allotment of $18,500 for the purchase and delivery of a type 6-inch rapid-fire gun with pedestal mount, the equipment to be of the very latest and most improved pattern manufactured by Vickers, Sons & Maxim. On October 4, 1900, an allotment of $2,000 was made for procuring smokeless powder charges for use during tests of the gun, and on April 5, 1902, a further allotment of $4,794 was made to provide the additional ammunition necessary for test of the gun under the program approved by the board. The test of the gun was commenced in February of the present year and has continued since as time and the pressure of other work would permit.

The 10-inch Howell disappearing carriage.-This carriage was constructed under a special act of Congress, approved June 6, 1896, appropriating $50,000 for the purpose, and it has been tested, accepted, and paid for. On April 25, 1899, the board recommended the adoption of this carriage as an additional type for the service. The Secretary of War, in withholding his approval of the recommendation, referred the matter to the board for further consideration and report. At its meeting July 12, 1899, the following action was taken:

The board, having fully and carefully considered the subject, desires to state that in taking its action of April 25, 1899, recommending the adoption of the Howell disappearing gun carriage as an additional type carriage, it was not the intention of the board to supplant the present service carriage. It was and is the opinion of the board that the Howell carriage possesses certain mechanical and economical advantages, and may be used in such numbers and at such places as may be determined by the best interests of the Government. The board therefore adheres to its original recommendation, that the Howell disappearing gun carriage be adopted as an additional type service carriage for use in our coast defenses.

The Secretary of War desiring further and more complete firing tests, the board, at the request of the licensee of the Howell patents, made an allotment of $5,605.10 to cover the cost of certain changes in the traversing and retraction mechanism and in the mounting. These changes were completed, and on June 25, 1901, the carriage was subjected to a further firing test before the artillery committee of the board. The report of the committee, which was approved, states that "the traversing and retraction mechanism are crude and unsatisfactory and much inferior to those found in the present service carriages, but it is also the opinion of the committee that neither of these features is an essential part of the Howell disappearing system."

During the past year the carriage has been dismantled and removed to make room for the engineering work on fortifications in progress on the site of the old proving battery.

Emery 12-inch elevating carriage. The construction of this carriage was authorized by a special act of Congress appropriating $130,000 for the purpose in February, 1893, and the work is still in progress. Additional appropriations of $10,000, June 6, 1896, and $40,000, May 25, 1900, have since been added to the original amount, making a total of $180,000 provided by Congress for the completion of the carriage, the necessary loading apparatus, and ammunition for test. Of the amount appropriated, the sum of $133,146.41 has been paid, of which some $12,500 is for ammunition to be used in the test of the carriage when completed. The progress made during the past year is best shown by the following extract from letter of Mr. A. H. Emery, the designer and contractor, dated August 2, 1902:

Since my report of September 30, 1901, there have been finished 2,827 pieces of work for this carriage and the loading apparatus, not including 1,300 rivets. All

these parts have an aggregate weight of about 37,100 pounds. With the exception of the loading apparatus and springs, the work of the carriage is nearly completed. The springs are not yet made, but the design of the loading apparatus has been finished, the material obtained, and the whole loading apparatus very nearly completed. I hope to put in the foundations early next spring, and to set the carriage up immediately thereafter.

I broke my knee last October, which kept me in the house four solid months and partly disabled me several months more, which has naturally delayed the work to a considerable extent. Another source of trouble has been the great difficulty in getting material and getting work done in the shops; and I may add, besides this, that the funds I have been able to draw from the Government for the carriage have been insufficient for my needs for the past year, and I have had to supplement them by work which I have had to do for that purpose.

Ten-inch pneumatic carriage. This carriage was constructed under a special act of Congress, approved August 1, 1894, appropriating $50,000 for the purpose. Since its completion, in December, 1898, various accidents to the mechanism have delayed the official tests. On August 2, 1901, the official test of the carriage took place in the presence of the artillery committee of the board. The report of the committee shows that the carriage f iled to fulfill the acceptance requirements. This report, having been approved and adopted as the report of the board, was forwarded to the Secretary of War, together with a communication from the Pneumatic Gun Carriage and Power Company proposing that the Government retain the amount of the final payment and reservation which would be due had the carriage satisfactorily passed the acceptance tests, and in consideration thereof release the company from all obligations on account of their contract. This proposition was based upon the assumption that "it was never the intention of Congress to inflict penalties on inventors for a failure to realize their expectations in their inventions." The Secretary of War informed the company that he was without power to accept the proposition, in consequence of which an appeal was made to Congress which, by a provision in the fortifications appropriations act authorized the Secretary of War to accept the proposition of the company, thus closing the case. The carriage has been dismounted and removed from the proving ground.

SHIELDS FOR COAST-DEFENSE GUNS.

