CLERICAL FORCE.

3. In accordance with the requirements of existing laws, I have made an estimate of—

1 chief clerk, at $2,500, whose present salary of $2,000 per annum is not at all commensurate with the important and very valuable service he is rendering the Department.

6 clerks of class 4 (increase of 3). 7 clerks of class 3 (increase of 2). 12 clerks of class 2 (increase of 6).

22 clerks of class 1 (decrease of 13).

14 clerks at $1,000 per annum (decrease of 5).

14 clerks at $900 per annum (increase of 7).

Making a total of 75 clerks, which is the same number as the present force, and

4 messengers.

1 assistant messenger

1 laborer.

4. The present force consists of

1 chief clerk.

3 clerks of class 4.

5 clerks of class 3.

6 clerks of class 2.

35 clerks of class 1.

19 clerks at $1,000 per annum.

7 clerks at $900 per annum.

Making a total of 75 clerks, and

4 messengers.

1 assistant messenger.

1 laborer.

5. The present office force includes the permanent force appropriated for in the legislative, judicial, and executive appropriation act approved April 28, 1902, and includes also the temporary force authorized by the acts of July 7, 1898, February 24, 1889, April 7, 1900, and March 3, 1901. This temporary force was, by section 3 of the abovestated act, approved April 28, 1902, transferred to the classified service.

6. The percentage in each of the several grades of clerks called for in the above estimate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1904, is the average of the percentages in all the bureaus of the War Department, except that none are asked for of grades above the fourth class and none of grades below the $900 class.

7. The experience of this office for several years past has been that many valuable clerks in the lower grades resign to accept positions in the other bureaus of the War Department and in other departments at increased salaries, the limited number of the higher-grade clerkships in this office offering no prospects for promotion to these men. During the past year four of our clerks receiving $1,200 per annum and four receiving $1,000 per annum have resigned to accept positions, at

increased compensation, in other departments of the Government and in outside employment. The Department is thus depleted of its best material from which to make selections for filling vacancies occurring in its highest and most responsible positions. This has proved a practical source of embarrassment.

DISPOSITION OF CONDEMNED CANNON, ETC.

8. The act of Congress approved May 22, 1896, provides—

That the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy are each hereby authorized, in their discretion, to loan or give to soldiers' monumental associations, posts of the Grand Army of the Republic, and municipal corporations condemned ordnance, guns, and cannon balls which may not be needed in the service of either of said Departments. Such loan or gift shall be made subject to rules and regulations covering the same in each Department, and the Government shall be at no expense in connection with any such loan or gift.

9. Under the provisions of this act donations have thus far been made to Grand Army posts, monumental associations, and municipal corporations to the extent of 866 cannon and 11,752 projectiles. The donations during the past fiscal year are shown to be 101 cannon and 955 projectiles.

SALE OF OLD ORDNANCE AND ORDNANCE STORES AT ARSENALS AND FORTIFICATIONS UNDER REVISED STATUTES, 1241.

10. The proceeds of sales of condemned ordnance material at the various ordnance establishments and other military posts during the past fiscal year, amounting to $244,787.52, has been deposited in the Treasury of the United States.

GATHMANN GUN.

11. Since the date of the last report of the Chief of Ordnance a test, especially directed by Congress, of the 18-inch Gathmann gun, in comparison with the 12-inch service rifle, has been made. In its final and much modified form the Gathmann system consisted only of an exceptionally large gun and projectile, with nothing of special invention except the detonating fuse. The object was to throw a large charge of high explosive, the capacity of the projectile being increased at the expense of its strength until there was no expectation of penetration of armor before explosion. All previous experiments had resulted in the general professional opinion that a projectile exploded on the outside of an armored structure would do it less damage than a similar projectile without explosive charge, but with power of penetrating the armor. This experiment, tried on a larger scale than any which had preceded it, confirmed the opinion already existing. The conclusion of the joint board of army and navy officers which made the test was as follows:

There is nothing in the Gathmann system to recommend its adoption in the public service of the United States or to warrant further experiments.

The complete report of the board has been submitted and published. The total cost to this Department of all experiments with the Gathmann system, from the time of its submission in its original form, has been $135,062.60.

EXPERIMENTAL MUSKET.

