The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-01-08
WAR ENGINES
Army and Navy Officers Plan
New Death Machines.
Have as Many Ingenious and Eth
client inventions to Their Credit
as Have the officers Of Any
Other Nation.
ey EDWARD g.. CLARK.

STAFF Correspondent Of the Western
Newspaper Union.
Neutrality-suspicious. little time ago a
word or two was said publicly about a
new navy torpedo, accurate and serV-
iceable at a range hitherto ~unthought
Of. The navy department naturally
was displeased because of the public
word spoken of this invention. Not
enough has been said about it to en-
able anybody else to seize on the Sc
cret and therefore probably no harm
has been done. The country may not
know it, but army and navy officers
are trying constantly to invent some
thing which will go other nations II
better.
As the records will show the Ameri-
can officers Of the two services have
as many creditable and efficient in
ventions~ credited to them as have the
officers OF any of the armies and ma
vies of other nations and, to make this
stronger, it must be remembered that
our army is a comparatively small az
fair and our navy stands fourth from
the top of the size and strength list
There is a hint that if unhappily the
United States in the near future
should become involved in war a sur
prise or two may be in store for this
country's antagonist or antagonists
Individual initiative Is a common
xl...- L., A. ,,o - md pnpy GnnaT IF mnnf
and while secrecy as to details shrouds
such matters it Is probable that a CON
fict might bring to light something
new in the shape of devices for de-
lenses and o~ffenses.
The officers of the service today
largely are students. Things were diff
ferent in the old days. Now in the
first place the off Ger Of today before
he can be promoted has to pass an
examination. Moreover study Of mill
tary and naval problems Is enjoined,
and again, moreover, the success of
some officers in inventive lines has
spurred the ambitions of others to
equal or excel their comrades. When
ever a new thing appears in a foreign
field It is the attempt Of many men OF
the American services to produce
something which will put another
something out Of business.
Not all of the inventions of military
arms have been those Of men Of the
service, for the American civilian
with his inherited knack for novel
constructive work has created many
things which have been adopted in
some form or another first by the
American army or navy and later
when the secrets were out, by the 9th
er armies or navies of some of the
foreign powers.
The study in the signal service to
day is directed in large part to the
perfection of the a%eroplane, Every in
cident connected with the air service
in Europe Is noted. When 1t Is re
ported that an %aeroplane attack hal
failed and any hint is given as to thu
reason for the failure, the minds o
the signal service officers are directed
toward the task Of making the failure
impossible in our army.
Armored motor cars are unde
study. When the American car FINAL.
Is put into service it will be foun'
very likely that 1t will do things tina
the armored cars now in use In Europ'
cannot do, and that it will have con
t~rivances possessed by none Of tn
cars of Europe which will add to 1t
efficiency. Nothing in the way Of sue
gestion which comes from the othe
side Of the water is being lost.
The army and navy have done muc]
for themselves IN the last half century
The old single-shot breech,loadinI
Springfield rife vas the best weapon
of its type In use anywhere in tn
world. 1t was simple, strong, accurat
and 1t could be loaded and fired rapit
ly. After %single-shot rifles went GU
} ; the American army adopted a mags
. zine rife which later was discarde
for the new model magazine Sprine
field, which is made in the govern
ment factories. 1t Is said to be
weapon of extreme ease Of manipult
ton and of deadly accuracy at Ion
range. 1t is a superior rife, expert
, say, to that in use anywhere in tn
> world.
, The army officer who Is at preser
chief of ordnance, General Croziel
was the inventor, or at any rate on
!, of the inventors, Of the disappearin
gun carriage for use In our Sea coas
a Notifications and elsewhere where bi
guns are a necessary part Of the arm'
ment. Range finders, delicate "
strong and Of great accuracy are othe
American service inventions.
The army and navy officers her
t there and elsewhere are at work col
stantly on the problem Of improvement
l. OF wars material.
l.