BRITISH AND AMERICAN GUNNERY

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10973, 12 June 1903, Page 2

BRITISH AND AMERICAN GUNNERY

Since the recent war between the United States and Spain, British gunnery have succeeded in wresting lrom America the

pride of international pre-eminence in maiknninshvp. The deterioration of American gunnery, according to a writer in the N.mv Yo~k World, has amazed the United States Navy Department. In 1812 American shooting with the old SlflOOthboi'o9 fhon used was famous for its accuracy, and the prestige acquired at that time was more than upheld during the Spanish-American war. At the present , time, however, records which have b'ecn I taken show th.it Great Britain, France, and Germany, have all outstripped the I gunners of the United States in the science of marksmanship. A report by Admiral Dewoy, which has caused considerable sensation in American naval circles, refers to the results of rec_ent target practice by three representative meit of war as "cortuiiily fir fro^n creditable." It continues, "lii nine cases were the guns disabled, and on the three battleships, out of 152 shots, there were 45 misfires — i.e.. one out of eveiy three times the gun failed to fire. It is of no use to attempt to train runners, if their usefulness is to be neutralised by tho probability, that their gun will uot go off when they have aimed it at the target. Li contrast to this, the marked improvement whi^h has come over the ehootin? of the British navy is strongly instanced in the cusp of the Barfleur. From an average of 1.7 hits per gun in 1819 this vessel ran up an average 0f '3.7 hits in 1901, with forty-ei«»ht more shots. The improvement; in the British navy generally is to a large extent d\ie to the determined measures of several | s E;igli«b admirals. For example, Admiral Harrip issued an' order that target practice shall ' be carried on in his presence, and that no j amount of smartness shall componsate for bftol slujpting. Admiral Rawsou. Sir John Hopkin's, and Sir 7". Seymour have p.iid , great attention to the same matter. For , some British battleships the record is still poor enough, as in. the case of the For- j midable, which at recent target practice only scored one hit inffl rounds; but such deplorable results as ,this are rare.. The fact'remains that British gunnery, on the whole, has ' improved immensely during the pa?t few years. The contemporaneous decline of this important art on American battleships is largely dup, no doubt, to the immense increase which has taken

place in the number of ships, and the proportionate scarcity 1 of material out of which to make good gunners. It is expected by the American Navy Depart- , ment. however, that the previous reputation of its snilors for o-ood marksmanship will be regained within a year.

In one year alone, said the Central London Coroner, 1600 children left unattended had been burned to death.

In a pleu that the General's friends should not pursue their intention to inves,tigato the charges against the late Sir Hector Mosdonald, the Ceylon Observer says: — .Scotsmen are prone, like all humanity at times, to accept the unwelcome as untrue, and in this case they were slow to discover that ths feet of their idol were of clay. The thought of their martial he'to sinking to rest unfropt, unhouored. nud unsung, in a,u alien country, when all the circumstances were imperfectly "understood, was sufficient to give rise to the agitation for a Committee of Investigation. B\it we trust, now that the grave has closed ovar the' remains of the deceased, his countrymen will desist from clamouring from further details, which can only intensify the pain which overv Briton already IV els.