Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-28
THOMPSON To Be
ADvANCEDINRANK
Former Rock Island Arsenal
Officer Is Promoted to Sue
coed Col. Baker, Retired.

Rock Island arsenal, retires tomorrow
because of the age limit and Lieuten-
ant Colonel John T. Thompson, also
former popular ordnance officer at
the arsenal and now assistant chief of
the ordnance department at Washing
ton, will be promoted to the colonelcy |
to succeed Colonel Baker. The Army /
and Navy Journal, speaking of Colo
mel Thompson says: His service as
chief ordnance officer, both in time of
war and in time of peace, and his thor
ough knowledge and appreciation of
militia conditions, together with his |
service in the ordnance office, COM
bine to afford him rather varied and
broad experience. In addition to this
practical work he was designated by
the chief of ordnance to prepare pa
per on The Art of Designing and Con-
structing Small Arms for the Inter
national Engineering Congress in 1904
and he was selected to prepare the
article on American small arms for
the tenth edition of the Encyclopedia
Britannica by the military editor there
of. He has given addresses in similar
professional subjects before clubs, So
cieties, national guard meetings and
the student officers of the war college.
Among other duties after graduating
from the artillery school in 1890 he
was selected for assignment to duty
at the naval gun factory, Washington,
to learn the practical as we'll as the
theoretical operation of making heavy
guns. He was commended at the close
of this detail. In December, 1890, he
was transferred to the ordnance de-
! partment and his % years service
therein has been of an unusually var
led character.
He has had inspection duty. has
served at two of the largest arsenals,
was principal assistant to the in
! structor of ordnance and gunnery at
West Point, and chief ordnance officer
/ of the departments of the Platte and
Missouri prior to the Spanish war. On
the outbreak OF that war he was APP
pointed chief ordnance officer, head
quarters, U. s. forces, Tampa, Fla,
and later chief ordnance officer, 4th
army corps. He also commanded the
ordnance depot at Tampa, which was
charged with the supply OF all the
forces concentrated at that point. for
which work he was commended by
Generals Flagler and Shafter.
after the war he was detailed as
member of the board of officers to
select camp sites in Cuba and was
charged with arranging for the estab
lishment of an ordnance department
on that island. Upon completion OF
this duty he took charge OF the work
! of Strengthening the property accounts
!. of the various volunteer organizations
who had been in service and the state
claims. He next became particularly
4, identified with the small arms and
: the equipment of the foot and mounted
soldier. He had much TO do with the
successful development of the present
service automatic pistol and the rife
: the latter generally admitted to be the
most accurate and the best military
rifle now in use and is also active In
the development of an automatic rife
for the service After eight years o.
this work at the Springfield and Rocl
Island arsenals he was again ordered
, to Washington as a senior assistant t
the chief of ordnance, a position tina
, he still holds. Among the duties o
this assignment are the supervision
, of the methods of administration o
the ordnance establishments, OF mat
: tiers connected with the civil and mill
tary personnel of the department
also the preparation OF war plans fol
the formation of the depots and tn,
supply of troops in time of war. and
J the design, supply and distribution
, for storage and issue Of small arms
| ammunition and equipments for mel
and horses. From his arsenal servic,
he is familiar with the manufactuI
, ing and other problems that must b.
solved and is accustomed to dealinI
with industrial tabor"