The Washington herald., 1916-10-23
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
Best Service Column I'm City.

A freproof building for use as a gen.
eral storehouse is one OF the latest ac-
quisitions at the Washington Navy Yard
at cost OF approximately s225,oOO The
structure was authorized by the naval
! appropriation act of June 30, 1914.
The storehouse Is built of REINFORCED
concrete and was designed by the Bu-
reau of Yards and Docks, the general
features Of the design having been de-
ternined by Civil Engineer R. c. Holly
day, U. s. N, with the assistance of
| Pay Inspector E. w. Bonnaffon. U. S. N,
prospective user OF the building
Next to the Puget Sound storehouse
this is the largest storehouse at any navy
yard. The main building is 100 by go
feet and six stories high. It has a one
story annex for a crane runway built
alongside the main building. The an
mex is 30 by $50 feet.
The cost per cubic foot Of volume and
the cost per square foot of floor area are
less than for any other modern navy
yard storehouse. The costs follow:
Main building and crane-runway annex,
S.094 per cubic foot; main building, xlO4
per cubic foot; main building per square
foot of floor area, S1.S0.
ILo DullilIB lB OF T6-6nIOTCe0 concrete
throughout except that the exterior
walls are OF brick. supported upon re-
enforced concrete wall beams, and ex-
cepting also the crane runway, which Is
Of steel frame construction, with fer
roinclave roof.
The School OF Musketry at Fort Sill,
Okla, opened its fall course recently
with class OF 133 noncommissioned ofri-
80 -
Guard In attendance.
Work In machine guns of all types will
be taken up. So far as known this is the
first time that regular and National
Guard noncommissioned officers have been
assembled at a service school Army
officers believe that the service will be
greatly benefited upon the graduation OF
the members OF the class.
Dull days are being experienced at the
War and Navy departments. The heads
of both OF these executive branches are
campaigning. and matters requiring their
personal attention will not be given con-
sideration until after the November cleo
tions
Even were the Cabinet members at
their desks, It is doubtful whether action
would be taken prior to the elections on
some of the questions now confronting
tii'iLl, t1S II Is ueSlTOus 10 nOlQ matters IN
abeyance until after the views Of the
people regarding their Presidential
choice have been expressed.
More cases of this type are to be found
in the Navy Department than in the War
Department Among some Of these ques-
tions are the selection Of site for the
experimental laboratory. the selection of
site for the government armor plant,
the nomination of the general naval staft
corps, the nomination Of general officers
for the Marine Corps. the application of
promotion by selection to the naval stan
corps. the designation Of the stan officers
who shall have the rank Of rear admiral,
and action on the report on the Edison
storage battery for submarines.
All OF these questions involve some
phase OF politics and Secretary Daniels
evidently deems II wise to refrain until
after the elections from running the risk
Of offending a particular faction or To-
cality.
The Chief Of Stan and Secretary of
War have not yet reached a decision re-
sarding the reopening of the army
schools Orders issued to officers to re-
port to the institutions at Fort Riley and
Fort Leavenworth and TO the Army War
College here were suspended some time
ago.
Several dates have been tentatively
adopted in the last few months for the
resuming OF work, but the demand for
the services of officers in Mexico and
along the border has prevented the fruit
tiOn OF the plan. At present there is a
proposal to reopen the schools on Janu-
ary ]. 1t is extremely doubtful, however,
whether the schools will be able to re-
open at all for work this year.