Show RING IS UNDER FEDERAL r PRO PROBE B E Army and Navy Officers Officer Are Called Before Committee By Dy GILSON ON GARDNER W WASHINGTON April 4 The 4 The senate enato on Oll expenditures In n the tho war department Is la apparently going thoroughly thor thor- into an on Investigation to determine determine deter deter- mine whether army and navy Davy officers have violated their oaths by favoring the armor and ring The committee com corn completed taking testimony from LouIs Inventor of ot the Oath Oath- ay system tern of or high plosive explosive shells theUs ar to those now being used by for for- navies but which were Wore discarded by our own government cr after er tests Which h g O claims Vo were f faked find on which he swears false talle sari and ml misleading mis mis- misleading r leading reports were made by the tho officers of of- rl ra concerned This testimony mon ha has Just been printed The committee Is 18 headed by Miles Poindexter of ot Washington on and Includes Senators William 8 R. Kenyan on of Iowa George George- V. V W. W Norris of or Nebraska and Harry liar liar- ry toy Lane ne of or Oregon There could not wen be a better bolter combination for Cor getting getting get gut ting Unit at nt the facts i The Tho whole question turns on the comparative com corn efficiency of or high explosive I f n ns RIt compared with armor piercing shells Gathmann claims for tor his patent that I upon striking the gun cotton charge wilt will III detonate and the tho forces generated will act in the direction of ot the line of oC I tire fire destroying tho structure of or the tho yes ell pel eL l over 01 a considerable area arc arcIn In the tho vi vicinity vI 1 of tho ho impact In addition tho the I Hirers will be Le transmitted through h tho the water rater ter to the underwater body of or the tho vessel and open up lip a portion of ot the vessel ves yes pet sel below the water yater line In 1901 not congress aa appropriated to the secretary of or war to make p. p L Comparative vo test of or destructive energy between n the Gathmann Gl torpedo gun and thee tho army ann Inch twelve gun Un against at two similar lIar targets representing the side Ide construction of or the lAte latest t t type of or bat bat- Gathmann swears that fifty witnesses and the h official photographs hs Will reveal ve l the fact tact th that t tho I target was made mude IO per cent larger luger bind probably per cent stronger than th the tt R army y target lie Ue declares that the II official report states stales that hat targets to havo have been en tho the same samo In all respects He HeI I Quotes from the tho report the statement st. that representatives of or the Gathmann were consulted before belore each round and in each ench case cao ex expressed cx- cx x- x I pressed themselves as liS being Ing satisfied I wIth Ith the condit ns and declares this i statement false lOa flies files with tho the comI com com- I a II 01 copy of or his written protest made at the time Ume Hut But his moat Important important im Im- Im t testimony refers reter to the report I of or f the results result of ot the tests as made by I the thu rm army officials He points poInt out that J the tho report Deport falls to mention the fact that the whole armor plate was WAR forced back t-ack fully tully nineteen Inches which he I ays sas on jon a vessel would haye have forced In Inthe Inthe the tho side of the ship causing It to sink from the tho Inflow of oC water Instead the they reported that had this projectile p struck truck the bet belt armor of or a R battleship which the Ui target t represented it would not have endangered th the ha vu vessel I. I On the other hand in reporting on I the effect of oC the twelve-inch twelve armor piercing shell fired tired from the arm army very very- Ics Ice gun gUll the officers said The plato was wall forced back bodily about three fourths of or an n inch It Is tt evident that had this shot struck a battleship it would havo have wrought serious damage to th the v vessel as I. I The he officers r said Bald Gathmann to the committee committee- hero here concede that lint the movement 0 of an 9 plate on a shi ship f fP IS of even three fourths u of an Inch would woul have wrought serious damage and yet they suppressed d the fact that the Gathmann armor moved at nt all when In fact It moved mo nineteen Inc inches s to the Tea rear r. r When ben chBr charges es were brou brought ht that t this test had been tn unfairly conducted the joint board which conducted the tests with the addition of 01 three e more j officers oCt investigated themselves and I brought In a r report fIOrt exonerating them them- selves es In this report however they do admit In tn reference nce to the rl that the tho plate plata was struck nearl nearly I In the center moving the entire structure structure ture back about four or five inches Gathmann pointed out to the committee commit commit- tee teo th the inconsistency of ot claiming ma- ma damage from Crom tho the moving of or the three quarters of or an Inch by the tho Inch twelve service gun cun and at t the thep p sante me time denying damage tt to a battleship battle battle- ship I If It Its Ita armor is moved back four or five Inches by the Gathmann gun un I Gathmann cited to the tho committee a aI I number of ot patents s secured cured by one of or thaI the tho officers who was waa a member of or the tho I t board one of or which waa vu sold old to tho the thoI I Carnegie Steel company and the BethI Bethlehem Beth Beth- II I lehem Steel compan company for at the I time the tho teeth testa were being made as I I showing the clo connection the th officials official and tho the trust trost Ho Ito cited in proof of the efficiency of oC hl his hili explosives as u compared compare with armor piercing projectiles the sinking of ot the tho monitor Puritan by a s. s single Isham high explosive shell whereas It took two days of ot bombardment by armor pl pierc- pierc rc- rc II Ine shells to sink the San Marcos Marco tho ho old bl battleship T Texas Ho lie showed ho how tho the Russian fleet flett was wall destroyed in the lao Ser Sea of or Japan by tho the Japanese fleet using high explosives and ana called at attention attention at- at to the destruction of ot LleR Liege Namur and Antwerp by hl high h explosives explosives in the German two forty meter Inter guns The Tho committee decided to examine his voluminous documents filed tiled ns as exhibits before calling additional witnesses |