Evening star., 1923-11-18

Before an automobile company puts
out new car it builds an: expert
mental car and subjects it to long and
exhaustive tests to bring out amy de-
fects, before it is willing to give it to
the public and to stake its reputation
on it. Similarly It is necessary for the
ordnance department to test out thor
oughly all material before placing 1t in
the hands of troops. The weapons must
be deadly for the enemy. but safe for
our soldiers to use.
Before the world war the ordnance
testing ground was at Sandy Hook,
n. J. The ordnance department did the
best it could with the facilities at hand.
but was so limited by appropriations
that the science advanced but slowly
and the firing of a dozen large shells
was almost an event. When we entered
the world war 1t was evident that our
faculties would have to be greatly in
creased.
A board was appointed by the War
Department to select suitable site for
a proving ground that would be ade-
quate to our needs. 1t was necessary
10 select an area that would be large
enough for firing long range guns, and
1t had to be somewhat isolated in order
to avoid danger to surrounding inhabi-
tants. Another condition was that it
should be close enough to the industrial
area to keep IN touch with the prin-
cipal muntion factories. The site Sc
lected was n peninsula of Chesapeake
Bay near Aberdeen, Md. about forty
miles northeast of Baltimore. Construc-
tion started at once. The post has its
own water, power and lighting supply:
there are twenty miless of concrete
roads and thirty miles of railroad on
the reservation. The total cost of the
construction was $4,000, ,d00 and in ad-
dition to this $1,000. 900 WAS expended
for aviation hangers ana shops, which
We're added in the summer OF 1919.
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THE reservation at Aberdeen is four
L miles wide and fifteen miles long.
This gives maximum range on land
OF fifteen miles, or total range of forty
miles firing over land and water. In
order to observe the hits during the
firing there are sixteen observation
towers, which extend Il distance of
thirty miles on the eastern shore. The
ShhSit VI biic iiISIA Hitltfllldt NOTh WHICH
is performed in connection with the
firing Is indicated by the fact that in
one year $4,000 velocity measurements
were made.
Here we find facilities for testing all
types of guns, carriages, ammunition,
tractors and bombs. There are instru-
ments which enable the ordnance ex-
H. H.
flight with as much accuracy as is OBJ
tained by a carpenter who measures
floor joist with a foqt rule.
The first shot was fired at Aberdeen
on January 2, 1918. in binding snow
storm. From this small beginning the
work increased very: rapidly and by the
middle of the summer $4,000 rounds per
month were being fred.
Before the war q gun was generally
defined as a weapon which was fired at
an elevation not exceeding fifteen de-
grees. The Army ordnance officers had
developed the sciehce of ballistics to
very high degree for the weapons which
were then in use With the greatly in
creased use of aircraft during the world
war it became necessary to increase the
elevation of guns until some Of them
had to be fired almost vertically. The
ordnance officers found that their bal
listic theories were inadequate for pro-
iectiles fired at such high elevations.
They called on she colleges Of the
country for professors of mathematics
and astronomy. When the astronomers
examined the behavior of projectiles
high in the air they quickly discovered
that some of their theories for comets
and shooting stars checked very closely
with the action of the projectiles. AS
result they used mathematical formulas
with which they were familiar and soon
nut the science of ballistics on much
more satisfactory basis than it had ever
been before.
While all necessary field tests of
ordnance material are made at the
proving ground, the design and con-
struction of new types is done else
where. The first impulse for the design
of a new type may come from various
sources. such as the infantry or some
other combatant arm which uses the
weapon, or from civilian inventor, or
from the ordnance department Itself.
Before experiments are made on any
new type Of gun 1t is carefully consid-
cred by a board OF officers on which all
branches Of the s&rvice are represented.
II this board considers that the type
has sufficient merit to justify a tryout
the ordnance department is authorized
to 20 ahead with the development The
first step In the development OF new
gun Is the construction of wooden
model, in order that the board may see
whether the model appears to be cor
rectly proportional with view to field
service. Then drawings and specihca-
tions are prepared by the ordnance de-
partment and an! experimental gun Is
made at one Of the government ar
senals This first gun Is called pilot"
The pilot is sent TO the proving ground
and is there subjected to tests in order
to bring out any defects of material, de-
sign or workmanship. The extent Of
these tests varies considerably accord
ing to circumstances. If the new model
is only a modification of some existing
type, the test msy not be very ex-
tensive. If it is an entirely new model
it may be necessary to fire thousands
Of rounds before final acceptance. Dur
ing the war 50.oos rounds were fired
from one type Of gan.
When a new gun has passed its test
at Aberdeen 1t Is then sent to be tried
out by troops In the field. II 1t Is an in
fantry weapon, it will probably be sent
to Camp Benning. Ca; If for the field
artillery, to Fort Bragg, N. c.
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