12. The improved musket, which was referred to in the last report of the Chief of Ordnance as being under construction, has been completed and tried, with very satisfactory results. The principal points of its difference from the present service musket are the use of two lugs instead of one for holding the bolt against the rearward pressure of the powder, with resulting increase of strength sufficient to enable a velocity of 2,300 feet per second to be obtained; the housing of the magazine in the stock directly below the chamber instead of having it project to one side. In addition to these there are various changes of details which both improve the rifle and cheapen and accelerate its production. The arm is supplied with a cleaning rod which can be partially pulled from its place below the barrel and held with a catch so as to form a bayonet. The "rod bayonet," as it is called, has been considered before, but has never received a thorough trial in the service. Its great advantage is that it lightens the weight made up of the gun, bayonet, and bayonet scabbard, and by dispensing with the latter two as separate articles to be carried permits the soldier to carry with him an intrenching tool of sufficient size and weight to be serviceable. There are differences of opinion as to the value of the rod bayonet; although less effective as a bayonet alone than the one now in use in the service, it is undoubtedly of some value in converting the musket into a pike, and in view of the increasing prominence of the intrenching tool and the decreasing occasion for the use of the bayonet its experimental substitution is in line with apparent progress in subordinating the latter to the former. The principal elements of the new piece in comparison with those of the present service rifle are contained in the following table:

13. The construction of 5,000 of the new muskets has been authorized for issue and trial in the service. The preparations for their manufacture at the Springfield Armory are progressing steadily and are made upon a scale which will permit the production of the pieces at the rate of 125 per day of eight hours. When the manufacture shall commence it will thus be seen that the total number authorized can be produced in about forty days, and it is expected that they will be ready for distribution in the coming spring.

14. The only radical improvement in muskets which is now known to be under study is the application to these arms of the automatic principle, to the extent of causing the musket itself to effect its own reloading upon discharge. The principle has been already applied with some success to pistols, and its advocates claim that it is logically in the line of development of the magazine rifle, in reducing to a minimum the interval between aimed shots. Both tactical and mechanical questions are involved in the consideration of the possible desirability of the substitution of a semiautomatic musket for the hand-operated magazine rifle. Up to the present time mechanical invention has not solved its part of the problem, and no rifle of the class has been presented to this Department for examination and test, although its willingness to take the subject up has been signified whenever occasion has offered.

15. In the meantime the question of the accumulation of a sufficient reserve of small arms to meet possible requirements is one of importance. Congress has indicated its appreciation thereof by increasing, in the appropriation act last passed for the purpose, the amount to be expended in the manufacture of small arms from $1,100,000, the previous figure, to $1,700,000. Under these circumstances it is important to decide whether the manufacture of the present service rifle shall continue at the current rate until such period as the new gun shall have been issued and tested, and the preparations in the way of machines and fixtures shall have been made for its entire substitution for the present arm. The time required for a determination to be arrived at in this manner would be sufficient to very considerably increase the number of the present service rifles on hand, and it is the view of this Department that there would be less risk of error in assuming that the new musket, of which the promise, after very thorough test, is so favor able, is going to be sufficiently superior to the present one to take the place of the latter, and in proceeding with preparations for its manufacture accordingly, than in continuing to accumulate muskets of the present type to be probably discarded and replaced.

16. The present manufacturing capacity of the Springfield Armory for the service musket is at the rate of about 200 per day of eight hours; to this rate will be added that of 125 per day of the new arms, to be attained at some time in the early part of the next calendar year. Preparations will be made to continue the manufacture of 125 of the

new arms per day after the completion of the 5,000 now authorized, and to gradually change the machines now used in building the present musket to adapt them to the manufacture of the new one, and also to so arrange the additions to the plant now in progress that when the capacity of 400 guns per day, which is that now contemplated for the future at this armory and for attaining which appropriations have already been made, shall be reached, the establishment will be able to turn out the entire 400 guns per day of the new model; and this with the least interruption practicable of the current manufacture.

17. There is now approaching completion at the Rock Island Arsenal an armory with a manufacturing capacity of 250 muskets per day of eight hours, although it will not be ready for operation for at least a year because of the postponement of the installation of certain machines and of the equipment of many with fixtures until such time as the type of rifle to be manufactured shall be decided. For the reasons stated above, preparations will now be made under the supposition that the new rifle under construction is to be adopted, the risk of error being considered less undesirable than further delay. When the two establishments shall be fully equipped, their total capacity will be 650 arms per day of eight hours, and the question will arise as to the extent to which they are to be operated. Assuming the number 500,000 to be a proper reserve, production at the present rate of the Springfield Armory, 200 per day, would cause the supply to be accumulated in something over eight years. With the contemplated capacity of 400 per day at the Springfield Armory this period would be reduced to four years, and with the full capacity of both establishments working eight hours per day the time required would be about two and 'one-half years. As considerations of the employment of labor would be against the policy of greatly diminishing the rate of manufacture after so short a time, an output below the full capacity of each establishment will most likely be found desirable. It is necessary that both plants shall be kept in operation in order to preserve at each establishment the necessary skill and experience for the operation of its plant; and if each be employed at about half its capacity the total output will be 325 guns per day, at which rate the reserve of 500,000 will be reached in about five years. In case of emergency, both establishments could be operated upon the basis of a twenty-hour day, and under these circumstances would be capable of a daily output of 1,500 rifles, which in three months, after the necessary workmen should have been secured, about the time necessary for assembling a volunteer force, would provide 135,000 arms.

Details as to the progress of the establishment of the Rock Island Armory appear in the portion of this report especially devoted to that arsenal.