On November 1, 1900, the question of providing shields for rapidfire and other coast-defense guns was referred to the board from the Secretary of War by indorsement on a letter of the Chief of Ordnance. At its meeting November 10, 1900, the board, after carefully considering the question presented by the Secretary, expressed the opinion that shields should be provided for all such guns.

The approval of the Secretary having been suspended until the matter could have further attention, the question was again referred to the board by the Secretary in an indorsement dated May 1, 1901, on a letter from the Chief of Ordnance stating that "the question of shields for both rapid-fire and seacoast guns of larger caliber should be decided at this time on account of the impossibility of any further progress in seacoast armament until this question is determined." On June 5, 1901, the board recommended that

Shields for 6-pounder and 15-pounder rapid-fire guns should be 14 inches and 2 inches thick, respectively. They should be of the simplest form practicable, affording the necessary protection to the operating mechanism, and should be adapted to the character of the protection afforded by the emplacement.

For the larger rapid-fire guns the shields should be of uniform thickness, not to exceed 4 inches. They should be of modern armor and have in all cases the best resisting qualities compatible with the form, size, and thickness used. The form of shield in each case should be as simple as possible, keeping in view the protection to be afforded and the difficulties attending manufacture, and should be so balanced on the mount that their removal will not interfere with the operation of the gun.

The shields for 8, 10, and 12 inch guns mounted on barbette nondisappearing carriages should be simple plates, face-hardened, of uniform thickness, not to exceed 4 inches, the plates to be slightly inclined to the rear and secured to the brackets already on the carriages; they should be of the simplest form that can be adapted to the carriages in use, affording the necessary protection to the exposed operating mechanism.

The recommendations of the board were approved by the Secretary of War.

In order to determine the amount of protection afforded, the best method of securing the shield to the mount, and the disturbing effect of the impact of the projectile on the maneuvering of the gun and mount, the board at the same meeting made an allotment sufficient to cover the cost of construction and mounting of two dummy 6-inch guns with carriages and shields complete, one gun and carriage to be of cast iron and equipped with a shield manufactured for use with one of the type experimental 6-inch guns, the shield attached in the usual manner; the other to be of cast steel and equipped with a similar shield rigidly attached; both shields to be of the best quality hard-faced armor 3 inches thick. These shields were completed, and tested in the presence of the board at the proving ground of the Bethlehem Steel Company on January 17, 1902. The data obtained was referred to the artillery committee of the board. This committee remarked as follows:

The shields tested at Redington were 3 inches thick and of the best quality facehardened (Krupp) armor; they were provided with mounts which, for the purpose in view, were the equivalent of service mounts. The projectiles used against them were the most efficient of their kind known, and the conditions under which the firing took place were necessarily such as were favorable to the attacking gun and projectile and unfavorable to the shield.

It is believed, therefore, that these tests afford more comprehensive and valuable data from the artillerist's standpoint upon this important subject than any heretofore obtained, either in this country or abroad.

The following were the conclusions of the artillery committee:

1. That the form of shield tested is an excellent one for service, since it gives a maximum amount of protection with a minimum of cost and weight. The length of each half of the shield might be reduced 12 inches, thereby reducing the total weight of shield from 7,500 to 6,500 pounds. and still afford the necessary protection to the mechanism of the gun and mount. A thickness of 3 inches is believed to be sufficient to protect against the fire of guns of 3 inches caliber and under, but for rapidfire guns of 4, 5, and 6 inches caliber the shields should be not less than 44 inches thick.

2. That a rigid is better than a spring attachment to secure the shield, and as these experiments show, it is practicable and advisable to secure the shield directly to the gun sleeve.

3. That shields are necessary and should be provided for all coast-defense guns, except those of 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches caliber now mounted on disappearing carriages. 4. That shields of the material and pattern tested, properly mounted and of suitable thickness, will afford protection to the operating mechanism of the gun and to the gunner without interfering with the maneuvering or service of the gun.

5. That such shields are not difficult to manufacture, are of moderate cost, and will not add sufficient additional weight to interfere with the proper design, construction, and service of the gun and mount.

It was the unanimous opinion of the members of the board present "that the tests witnessed conclusively demonstrate the necessity and

value of shields for coast-defense guns, and confirms the opinion of the board as expressed in its action of June 5, 1901."

A question having arisen as to whether or not the impact of projectiles upon a shield rigidly attached to the sleeve of a gun will prevent free recoil of the gun in the sleeve, and in order also to determine the resisting power of somewhat thicker shields than those tested, the board on March 5, 1902, made an allotment of $7,600 for the construction of a similar shield of face-hardened steel 4 inches thick, to be rigidly attached to the gun sleeve and to be mounted on the 6-inch experimental gun now in course of construction by the Bethlehem Steel Company for the board. This work is well advanced and when completed the shield will be subjected to firing tests to determine the points at issue.

