New-York tribune., 1917-09-06
Defect in Army
Cartridges Known
To Baker May 25
Pershing, However, Not In
formed Until August /,
Secretary Admits

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5.-Newton D.
Baker, Secretary of War. told the Sem
ate Committee on Military Affairs to-
day that it was discovered May 25 that
some of the mall zrms ammunition
was defective. Major General Pershing
was not informed until august /.
The Secretary further admitted to the
Senate committee that quantities Of
the defective ammunition had been
shipped 20 Pe-shug. The cases con-
tanning the dangerous munitions, Mr..
Baker explained, had been carefully
labelled, so there was no possibility Of
danger 20 any Of the American eXpe-
Gitionary force.
Secretary Baker said the defective
ammunition had been manufactured at
the FrankfOrd Arsenal. The first re-
port that il did not meet the govern
ment requirements and that il was q
distinct menace 10 those attempting 70
use il came from the Navy Department
on May 25, i'm the Iorm of a report
from the Marine Corps which had been
supplied with some of the defective
ammunition.
The War Secretary stated that it
was not believed that more than one
hundredtn Of | pe~ cent of the ammu
milton was Imperfect, but that progress
g,ve deterioration might bring the total
10 one-tcnth. The cause OF the defect
was stated by Mr. Baker TO have been
an absolutely hitherto unknown chemi-
cal reaction.
That there will be a thorough in
vestigation by the House Committee
on Military Affairs was stated en-
phatically By Chairman Dent yester-
day. He announced that he had with
him in support Of such a programme
Majority Leader Kitchin and Acting
Minority Leader Gillette.
Mr.. Dent has introduced a resolu
tion calling for the investigation, not
only of the ammunition sent to Cen
eral Pershing, but Of all ordnance mat
ters. He will ask unanimous consent
for consideration Of the resolution to-
morrow. If that is denied, he will ask
a special rule TO obtain its adoption.
Baker said he was heartily in favor
Of making the public fully cognizant
of all the facts. He advised the fullest
publicity regarding the defective am
muniticn. -.
Brigadier General Crozier, Chief Of
Ordnance, accompanied Secretary Bak-
er TO the committee meeting. General
Crozier told the committee the powder
formula used at f'rankford Arsenal was
not the same as used By private NUM-
tion makers, but said that heretofore
good results always had been obtained
from the government process.
Chairman Chamberlain of the Senate
committee and Senators Hitchcock and
Fletcher were persistent in their in
uuiries of Secretary Baker as to
whether he believed there had been
treachery.
lie was unwilling to believe the
trouble due TO the Vaccinations of
German agents. The Secretary persist
ed in giving it as his opinion that the
entire trouble must be laid to a chem
ical freak.
"The reports Of trouble from small
arms ammunition came from such
varied sources. following the first dis
CCyery.' the secretary said, that the
general character OF the defect was
fairly evident. A thorough investiga
tlon at the Frankford Arsenal was i'm
mediately instituted and eventually
revealed what is believed TO have been
the cause Of the trouble.
Experts al the Arsenal" the secre-
tary added, "had found that a small
quantity of potassium bromate had
been found in the potassium chlorate
which is used in the manufacture OF
the primers. In the presence Of the
free sulphur which exists in the cart
ridges Is found the basic cause for the
deterioration"