Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-03
SHELLS BEST ARMOR|NOT BODY Of H|SSON
Result of Tests Made by the Strange Mistake Made Re-
Ordnance Bureau garding Dead Burglar
ANNUAL REPORT OF CHIEF Identified BY l. WIENER
Power Of Poes Penetrate Opinion Upset
Thick Plates. Wandering Boy
Use OF sMoKELEss POWDER BURIAL PREPARATIONS MADE
Submitted Ad Philadelphia
Washing ing Identity Burglar
ton Gun Factory Killed Policeman
Result of Tests Made by the
Ordnance Bureau.
ANNUAL REPORT OF CHIEF
Power Of Projeetiles to Penetrate
Thick Plates.
Use OF SMOKELESS POWDER
Estimates Submitted by Rear Ad-
miral Mason for the Washing
ton Gun Factory.

| Ton run caCLOCy.
The shot appears to be getting the bet
| ter Of the armor in the never-ending con-
J test for supremacy between the two In
the opinion of Rear Admiral n. E. Mason,
chief Of the naval ordnance bureau. as
| expressed in his annual report, the condi-
tons with regard to armor-piercing pro-
jectiles. formerly unsatisfactory, have i'm
proved very much during the year; the
quality of the shells supplied by certain
firms is better and the outlook Is more
satisfactory than for several years past,
| though the lack of an adequate supply. of
| large caliber shells continues to be
matter of serious concern.
| On the other hand, the advance In armor
has not been entirely satisfactory, SO far
| as thick plates are concerned, and GER
tain new processes, while giving promise
| Of ultimate Improvement, have failed to
lend themselves to the installation OF the
| armor on shipboard.
Older Processes Distanced.
In the meantime the older processes are
being left behind by the. Improvement in
projectiles. But thin plates have shown
l
methods, formerly limited to two-inch
plates, have been gradually extended to
plates up to four inches. and Admiral
Mason says it is possible these methods
may be indefinitely extended and thus
solve the problem existing with regard to
| thick plates.
the ordnance bureau is we'll satisfied with
the present snpokeless powder. No
changes Of importance have been made
IN its composition during the past year,
the present efforts at improvement being
4 confined to securing regularity of prod
uct and increased stability. A new sta
bilizer' has been introduced with great
success. A lot of old powders worked
over with the new compound resulted In
q powder regarded as equal in stability
to the new powder at q cost of less than
30 per cent.
Washington Gun Factory.
A chapter Of the report is devoted to
the naval gun factory at the Washington
navy yard. Rear Admiral Mason says that
the work of this establishment has pro-
crossed satisfactorily. It has embraced
the usual wide range, from the design
and manufacture of turret guns and
mounts to repairs upon the most minute
parts of relatively unimportant mechan-
isms. all. however. directed, says Admit
raj Mason to single end-the battle eff
1ciency of the fleet. During the past
year 1S7 guns were completed, ~ par
TALLY completed and Is were rebuilt. The
| manufacture Of mounts, miscellaneous
parts, forgings. shells. etc. swelled the
total expenditures for the year-labor
and materials-to S7,900.3 1s.
Owing to the difficulty of obtaining the
p1any needed additions and improvements
| to the gun factory heretofore requested,
| Admiral Mason says the estimates sub
| nftted are confined to items considered
absolutely necessary to make the gun
| foundry self-contained as nearly as pos
| sible. particularly in time of war.
Summary Of Estimates.
These estimates embrace the following
items:
For the purchase and erection Of new
and improved machinery, $4,000; for
machinery cupolas, furnaces, etc, for
proposed new foundry, $121,075; for ex-
tension of old boiler house and building
No. 100, and installation OF a ten-ton
overhead electric travelling crane. $1,000;
new foundry and foundry yard, $500, ITO;
for new flooring in the shops. 5000; for
converting new boiler house building No.
i 100, and extension for use as q structural
steel and boiler shop. SIC, 1900.
| In explanation of these estimates, Ad-
miral Mason quotes from the report of
the superintendent Of the gun factory as
| follows:
1.-The necessities for q new and modern
! foundry and machinery for the same were
1 fully explained in the estimates and re-
ports for the four preceding fiscal years.
I can but feiterate those reasons. The
present foundry Is Anticipated and en-
tirely inadequate in size and unsuitable
IS foundry for such an institution as
| he naval gun factory. 1t is q menace
| to the health of the employees and also
the officers residing In the yard ON &C.
| count Of its present situation.
| THE loss to the government every year
by not having better facilit es In this re-
! gard would soon equal the amount re-
quested to properly provide for this por-
ion of the gun factory, and its increased
products would materially aid In the out
put Of the armament from It's shops saw
ing both time and expense. or all the
| improvements recommended, 1t Is the
most seriously needed, and it is again
urged that every effort be made to pro-
cure suitable appropriation for the
strating Of this mueh-needed improve
ment.
In Case Of Emergency.
"At present. in case Of hostile emergency,
the requirements Of the gun factory could
not be met, either by any foundries
owned by the government or by manufac-
turers on the outside, and the government