fran
cisco as assistant ndjutant general, Depart
meut of California. until May. thence 70
Honolulu as adjutant general District or
Hawaii -
raior WILLIAM NJ. WRIGHT, sth Infantry,
detailed in adjutant generals deparfmep1, 1f4
NJ. TRUITT. adjutant general who IS re-
assigned to sth Infantry, to take ehect
March H. Major WRIGHT. to San Fran
CISCO In time to sail May FOR Phiiippines.
aptain MARION S BATTLE, coast artillery.
First Lieutenant NATHANIEL, P. ROGERS.
Jr coast artillery, to Fort Logan thshce 10
Salt Lake City. =, ,,.,. ,
aptain CHARLES ?. sUMMERALL. "a fl..n
Francisco, in time TO take transport saiins
May 5 for Philippines. -.r ,
lery 10 West Point. April j.
NAVY. ,
idshipman r. NJ JAEGER. to the Panther. ,
W. A EDGAR. de'achen tA7
[achinist +. r. KING. detached the New OF
leans; TO naval station. Cavite 4,
MARINE CORPS.
eeend Lieutenant JOHN MARSION, Sd, ap-
pointed post Quartermasrer at naNai p.ison' r
navy yard Portsmouth. relieving First Lieu .
tenant E. II. FORTSoN. January J.
lieutenant Colonel Z. r. COLE, twenty-five
DAYS leave of absence granted =
ajor C. G. LONG. to Washington eAahiinA =
tior for promotion.
Glowing second Neutenants detached MAINS I
officers, school. Port Royal. on sradn2tios' I
TO stations designated: OLIVER FLOYD 81 r
P1ERCE n 4, RRJTNBAIrGH and NJ X. .