The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-07

strange as it may seem mortar fire is
more accurate than rifle fire. Per
feet or nearly perfect scores are being
made all the time with these engines
of destruction as against sixty to
eighty per cent records of the rifles.
This is because of the recently per-
fected aiming and laying devices that
have reduced mortar fire to me-
chanical and almost foolproof opera
ton. Until some one invents a meth
cd of applying mortar fire methods to
the big rifles, there is little use of
talking of increasing the range of our
big rifles by increasing their eleva-
ton.
They Are Specialists.
AS has been mentioned before in
this article, the men of the coast ar
tillery are specialists in their various
duties. If there is to be any prepara-
ton for defense of this country in
case of sudden war, let the first con-
sheraton be given to the coast
A good infantryman can be made
in a few months, cavalryman in
half year, but it takes at least a
year before a recruit can be taught
his duties in the coast defenses. There
is a coast artillery reserve but as these
men have only a few days drill at the
big guns in the year they could not
be expected to do The most efficient
work when called upon suddenly.
If my opinion is worth anything, 1
want to say that the coast defenses
need just twice the number Of men
it now has. 1 have served in three
posts in this country and at two of
them there are more guns than can
be manned if all the coast reserves
and regulars are put in service. l
know of one post where there are
guns in firSt-clasS condition, enough
for eighteen companies, and at that
place there are stationed only three
companies, with reserves enough
available tc man only eight batteries
OF what use is it to have guns when
there are no men to operate them?
Submarine Mines.
There are two means of defense as
conducted by the coast artillery corps,
viz: artillery and submarine The lat
ter is a branch little thought of in
connection with the army but is not
by any means the least important
The hardest working companies in the
army are the submarine mine com
panies whose duties are to load, plant
and fire the harbor mines.
There are two classes of mines, deep
water and harbor mines. The deep
water mines are laid by navy mine
layers which are a part of the navy
Just as mine companies are part OF
the coast artillery. Deep water mines
are laid for offense. The harbor mine
is laid for defense. The navy mine is
in nearly all cases, what is called
contact mine, that is to say they ex-
plode of themselves when a ship hits
them.
For various reasons the coast ar
tillery mine is not of this type but
is fired ION observation" or by contact
as may seem fit at the moment. The
mine itself is a spherical cast steel
case large enough to hold a hun
bred pounds of gun cotton and the
firing mechanism. 1t is fitted with
iron rings SO that it may be anchored
in position. Harbor mines do not float
about as do deeD sea mines
When a harbor is mined the big
bombs are planted in rows of nineteen
each and the rows are placed one be-
hind the other and overlapping first
to one side and then to the other,
making it impossible for q ship large
enough 10 do any damage to escape
if it tried to make a sudden dash past
the big guns.
Each mine and group is numbered
so that it is possible for the men to
pick out any certain mine at any
time. When they are laid, the groups
are connected from the switch board
on shore by electric "a bleS, which
contains wires that lead in turn to
each separate mine. On the switch
board the groups are represented by
a block of switches and each switch
means a mine.
Mines can be planted and left with
out danger of harm to shipping since
they are fired by electricity and as the
power is ashore it is impossible for
them to explode until it is intended
is so arranged that the power can be
turned into one mine, one group or
the whole set of groups at will