The farmer and mechanic., 1915-08-31

general staff OF the Army, in All aG- |
dress to the members of the Business |
MEMS Regiment tonight, informed |
them that experts of the army were
now at work developing a new car
coast fortifications both in the United
states proper and in the foreign pos
sessions, which was expected to in
crease the range of those guns by sew
sraI miles. says Plattsburg ~ Y
snecIal to the New York Times Tn
der he present disappearing carriage
arrtngement the maximum elevation
If the pieces, he said. was | 5 degrees
The Finch guns, for instance. as at
present mounted, when elevated to / 3
degrees had maximum range of
auout 5000 yards. If mounted SO as
g. permit an elevation to a maximum
cf IS degrees, these guns should hurl
a urOiectile from $4,000 to $4,000
wards. while in the case IF the great
I4-uch guns. the range would be in
creased with a similar maximum ele-
Hatlon to more than $4,000 yards. An
elevation of 45 degrees for the guns
at l6-inch calibre would mean a pos
sIble range of about A 900 yards. At
these extreme ranges, however, the
ecrctiveness Of the guns would be
Captain Kilburne said, was to alter
the carriage so as to permit an ele-
walton of 26 degrees, which, in the
case of the l6-inch guns, would mean
accurate fire at a range of more than
= 000 yards.
This was one of the problems that
the officers of the ordnance and coast
artillery arms We're studying, Captain
klburne asserted, and the prospects
Cf success were more than good. Fur
tE.rmore three of the ableSt officers
Ci the army, two Of them of the Gen
er.l staff, and the third one of the
famous engineers of the army, were
working out the problem of a proper
aHd efficient system of land support
fer Inc coast fortifications.
Captain kilburne spoke for nearly
an hour. At the beginning of his
talk Captain kilburne pointed out the
need of solving the land support prob
lem for the coast fortifcations
There is just one place in oul
scheme of coast defense" said Captain
is <turne, that would not need the
ett.re mobile army of the United
States to support it in the event of ;
crisis. That place is the Long Island
approach to New York City, whew
The Notifications, which are three il
uumoer-Forts Niche, Terry ant
Nright-are on the islands and fo
In the case of the other fertilization
would not apply"
without adequate coast artiller'
protection on the sea approach t
New York through the Ambros
Channel, an enemy's fleet, whicl
would not necessarily have to be near
ly as strong as our own, could lie
Captain Kilburne said, off the mout
Of the Ambrose Channel and make
a very difficult and dangerous under
taking for our own ships to get ou
of the harbor. The ships would hav
to leave the harbor in single colum
and it would not be a difficult matte
for the enemy to concentrate the fir
of all his ships on each America
vessel as it emerged. An adequat
coast artillery armament on Sand
Hook and at other strategic points i
that district would. however, max
ecress comparatively safe, for tn
guns of the fortifcation would be abl
10 keep the enemy at safe distanc
The Notifications in the Philippine
and in Hawaii Captain Kilburne sal,
could not bc reinforced in time of we
and il was very doubtful if the Pane
ma Notifications could be reinforce
under present conditions. In some
the fortifications in the United STATE
proper as many as twenty-five comps
nies of the Coast Artillery were nee'
tot Ine speaker Salo, To IldH tHe
properly and yet the strength was no
not more than ten companies, and
furtifications where ten cOmpani
were needed the number on duty w;
CurreSpondingly smaller.
Our MOrtarS Up to Date.
captain Kilburne next touch'
uuon the mortars of the coast art
iery, and here the news he gave w
good news, for he says that the
We're no better mortars in the wor
than those in the American foru
cations.
These mortars." said Captain X
burns, are first class, and their hiS
angle fire is as good as there is an
where"
The story he told of the big gu
WIS different. Their glaring defe
he said, was the out-of-date dis.
Itaring gun carriage system. viii