The shield designed by the Bethlehem Steel Company consists of two wings or sides slightly bent and joined at the front end, inclosing a triangular-shaped space with the muzzle of the gun projecting from the apex. The Ordnance Department believing that a curved shield will offer greater resisting properties has designed such a shield, and on June 25, 1902, the board made an allotment of $10,640 for the construction of one of these shields 4 inches thick and face-hardened. This shield is also to be fitted to the 6-inch experimental gun mentioned and will enable the board to conduct comparative firing tests to determine the resisting qualities of each form of shield.

RAPID-FIRE GUNS AND MOUNTS.

Bethlehem 5-inch gun on combination carriage.-On May 4, 1900, the board made an allotment of $14,000 for the construction of a 5-inch gun and carriage proposed by the Bethlehem Steel Company. The carriage is of a special type intended to combine the characteristic features of both the disappearing and rapid-fire mounts. It is understood, and is stipulated in the contract, that before payment is made for the material it must pass such firing tests as may be prescribed by this board. The contract was dated July 2, 1900, and gun and carriage were to have been delivered ready for test not later than July 2, 1901. Owing to the experimental nature of this carriage, the work has been somewhat delayed, but gun and mount are now about 95 per cent completed.

Bethlehem 6-inch rapid-fire gun and mount.-On January 3, 1901, the board made an allotment of $17,900 for the construction of a type 6-inch rapid-fire gun with pedestal mount as designed by the Bethlehem Steel Company.

This gun is to give a muzzle velocity of at least 3,000 foot-seconds with a projectile weighing 100 pounds and without excessive pressures, the rate of fire to be at least eight rounds a minute. The ammunition for the proof-firing test will be furnished by the company without expense to the Government, and the equipment is not to be paid for unless it fulfills the specified requirements.

Under date of July 30, the company report the gun assembled with the exception of one hoop, which was condemned after having been finished bored ready for assembling on the gun. The replacing hoop has been tested and accepted and will immediately be finished bored and put on the gun. The pedestal and top carriage for this mount, as well as the shafting, are completed, and the shields are well under way,

as are the minor parts. As this mount is now to be used in the experimental test of 44-inch shields, certain modifications in design have been necessitated, and this has caused some delay in completion of the work.

TEST OF MORTAR BATTERIES.

On the recommendation of Col. J. P. Story, inspector of artillery, Department of the East, and subsequently detailed as a member of the board, at its meeting March 8, 1901, the board made an allotment of $20,000 for the purpose of making a thorough service test of the mortar batteries which at present form an important part of our coast armament. The harbor of Portland, Me., was selected as the one most suitable for the test, the mortar batteries there being so located as to permit of practice firing at both land and water targets under conditions closely approximating those of actual service.

The tests were conducted by a local board of officers consisting of Col. J. R. Myrick, Capt. F. S. Harlow, and Capt. C. J. Bailey, all of the Artillery Corps. This board was assisted by the following officers of the Artillery Corps during the tests: Capt. G. W. Gatchell, Capt. F. E. Harris, Capt. A. W. Chase, Capt. Brooke Payne, Capt. S. C. Vestal, Lieut. H. J. Hatch, Lieut. A. B. Putnam, and Lieut. A. E. Waldron. In closing its report the local board expressed its appreciation to these officers "for the efficient manner in which they have performed their duties as observers, computers, predictors, plotters, etc., and for the enthusiasm and interest shown by them in their work."

The Board of Ordnance and Fortification desires also to put on record the remark incorporated in the report of its artillery committee in regard to the conduct of the tests, as follows:

An attentive study of the report of the board of artillery officers charged with the recent test of mortar fire in Portland Harbor, Maine, shows that they-Colonel Myrick, Captain Harlow, and Captain Bailey-conducted their work with great zeal, industry, and professional skill, and they deserye congratulations on its very suc cessful completion.

The tests were commenced in October and continued through November, as local conditions permitted. A detailed record was kept of each shot fired, and this has been incorporated in the report of the tests which has been prepared and distributed for the confidential use of officers of artillery. The data thus obtained will, in consequence, be constantly available in the hands of those to whom it will be of the greatest benefit. If for no other reason, this fact alone would justify the outlay necessary.

FIELD GUNS AND CARRIAGES.

Competitive test of rapid-fire field guns.-The board, at its meeting October 5, 1900, prepared a program covering a comprehensive series of competitive tests of rapid-fire field guns and carriages, the purpose of which was to obtain for our service the most improved and efficient rapid-fire equipment of this kind possible. This program was sent to all the prominent manufacturers of ordnance material in this country and abroad, of whom a number expressed an intention of submitting equipments, but several of these subsequently withdrew.