The Washington herald., 1916-08-05
The Heralds Army and Navy Department
Latest and Most Complete News Service and Personnel Published
in Washington

The high cost of leather has led the
visibility Of using a lighter and cheaper
material for halters and halter shanks
At the present prices. the equipment
would cost more than s3, whereas dur
able, neat rope halter and tie rope can
be issued to the service for about IS
cents.
| a vote on the question Of four different
kinds OF shanks, the shank being the
part most frequently broken in the serv-
ice. was asked of the commanders of the
Third, Tenth, Twelfth. Thirteenth and
Fourteenth regiments of cavalry. with
a view to ascertainng their opinions
They were requested to base their an
swers on actual experience. These off,
GERS are all either on field or border serv-
lice. and forty-three reports were received
summarized as follows: Five and eight
tenths oval webbing. favorable reports;
S-inch linen sash cord. .; l2s-inch halter
webbing 10 and l2-inCh manila rope, 4G
The use of the I1-inch manila rope
for tie ropes was Overwhelmingly IA
vored 1t was found in this connection
that dipping the ropes in tar paint gives
them tIeble the life. the only bad fea-
ture of this being that it soils the clothes
and hands. The Cavalry Equipment
Board at Rock Island Arsenal has taken
under consideration the adoption OF per
manent halter chains for use n stables
and on picket line in garrison, which
seems to be favored by the mounted serv-
ice 1t is probable that 12-inch manila
rope will be issued to organizations in
quantities to be utilized for tie ropes
as the exigencies Of the service demand
The War Department has issued or
ders to reopen the School OF Musketry
at Fort sill. Col. Blackford of the
infantry, is the commandant. Forty-ive
! lieutenants from machine gun companies
of regular regiments and militia in the
/ service of the United States, with two
noncommssioned officers from each Of the
same companies, and forty-five noncom-
stoned officers from other machine gun
companies are ordered to report to the
school for instructions not later than
August 90 The course will include in
struction in the handling of Benet-Mer-
GER Lewis. and the NiCkers Maxim guns,
and will be limited TO four months for
each class
A list of auxiliaries for use in the
United States navy in time of war has
J Dttu COlLplltu UN Nllt lloN al btllSI al
board The characteristics of each type
have been determined. and an inspec-
tion of every merchant vessel in ser
vice or in course OF construction has
been made, to identify those which pos
sess the conditions that would make
the vessel serviceable.
The board has already assigned each
vessel to a navy yard to which it would
go to be fitted for this purpose, and
plans have been made and will be sup
piled to the different yards for fitting
them out. The present list of merchant
vessels is 400. aggregating a gross ton
mage of 1,l27,Ooc and in addition to these.
there would be needed 324 vessels fitted
for mine sweeping of about $50 gross tons
each, If our coasts were invested or
even occasionally Visited
Commander H. c. Dinger L. s. N
has been assigned to command the TO-
O0O-ton naval tanker Maumee, which has
just been completed. Commander Dinger
is we'll known in Washington, where he
has been stationed for some time. He
has left for the New York Navy Yard
which will be the headquarters of his
vessel The Maumee is equipped with
Deisel engines, the first large engine of
this type to be built in the United States,
and incidentally the largest Deisel en-
gine in the world. It burns crude oil
with combustion by compression with
out the need of ignition by spark.