The Washington times., 1915-05-18
american Ammunition
Is Best In the World
German Officers Assert SO TO SO Per Cent of Shells
Made Here Explode, While Only Half of
Others Usually Prove Effective.
BY JUDSON C. ,WELLIVER.

OF powder is going to go on until It
Is tried. Then. II It's going to explode;
4 explodes; If 1t isn't, It doesn't. and
there's the end Of It,
tear a hole In the line of troops against
which IT Is aimed. Another shell. exact
ly like the first in every apparent way.
may sail three miles through the air
and drop into the ground with mild
thud and no damage done.
whether American shells are working
better because they are fresher is one
of the commonest inquiries. Before the
great war establishments had all ac-
cumulated large stores of ammunition;
as much, at any rate, as they could
heap up with reasonable confidence that
1t would stand the test OF time. The
old ammunition is supposed to have been
pretty generally used up, unless the
Germans had such immense stores that
they are still able to draw on them.
IL is frankly admitted in England that
the production of sufficient quantities OF
ammunition Is one of the greatest prob
lens of the war at the present stage.
1t has been reported time and again
working very well, large proportion
OF them falling to explode. The present
plight of the Russian armies in the Car
pathian campaign Is suspected to be
due to inability to provide ammunition
as fast rs 1t Is needed.
CALCULATIONS WOrtnlcSS.
All calculations on ammunition
supplies. made before the war, have
been shown worthless as hostilties
have progressed. In one lombard =
mont at La Bassee. when the British
forces turned lose several hundred
guns In a fearful crash to open the
way for an infantry movement, CAL
culations justified the allegation that
they burned up as much ammunition
in those few hours as was used in
the whole Boer war.
or course. ammunition from the
United States would have the ad =
vantage OF freshness. There were no
large stocks in this country when
the war began, and contracts could
not be filled In quantities except with
new goods.
The military advantage to the United
States OF having this country's ca
pacity for producing military pow
ders tremendously increased Is of the
greatest significance. For years the
army and navy authorities have been
warning Congress that in case OF war
! the ammunition supply would be OF
, the first Importance. and that there
! was not capacity TO provide anything
like what might be needed. The
| European war has induced American
! manufacturers to provide the plants
| and organize the forces TO accom-
| plish just what the American milf
| tary people have been demanding
| and II Is being done at n prcflt, by
| private interests, instead of at los,
by the Government. After the war
| there Will be an era of immense sup
! plies and low prices for military ex.
| plosives. 1t is expected that some oi
! the plants which have been put into
| commission will find no business tC
| justify maintaining them, and al.
! ready the suggestion has been made
| that the Government ought to take
! them over whenever ii becomes ap.
parent that otherwise they may be
dismantlcd. and keep them In an.
ticipation OF any emergency reQulr.
ing their output.