not be extracted, as the head of the case separated from the body when the breechblock was opened. The pack saddles issued for this gun are so made that they rest on four points of the horse's or mule's back, and will invariably produce sores unless altered. One of the copper plates holding the flask to the axle was broken, and one wheel was cracked in the carriage of this gun. On account of the inclination of the rear sight in its seat, one of the guns shot far to the left of the line of sight. GATLING GUNS, .45 CALIBER. These guns jammed on two or three occasions, the cartridges having been wedged below the feed. The middle partition of the cartridge boxes prevented the cartridges from being continually fed until men became expert in manipulating the box. The pintle pin of the carriage was so soft that it bent whenever the gun passed over uneven ground, and could not be removed without difficulty. It was discarded and a piece of rope was substituted. C. P. SUMMERALL, First Lieutenant Fifth Artillery, Commanding Left Platoon. CHIEF OF ORDNANCE, U. S. A., HDQRS. DIVISION OF THE PHILIPPINES, Washington, D. C. SIR: I have the honor to inclose herewith a report of Capt. H. J. Reilly, Light Battery F, Fifth Artillery, and a copy of the detailed report of Lieut. C. P. Summerall on the ordnance material of the battery from September, 1899, to February, 1900, inclusive, with the following remarks thereon: The "brass bushings" were probably the ones put in at this depot. These bushings were made of the only suitable material that could be obtained; it is known here as "coin copper," and resembles that composition. Some of the old-style obturators were remodeled at this depot, and a bushing of the late pattern, extending throughout the entire length with the large end threaded, was put in. It has not been found necessary to replace any of these bushings or any of the same pattern received from the States. The flask plates of a number of carriages have been cracked at the lower edge near the lunette, also the rivets through the lunette and flask plates have had to be replaced on several pieces. All side-lever eyebolts that have been broken have been replaced with others having two nuts, and the threaded portion of the bolt made the same size as the body, thereby doing away with the square shoulder at the junction of the body and threaded portion. None of these have been broken so far. In nearly all of the 3.2-inch pieces repaired at this depot it was found that the middle of the side levers had been driven down, thereby increasing the length of the lever, causing it to strike the head of the upper bracket bolt, thus preventing the depression of the piece beyond 2 degrees. These were straightened back to their original positions at this depot. In all of the trail handspikes repaired at this depot the metal center piece was replaced by a thicker one. Very few of these have been broken. The new pattern detachable handspike is not liked on account of the difficulty of attaching, also the difficulty of securing it when not in use. The limber chests on all of the piece limbers of Captain Reilly's battery have been changed. The change consists of taking the projectiles from the front part of the side compartments and carrying them in the rear of the center compartment. I am informed that with this arrangement, when the chest is filled with ammunition, accessories, etc., and the piece limbered, the limber is nearly balanced. The lid-prop pivots and pins soon become loose and have to be replaced. The rivets that pass through the side of the ammunition chest and secure the lidprop pivot plate become loose in the wood. There is also trouble with other rivets that pass through the woodwork, and it is thought that where rivets are used there should be a stiffening plate under the heads in order to present more bearing surface to the wood and prevent the heads from working in. Owing to Lieutenant Summerall's accessibility to the telegraph, and the ease with which he could be reached by water transportation, all the difficulty he experienced with vent bushings, etc., were remedied at this depot, without causing delay or rendering the pieces useless. Respectfully, JNO. R. MCGINNESS, Lieutenant-Colonel, Ordnance Department, U. S. A., Chief Ordnance Officer. APPENDIX K. ANNUAL REPORT FOR PERIOD ENDING JULY 31, 1900. ADJUTANT-GENERAL, HDQRS. DIVISION OF THE PHILIPPINES, Division of the Phlippines. SIR: At the beginning of the fiscal year there were in existence 139 miles of lines connecting the various headquarters and outposts of troops in the field in the vicinity of Manila as they existed at that time. During the year there has been constructed 610 miles of field and flying telegraph lines, 2,652 miles of semipermanent and permanent lines, 200 miles of cable, and 150 miles of telephone exchange lines, the total constructed for the year amounting to 3,609 miles of land lines and cables. At present there are in operation 3,141 miles of land lines and cables, with 