69^2 



Popular Science Monthly 



prescribed for American infantrymen 

 would, in all probability, be exhausted in 

 four days' fighting. 



The range of guns being one of the 

 mQst important factors in war, the 

 House of Representatives, by Resolu- 

 tion No. 698, adopted on January 14, 

 1915, called upon the Secretary of War 

 for information in respect to our sea- 

 coast cannon. On the following day Mr. 

 Garrison replied in a communicat ionto the 

 Speaker of the House, in which he stated : 



(i) That there were no guns mounted in the 

 fortifications of the United States proper of a 

 caHber larger than 12 inches. 



(2) That the range of the 12-inch guns mounted 

 on the standard disappearing carriage was not 

 more than 13,000 yards, but that the range of the 

 12-inch guns mounted on barbette carriages was 

 approximately iN,ooo yards. 



(3) That the British dreadnoughts of the 

 Queen Elizabeth type were ecjuipped with 15-inch 

 45-caliber guns, and that their range was ap- 

 proximately 21,000 yards. 



(4) That "It is true that the range of the guns 

 just mentioned exceeds by over 4 miles the range 

 of the guns as mounted in the defense of the 

 United States proper, cither on the Atlantic or 

 Pacific coast; but it is not true that the range 

 of those guns need remain thus restricted, since 

 by a slight change in the mounting their range 

 will be practically equal to that of the 15-inch 

 45-caliber guns above referred to." 



It was admitted by our leading 

 ordnance experts and military officials 

 that such an augmented range could only 

 be obtained at the expense of diminish- 

 ing the weight of the projectile and hence 

 its penetrating power. The net result is 

 thus in favor of the heavier British guns. 



The United States has four machine-guns 

 per regiment. The French, among others, 

 have increased the num- 

 ber to forty 



The Coast Artillery 

 Would Fire A II Avail- 

 able Ammunition in 

 Fo rty-five Min 11 tes 

 A table prepared by the Chief 

 of Coast Artillery on IDecember 

 1914, and submitted to the 

 House Committee on Military Affairs, 

 showed that on that date 1,299 guns 

 had been mounted and 51 were in 

 the process of construction — only 

 one of the latter being of 16-inch 

 caliber; that three 14-inch guns had 

 been mounted — that is, outside of the 

 United States — and 21 appropriated for; 

 that 433 modern 12-inch guns were in 

 position and ii under construction; 

 while the remaining 863 already mounted 

 and 18 appropriated for were old- 

 fashioned 12-inch or calibers ranging 

 down to 3-inch. Since high-powered 

 guns have a life of only 240 rounds — cr 

 if used at the maximum, 100 rounds — 

 it is therefore self-evident that the arma- 

 ment of our fortifications is sadly in need 

 of being modernized. 



On December 8, 1915, the Chief of 

 Coast Artillery confessed to the House 

 Committee on Military Affairs that: 



"Of ammunition for continental United States 

 we have now on hand and under manufacture 

 73 per cent of the allowance fixed by the National 

 Coast Defense Board. That allowance for conti- 

 nental United States is the number of rounds that 

 any given gun would fire at the maximum rate of 

 firing in one hour." 



Let the reader realize fully what this 

 astounding revelation means. It means 

 that the guns of the fortifications in the 

 United States firing at the limit of their 

 capacity would expend every bit of 

 ammunition that they possess within 

 45 minutes. And the present Chief of 

 Staff, General Scott, submitted to the 

 same committee a statement showing 

 that if the mortars were similarly fired 

 they would exhaust the last round of 

 ammunition in 30 minutes. What would 

 happen if our fortifications were sub- 

 jected to a gruelling bombardment? 



