| Show f OF U. U STO 6 ADOPT GUN MAY START PROBE apon Rejected ted by Arneica America America Amer Arne ica Has Revolutionized vr European War WASHINGTON D. D C c. June 10 10 the return to this country of Jol ol t Isaac Newton Newlon Lewis U. U S. S A A. tired whose deadly automatic gun by this country has ally lY revolutionized re organization and in the European war and ho is expected soon in Washington ISn In n army circles here predict the of a bitter fight in the war apartment over the tho nations nation's x rf Tile e fight Is it expected to center round the board of ordnance and of which Brig Gen Wilam Wilam Wil- Wil am am- Crozier Is the chief and of which lonel l nel Lewis had been the storm up to the very day of his re- re rement It is predicted In certain carters that the result v will l i be a dei de- de 1 i nd upon congress for a sweeping Into the actual state of r of this country having ing r ii view the radical departures in armament munitions and p ration that have been forced upon j nati nations ns now at war through the of the modern means of ot like the aeroplane e the and the machine gun gun Not n of these twentieth century lents of ot warfare has been developed t ij Ethe the United States army army or navy ast the experimental stage not one Included In any comprehensive way the thc present formation of the various ghUng units not one has been cond con- con d dered re I with anything like the tartness ear ear- estness that It was by the chief chiet pow- pow rat at war T even even before the conflict arted arced Preparedness will be the whole Issue Men in position to know declare de declare declare de- de clare that the equipment of this country country coun- coun try is years behind the time that only a few of the submarines can compare with those of the warring nations that the aeroplane service presents a meager showing against those of ot other nations and that the coast fortifications fortifications fortifications are almost obsolete as mea means meads s o of defense against a modern fleet It is declared on the best of authority that tha the twelve-Inch twelve guns the largest In fn Inthis inthis this service are outranged from to yards by the twelve-Inch twelve guns of England I France rance Russia Germany Ital Italy Austria and Belgium Men in official circles cIrcles' here who are alarmed alarmed- at the admitted deficiency o othe ot of the country in the matter of preparedness prepared prepared- ness assert that it is known to those directing the defense forces of the nation nation na na- na- na tion that a t t. few twelve-Inch twelve guns could be brought to the entrance o ot of New York harbor and absolutely out oil of the range of the twelve-Inch twelve guns of the forts around that Immensely wealthy port reduce the city in a few hours to ruins Gun Caused Reorganization The machine gun practically has has' turned organization upside down Great Britain has virtually reorganized her whole infantry arm and done away with cavalry Germany at the start star of ot the war had thousands up upon n thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of ma machine hine guns In her equipment equipment equip equip- ment there were fifty machine guns to every 1000 soldiers Great Britain and France had a hop hopelessly essly small number to the thousand men no not more than six or eight Belgium had an almost inconsiderable quantity But she was making the Lewis Lewi gun and outfitted her men as fast as she could Great Greal Britain and France seeing the terrific work of ot the German guns increased their equipment as fast as they could have the weapons turned out Now Great Britain has twenty of these automatic weapons to a thousand men France rance has the same and both countries countries countries coun coun- tries are manufacturing them as fast as day and night forces can make them Great Britain soon will in increase rease this equipment to two thirty-two machine guns to a thousand men and France will do the same increasing this allotment al j to sixty-four sixty as quickly as possible The Lewis machine gun Is declared by all military experts to be he the most deadly and perfect of any in the world today having greater accuracy range facility of Dandling than the German German German Ger Ger- man weapon Russia has given contracts contracts contracts con con- tracts for thousands of the Lewis guns and by the end of the next year the entente allies ames will have spent fo for the weapon which was refus refused d by by the United States government Great Britain Is using hundreds of them themon on aeroplanes and yet et the United I States denied during the joint maneuvers maneuvers maneu maneu- vers vera in Connecticut In 1914 the thc privilege privilege privilege lege of a demonstration of this weapon weapon weapon wea wea- pon on the four aeroplanes that were I then being used by the regular troops The United St States tes army has about two machine guns to 1000 men I And this Incident as friends of the colonel here explain ln was the final one In a long chain of discouragements that Colonel Lewis suffered In the branch of the service he was trying to to aid He lie retired after three thirty-three years and went to Europe to interest army men there In his gun Just before the Connecticut maneuvers re request request request re- re quest was made of him for two of ot his machine guns for use on the army aeroplanes Colonel Lewis said he ne would gladly lend them without any restrictions restricting if the government would supply Its own ammunition This was agreed to and a r request was made for 2000 rounds of ammunition When hen this reached the chief f t of ordnance the ammunition was refused on em the ground that the Lewis gun had not been adopted In the United States army service and therefore ammunition could not be issued for a gun gUll that thai was not a service gun Other Guns Refused The Lewis gun suffered the same flame experience as practically every cry machine machine machine ma ma- chine gun that was sas submitted d to this g g- g gc we c ve ment all by At the en end of the he civil war Richard J. J Gatling Catling offered the first machine sun gun It was refused and nd then developed abroad the same as the Gardner the th Maxim the Hotchkiss the Colt and the Benet Mercier which later latr was adopted and is now in use uee In the United States army Other inventions that were offered by Colonel Lewis were rejected for one reason or an another an- an other He lIe invented a depression ran range e and position finder which were adopted adopt adopt- ed into general use for the coast ar- ar manent by the board of ordnance and fortification in 1896 Hundreds of them were put In use Other devices offered but not accepted were a a. horizontal horizontal horizontal hor hor- base range finder automatic sight photographic time recorder self regulating differential dynamo automatic automatic automatic auto auto- matic electric cutout switch and others others others oth oth- ers which friends of the colonel do not recall Although Colonel Lewis Lewis' and General Crozier were constantly at odds Colonel Colo- Colo Colo Colonel nel Lewis is not coming to Washington to foment trouble himself according dIng to his friends here He lie bears no animosity animosity animosity ani ani- towa toward rd any anyone one of the board and feels that he has had ample vindication vindication vindication vin vin- for the efforts made against him In the adoption by four tour large nations patrons na pa- pa- pa of or the gun which he invented and aud offered to the government i f f the United United United Unit Unit- ed States But friends of the colonel who are alarmed over the the- condition of ot national defenses are lining up to tomake tomake make a fight Colonel Lewis It Is said has an ap appointment appointment appointment ap- ap with Newton D. D Baker secretary secretary sec sec- of war 6 p Colonel Lewis aroused enmity among amonA his superiors in the ordnance board years ago because he made an ex exhaustive exhaustive exhaustive ex- ex report to the secretary of war under orders saying the defenses of this country were ten years e behind the times He criticised severely the absolutely refusal of ot the ordnance board to encourage outside Inventive genies geni s. s He was opposed to the Cro- Cro zier Buffington gun carriage carnage designed by General Crozier ier and Brigadier General General Gen Gen- eral A. A 4 R H. Buffington formerly chief of He Tie declared that In the American Spanish Spanish American war the United States had men and that thereal the tiie real artillery t representation consisted of six 12 mountain guns gurs and ancl these were purchased by a private cit citizen cit cit- izen Friends of Colonel Lewis have o unearthed unearthed un un- the letter to th the of secretary of war and the which wore were given to Colonel Lewis then LewIs then a captain to captain to togo go to Europe and make an e exhaustive hau U e study of the military situation there These friends say that they exp express exactly Colonel Lewis' Lewis Idea today today- that the country in its defenses s is ten years ears and more behind the times In Inthe inthe inthe the light of the development in other countries |