315 telegraph and telephone offices in direct communication with Manila. In addition, telephone exchanges have been established at Manila, Iloilo, Cebu, and also a number of small systems connecting outposts and neighboring garrisons in Jolo, Cavite, Santa Cruz, Imus, Bohol, etc., with 135 offices, making the total number of offices 450. Material has also been forwarded for the construction of similar systems at Zamboanga, Cotabato, and other points in Mindanao and Leyte, from which no reports have been received. The field lines were employed for keeping the headquarters of the various cooperating expeditions in communication with each other and with the commanding general at Manila. These consisted of either uninsulated wire laid upon the ground or upon bushes and trees, and operated with field kits of the vibratory type, commonly called buzzers, and later replaced by pole construction, or of insulated wire, extending the regular Morse system. Some of the field lines were recovered, others abandoned, and in some cases they were completely destroyed by insurgents. Following up the field lines came the semipermanent construction on such poles, generally bamboo, as could be quickly procured. Bamboo poles, or any of the softwood poles of the islands, last but a very short time. Fine looking poles, 6 or 8 inches in diameter at the base, are found at the end of a few months either rotted off or eaten up by ants near the surface of the ground. Hard-wood poles being difficult to procure, permanent construction was frequently delayed on that account. Most of the trunk lines have, however, been reconstructed with hard-wood poles that are expected to last a year and a half or two years. Later on, when it is possible to procure such wood as ipal and yacal, the life of poles will be much longer, and no doubt iron poles could be advantageously used. All of the lines have required incessant watchfulness and constant repairs, although perhaps as much as 90 per cent of the line trouble has been the result of cutting by insurgents. The duty of repairman has been one of great hardship and personal danger. During the year 4 men have been killed, 2 missing (killed or captured), 2 wounded in action, 4 captured, 3 died of disease, 5 accidentally wounded, and 20 sent to the United States for treatment. A large percentage of the sickness has been the result of exposure incident to the work. The operators have been on duty from twelve to fourteen hours every day. The number of messages sent and received during the last six months averaged 173,283 per month, increasing as the lines were extended. Two million five hundred thousand words were transmitted by telegraph during the month of July, 1900, and in addition to this a large volume of business was transmitted exclusively by telephone. The system of communication in the Philippines consists of the Eastern Extension Australia and China cables from Hongkong to Manila, 736 knots; Manila to Iloilo, 392 knots; Iloilo to Bacolod, 25 knots; Iloilo to Cebu, 167 knots; a military cable, Cebu to Ormoc; military land lines and cables on the islands of Luzon, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Leyte, and the visual signal systems between the islands of Cebu and Bohol and Cebu and Negros. Over this system is transmitted daily from the Manila Observatory the time of the one hundred and twentieth meridian at 11 o'clock a. m. Ships' chronometers may be compared at all offices; in the vicinity of Manila the captain of the port's office, the naval station at Cavite, and the office on Corregidor Island will be found most convenient. Vessels passing Corregidor Island will be reported when displaying their number by international code. The lookout and signal station is at the lighthouse. The extension of the system, which it is hoped to complete by the end of the year, includes a cable from Jolo to Zamboanga, Zamboanga to Tuburan, Tuburan to Cottabato, Misamis to Dumaguete, Dumaguete to the island of Cebu, west coast of Samar to the island of Masbate, thence to Donsol, on southern Luzon; and the extension of land lines to all garrisoned posts. The material, except poles, has been distributed for an entirely new five-line wire from Manila to Dagupan, along the line of the Manila and Dagupan Railroad. Poles are being purchased as fast as they can be procured, but there has been great difficulty experienced in securing poles of proper size and of a suitable wood. Many of the lines will require repairs to the extent of almost rebuilding during the next dry season, and poles are being purchased for that purpose as opportunity occurs. The laying of submarine cables has been under the direction of Maj. J. E. Maxfield, Signal Corps. Through his efforts the cable on the wrecked cable ship Hooker, together with the machinery and equipment, was recovered, and 149 miles of cable repaired and successfully laid. The cable, as recovered, was coiled on the dock near the mouth of the Pasig River and was exposed to the intense heat