To be stored. Chart of war reserve ammunition showing condition and proposed distribution--Continued. Smokeless powder. Primers and fuses. Bulk high-explosive. Sa Og At 1 +22. T.N.T. pow plo 14). vanna. den. lantic. 10) sive der. 26+27 "D." +28+ 4.108 33.041 29.893 49.83326.126 17.459 12.536 11.521 124. 524 46,853 15.910 9.545 2.384 3.981 2 Negligible. 1.2801.735 NOTE.-Drop bomb, including M. II, obsolete; none on hand. Column 10 equals the percentage necessary to be added to column 4 to bring the total loa-led per entage up to the recommendations of the Gruber report, or, in case no definite recommendation was made in Gruber report, to 40 per cent. Column 16 is present inert space required, which, on completion of loading program, will be replaced by column 11. Column 29 to be stored at Nashville, STORAGE OF SODIUM NITRATE. (See p. 585.) Col. STUART. I would like, also, at this time, to mention the question of sodium nitrate. There will be required, in the event of hostilities, certain amounts of sodium nitrate for the manufacture of smokeless powder, T. N. T., picric acid, tetryl, and other explosives. which would be needed for loading new shells. In order to avoid reliance on importations from Chile after the beginning of war, which would, of course, be impossible if we lost command of the sea, a careful study was made of the situation, and it was found that the following amounts of sodium nitrate would be neces sary for the production of smokeless powder and explosives: The total reserve which would be required is approximately 300,000 tons.. I have that tabulated here: The amount for smokeless powder is 142.795 tons; the amount for T. N. T., 66,118 tons, and for picric acid, 24,644 tons. This includes 10,000 tons for the manufacture of gas. The CHAIRMAN. Let me see if I get your point of view: First, you want reserve ammunition which is manufactured? Col. STUART. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. In addition to the fact that we have provided here for nitrate plants at a cost around $250,000,000, and for a picric-acid plant of considerable size, or two of them, the plan of the War Department is to manufacture and keep on hand at all times a reserve of those ingredients you have specified and in the amounts you have specified? Col. Hor. The 300,000 tons we have already as raw material as a reserve to manufacture these explosives after the outbreak of war. We have that now. The CHAIRMAN. Where do you store that? Col. STUART. I was going to cover that later. I was showing how that amount was arrived at. For ammonium picrate we will require 6,492 tons, for tetryl, 4,502 tons; for black powder, 741 tons; for mercury fulminate, 130 tons, or a total of 245,428 tons, plus 20 per cent margin, because we have to have some leeway, which amounts to 49,086 tons, or a total of 294,514 tons. I simply want to introduce the total amount, and I will cover the question of storage later. The figures given, as shown on the table or chart, are for the warreserve ammunition. We have on hand certain ammunition which the War Department considers it highly desirable to retain for the purpose of instruction, as in the case of 3-inch ammunition. We have the 3-inch guns and we want to retain sufficient ammunition for the instruction of the Regular Army, the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, the National Guard, and any other forces which may undergo training in the future. In addition, we will have surplus ammunition over and above the war reserve of an amount which will require 10 magazines for storage. This ammunition has a total value of $117,477,786.41. The CHAIRMAN. That is the value of the entire ammunition which constitutes the war reserve? Col. STUART. No, sir; this is simply the additional amount I have mentioned. The CHAIRMAN. The 20 per cent? |