The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-26
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
IN F o RIM ALTON
Blu REAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington, D. G.
THE ANERIcAN,RIEvE
Washington, D. G.


Washington, d. c., June 22.--The
recent announcement that more than
a million and half rifles have been
produced in this country for the use
of the United States army, will prob
ably put to rest for all time the con-
troversy and the MISUNDERSTANDING it
engendered over the supply of rites
available for our troops In addition
to these recently manufactured rifles,
we have IN use 100000 Springfield
rifles which were on hand when we
entered the war. As only about half
OF the men in an army carry rifles, we
now have enough of them to supply
force of two million men, including
sthe wastage for a year. Our average
Rte of production is 7,941 rifles a
day.
The truth about the rifle situation
has been obscured by the dust and
fuss of partisan contention. The pub
lie was told on the one hand that we
had "a broomstick army" and on the
other, that there was a rifle for eve:y
recruit. The real story of tine Amer
lean rifle in this war is known to but
few.
To understand that story it is nee
essary to go back to the beginning of
the war In Europe. AT that time the
British government was just getting
ready to manufacture a new model Uf
rifle. A short time before the Ger
| mans had discovered that a cartridge
with a pointed bullet would shoot
| straighter and farther than one with
blunt bullet. Accordingly all the
! principal governments began manu-
| featuring pointed bullets. But when
the British tried to shoot a pointed
| bullet in their regular army rifle (the
1903 Enfield), it didn't work; the bull
| let turned somersaults in the air and
| otherwise misbehaved. BY putting q
| little piece of aluminium in each bull
| let, the British succeeded in restoring
the balance of their missile, so that
! the rifle they had would shoot it. but
| this was q makeshift and an expensive
J one. Accordingly, they set to work
and designed new rifle. borrowing
! freely from our Springfield model and
from the German rifle.
When war broke out in 1914. the
British had a fine rifle-on paper.
/ They did not have any considerable
quantity of the new rifles actually
made. and only small supply of the
old ones. The Germans had caught
John Bull with his shirt off, so far as
rifles were concerned.
Immediately the British agents
| rushed to this country with their de-
signs Tor new rifles, but altered to
shoot the old British 1903 ammuni-
ton instead of the 80 as had been in
tended. This had to be done in order
that all Of the British rifles would use
i the same ammunition. for much con-
fusion would be caused if an army had
to use different kinds of ammunition
in its rifles
The very best gun factories in the
| united states were now given con-
| tracts for the manufacture of the new
British Enfield rifle. The immediate
result was an unexpected delay. The
american manufa cturers were compe-
| tent. but it took much longer to evolve
n
any one had realized. 1t was nearly
a year and a half before rifles were
shipped from this country to England
In large enough numbers to count.
When the United States entered the
war. we had the great good fortune to
have already developed this quantity
production of rifles in the interest OF
Great Britain. Had it not been for
this fact. we probably would not have
an effective army in the field today
But we encountered the same diff
Guilty that the British encountered at
the beginning, in that we had on hand
rifles of another caliber.
| These were our own regular army
Springfield rifles of 80 caliber. We
had about 100000 of them on hand
and two government arsenals with a
capacity of about 1900 rifles a day
which was enough to supply the nor
NAL wastage on the 100000.
| In other words, we were capable OF
producing the British rifle in quantity
with none on hand, while of the
Springfield rifle we had considerable
4 supply on hand, but could not produce
quantities. If we manufactured the
British rifle and ammunition, W.
would be unable to supply ammuni
ton for our Springfields, and the 700.
900 rifles of that make would have t.
go to the scrap heap.
i Accordingly, the decision wa
reached to alter the design of thu
British Enfield SO that it would shoe
: the Am erican 80 ca1iber cartridge. 1
was this change in design which
caused all the delay. all the contro
versy and all the charges that we wer
S putting a broomstick army into tn
field. It was decided upon, however
by the leading rife experts and manu-
facturers of the United States. and 1t
wisdom seems to be demonstrated b.
. the fact that we are now PRODUCING
9 this American Enfield rife in guam
= titles, and are also using 100000 o
. the Springfields, all of these rifle
> shooting the same ammunition.
Experts pronounce this new Amer
lean Enfield one of the best of mod
: ern rifles. In a test which comprise
2 the firing of $4,000 rounds of am
munition, there were only three acci
: dents and two Of those were due t
:, the carelessness of soldiers in gettin
, dirt in the muzzles of their guns.
appears that there is tendency 70
h this rifle to burst, owing to the yer
high pressure to which the chambe
y is subjected when the piece is firet
C This pressure is 81 1000 pounds to th
II square inch. Men are being very care
: fully trained in the use of the arm
and officers are provided with prope
e gauges and tools, SO that they ca
e make frequent inspections. similar t
n those made of coast and fields arti
II lery pieces. By these precautions tn
: number of accidents have been re
n duced to an almost negligible pei
1t centage.
II The rifle problem is not only thu
of supplying each man with a riff
80 but of keeping him supplied tt
wastage Of rifles used to be calculate