of this climate from its recovery in October and November, 1899, until its final disposition in May and June, 1900. Portions of the cable were strained by the handling received during recovery and the insulation resistance lowered from exposure, but all of it has been working satisfactorily since its submersion. The sterling properties of this type of cable, both electrical and mechanical, reflect extraordinary credit upon the American manufacturer, and, taken in connection with the history of similar cable laid during the Spanish war, would seem to settle conclusively that for military purposes cable with a properly constructed rubber insulation is the best type that can at present be designed. Had this cable been insulated with gutta-percha, twenty-four hours of exposure would have rendered it entirely worthless. Major Maxfield in his report commends Mr. Strubel and Mr. Henry Winter, cable engineers, for the excellent work done by them. Also Lieutenant Kennedy, Firstclass Sergeant De Kast, Sergeant Bohler, and Cable Seaman Kock. The cable crew consisted of 30 natives, who developed great adaptability for the work. Four of them have been permanently employed. Lieutenant Stamford and 10 men, fully equipped for signaling and for building 150 miles of telegraph line, accompanied the Ninth Infantry, the first regiment sent to China. Major Scriven sailed on the 21st for China, and a small detachment will go on the next steamer. The loss of even this small number of men has been felt, the extension of lines and the multiplication of offices having left no margin of men for emergencies. The demand for operators in the islands has demonstrated the fact that a sufficient number of suitable men can not be easily procured and retained, if required to do the amount of work demanded, for the inducements offered. To keep the force in the Philippines up to its present number during the coming year will require 10 new men per month. The average number received from the United States for the last ten months was 20, and 4 men per month were transferred from the line. The present number of operators is inadequate, and to provide for the extensions in Mindanao and the Visayas 15 new men should be sent out each month. The reduction of the number of troops in these islands will not lessen the demand for telegraph offices, and in order to provide for the year 1902 as many young men as possible should be enlisted with a view of giving them a year's instruction at the signal school at Fort Myer. Appended is a list of officers of the Signal Corps serving in the Philippines during the year. Maj. Richard E. Thompson was chief signal officer of the Division of the Philippines from July 25, 1898, until December 20, 1899. All of the operations of the Signal Corps were under his personal and direct supervision during that time, and which includes the first half of the year covered by this report. Maj. George P. Scriven was chief signal officer of the Department of the Visayas from November, 1899, until July 21, 1900. His able and energetic management has resulted in the present extended system of communications throughout the Visayan Islands. Capt. Edgar Russel, chief signal officer of the Department of Southern Luzon, has been on duty in the Philippines since August 24, 1898. He has rendered invaluable service in the field, and as chief signal officer of the department. In addition to his other duties, Captain Russel has been in charge of the telegraph and telephone lines in the city of Manila and of the Signal Corps machine shops. His report is appended. Capt. Daniel J. Carr, chief signal officer of the Department of Northern Luzon, has been on duty in the Philippines since August 12, 1899, and has shown marked ability and untiring energy in the field and in the management of lines in his department. Attention is respectfully invited to the detailed reports of the chief signal officers of the departments, and appended hereto, especially to the record of the officers and men. The services of these officers and men, characterized by valor, fidelity, and ability, commend them to the Executive and to the Congress in future appointments and legislation. Respectfully submitted. JAMES ALLEN, Lieutenant-Colonel, Signal Corps, Chief Signal Officer, Division of the Philippines. EXHIBIT A. HDQRS. DIVISION OF THE PHILIPPINES, OFFICE OF CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER. List of officers, Signal Corps, United States Army, serving in the Philippines. Name. Lieut. Col. James Allen. Maj. Richard E. Thompson Maj. George P. Scriven. Maj. Joseph E. Maxfield Capt. Edgar Russel. First Lieut. Leonard D. Wildman. Capt. Daniel J. Carr. First Lieut. Frank E. Lyman, jr. Second Lieut. Charles E. Booth.. Sept. 19, 1899 June 27, 1900 June 15, 1900 Present duty. C. S. O., Division. Asst. C. S. O., Army. Absent sick leave, Japan. With Company E. Comdg. Det., Vigan. With Company F. Comdg. Det., Guinayangan. With Company E. Inspetg. material, Tarlac. Comdg. Det., Atimonan. |