Report of the Board of Ordnance and Fortification

Civilian member of Board appointed

salary of

Committee of Board on high explosives (Appendix E).

Contracts, none made by Board

for cast-iron mortars hooped with steel.

Contract guns, Board prescribed weight, dimensions, tests, &c., of

certain steel forgings for, to be finished and assembled by West
Point foundry.

conclusions of Board with regard to..

first provisions of law with regard to
functions of Board with regard to

subsequent legislation with regard to..

to be furnished by Bethlehem Iron Company.
time of delivery of

other bidders for

West Point Foundry to finish and assemble

Crozier wire-wound gun

Delivery, time of, of contract guns.

Designation of members of Board.

recorder of Board...

Disappearing gun carriages

Driggs-Shroeder rapid-fire gun, allotment for.

Duties of Board, general and special

Ericsson aërial sub-aquatic projectile.

Expenditures, how made...

::::

total, for necessary expenses of Board up to October 30, 1891.
total (except for necessary expenses).

Experimental guns..

Explosives, high, committee of Board on

reports (Appendix E)

Field and siege guns, fabrication of, at Watervliet Arsenal

Field guns, carriages for

Fiske range and position finder ordered.

Forgings, steel, for guns

Fuses.

General and special duties of Board.

operations of Board

Gerdom breech mechanism

Gordon disappearing gun carriage.

Gun carriages for seacoast guns, appropriation for

disappearing, need for...

disappearing, action with regard to

for 8-inch breech-loading rifle for drill purposes.
for field guns...

Gun factory, Board's views as to machinery for 16-inch guns at.
Gun and mortar batteries.

Guns, contract, Board prescribed weights, etc., of.

conclusions of Board as to.

first provisions of law with regard to..

functions of Board in connection with.

subsequent legislation

time of delivery of....

to be furnished by Bethlehem Iron Company.

other bidders.

West Point Foundry to finish and assemble certain

experimental..

Page.

15 ·

9,44

Lewis range and position finder

Page.

Machinery, for construction of 16-inch guns at gun factory, views of Board on.
Members of Board, order designating..

civilian, appointed

Members of committee on high explosives

Merriam base percussion fuse

Midvale Steel Works to furnish certain steel forgings for guns

Mines, submarine, and torpedoes

Mortar carriages, seacoast, Canet

spring return.

cast iron, breech-loading.
hooped with steel

Multicharge gun,

Necessary expenses of Board, only appropriation expended by Board.
Number of steel forgings for guns provided for

Sébert velocimeter...

Segmental wire-wound gun, Brown

Siege and field guns, fabrication of, at Watervliet Arsenal.
Sights, artillery

Site for ordnance proving ground (Appendix F).

Sixteen-inch guns, views of Board as to machinery for.
Special and general duties of Board

Spring return mortar carriage

Steel forgings for guns, appropriations for

inspection of, regulations for

number of, provided for...

still to be provided for

Test of breech-loading cast iron mortar, controversy as to.

Velocimeter, Sébert

Views of Board with regard to machinery for constructing 16-inch guns at gun factory.

Wagon, ammunition, Kimball's

Walter fuze...

West Point foundry to finish and assemble gun forgings.
Wire-wound gun, Brown segmental tube

Crozier.
Woodbridge

Work of Board, summary of

Yates breech-closing device
Zalinski artillery sight, telescopic

Appendix A.

Appropriations made for the objects specified to be expended under the direct supervision of the Board.

Appropriations made for the objects specified to be expended under the direct supervision of the Board-Continued.

$250,000.00

Nov. 6, 1888

$250,000.00

Remarks.

SEC. 5. For the purchase of the material for, and the manufacture of, twelve-inch
breech-loading rifled mortars of cast iron, hooped with steel, of about thirty-two
thousand pounds weight, similar to, and equal in range, power, and accuracy of fire
to the twelve-inch breech-loading mortar, cast iron, steel-hooped, now at the ordnance
proving ground, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, said mortars to be subject to inspection
in all stages of manufacture.

SEC. 6. The Board is authorized to make all needful and proper purchases, investiga-
tions, experiments, and tests to ascertain, with a view to their utilization by the
Government, the most effective guns, including multicharge guns and the conversion
of Parrott and other guns on hand, small arms, cartridges, projectiles, fuzes, ex-
plosives, torpedoes, armor-plates, and other implements and engines of war; and the
Secretary of War is hereby authorized to purchase or cause to be manufactured, such
guns, carriages, armor-plates, and other war materials and articles as may, in the
Judgment of said Board, be necessary in the proper discharge of the duty herein de-
volved upon them: Provided, That the amount expended and liabilities incurred in
such purchases, investigations, experiments, and tests shall not exceed five hundred
thousand dollars, which sum is hereby appropriated: Provided further, That said
Board shall test, and if found satisfactory, shall purchase two breach-loading field
guns of three and two-tenths inch bore of aluminum bronze.

For payment of the necessary expenses of the Board, including a per diem allowance to
each member thereof when employed on duty away from his permanent station, of
two and one-half dollars a day.
Total

Under the act approved Mar. 2, 1889.

Under the act making appropriations for the support of the Army for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety, and for other purposes, approved March 2, 1889, were appropriated the following:

To enable the Secretary of War to cause examinations and tests to be made in converting
the existing cast-iron ordnance of the War Department into steel-lined breech-loading
torpedo howitzers for throwing high explosives, according to the plans heretofore sub-
mitted to Congress and to be submitted to the Board of Ordnance and Fortification.
The Board of Ordnance and Fortification is hereby directed to examine and report
upon a site or sites for ordnance testing and proving ground to be used in the testing
and proving of heavy ordnance, having in view in the selection of said site or sites their
accessibility by land and water, means of transportation, and suitability for the purpose
intended, and also the actual and reasonable cost, and value of the land embraced in
said site or sites and the least sum for which the same can be procured. Said Board
shall report thereon to the Secretary of War, to be submitted to Congress at its next ses-
sion; and in case the said Board shall select a site or sites and recommend their purchase,
the Secretary of War is hereby authorized to secure written proposals for the sale of the
land so recommended, until such time as Congress may act upon the recommendation of
said Board and of the Secretary of War.

This appropriation was annual and lapsed with the fiscal year.

« Previous Continue »

Books