| Show or Ordinance Report No Nov annual re report report port of at the bord ot of ordnance and tort forti fortifications sums up concisely a large i amount of experimental work 1 pushed by the board during the past year ear A A general statement of what Is needed In the future Js is cont In iii InI I the following paragraph The work of equipping our const coast for Is progressIng rapIdly and andI anda a I large portion ot of the ne armament Is already nd Installed There Is imperative n need 1 for an adequate force Corce ot of trained to care for and man mantIn th tIn guns now mounted The board therefore deem It within Its province to InvIte the attentIon of Congress to tott tt necessIty of and ma matens tens Increase of the artillery arm ot of tlc the service In this connection also the board r that steps ho bo taken nt at an early date to the coast artillery with sIth suitable ranges and oth other er cr facIlities for carrying out each year yeara a system of practical drill and target practIce with heavy guns under condl condi lions approximating those of actual sr ser vl vire e i is s the primary object of the lIe do fenes is IA to protect the harbors and along our coasts the gUns are as II a rule so o placed 1 that target nr fir III big with full servIce charges and at atthe th the longer and more Important ranges fangeS can take place without the lIvo and damaging the of private citizens This Is particularly true In the case of defending the larger harbor barbers he there Is shipping constantly WIthIn range ralle anti whore where prIvate houses are In n such Ruch close proximity to the guns na as tl be b be seriously affected by shook shock At t least three such practice ranges bo be for the North one for the South Atlantic and and one for Cor the PacIfic coast A t to the Intention of reo re rearming arming the artillery branch of the ser ics Is tie on only statement that can be beon construed on trl I as having the slightest bear bearing II ing upon the French gun secret On the tho hand to show that the United States State service has secrets of Its own tI the report refers reters t to Im tests ot of Irot flying machine now In but Lut In iii such as throw no It light ht on the results achieved In that direction the Im ot of the rapid fire for defense purposes the board 11 1 the adoption ot of a tYpe ot of barbette mount for f ft 11 fhe fh or guns It proposes Ii a series aeries ot of competitive tests durin during the year Itar to a I new field gun and the opinion that the d States will vIll then se ur for Cor the theu u of its Is the most mn ma trIaI of Its kind yet produced No NI was made during the year lar In Inthe Inthe the ot of the use of high ox ex ploll The fhe estimates for tor 1111 al work during the coming year agre gat at and a majority of f the n a plan Ion ot of disbursement h by either the bureaus of the war or the board itself ns as I ca at 1 HI of war shall con tiLl |
