No. 64.

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Washington, May 6, 1901.

By direction of the Secretary of War, paragraph 1397, of the Regulations, as amended by paragraph III, General Orders, No. 20, January 27, 1899, from this office, is further amended to read as follows:

1397. No person will be appointed a hospital steward until he has served a year as acting hospital steward, or as a hospital steward of volunteers, or acted in that capacity, during and since the Spanish American war for more than six months; nor will a steward be appointed by the Surgeon General of the Army or an acting steward be detailed by the Surgeon General or the chief surgeon of a divison or department until he has passed a satisfactory examination under their direction. The promotion of privates of the Hospital Corps may be recommended to the Surgeon General or the chief surgeon by the medical officer commanding the detachment. From those thus recommended acting stewards will be detailed after passing the required examination. These examinations will be conducted by a board composed of three commissioned medical officers of the station at which the applicant may be serving, or of such a number of medical officers less than three as may be present, and if no medical officer is there on duty the candidate will be sent for examination to the nearest station provided with such an officer. The report of the board will be forwarded direct to the Surgeon General or the chief surgeon. Hospital stewards are furnished with a warrant signed by the Surgeon General, and acting hospital stewards with a warrant signed by the Surgeon General or by a division or department chief surgeon.

BY COMMAND OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL MILES:

H. C. CORBIN,

Adjutant General,

Major General, U. S. Army.

No. 65.

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Washington, May 11, 1901.

By direction of the Secretary of War, the following rules and regulations for the inspection of batteries or emplacements turned over to the artillery, under paragraph 1486 of the Regulations, and of guns, gun carriages, breechblocks, or any appliances pertaining thereto; of mining casemates or any submarine-mining appliances; of instruments of precision of all kinds pertaining to the armament, together with all electrical apparatus which may be turned over to the artillery for use or care, or transferred from the various departments, are published to the Army for the information and guidance of all concerned:

1. As soon as practicable after taking over any battery, emplacement, or mining casemate, under A. R. 14×6, the commanding officer will make a careful and thorough inspection, inviting the local engineer officer to accompany him, of the battery, emplacement, mining casemate, magazines, gun carriages, guns, and all mechanical and electrical appliances connected with the battery, submitting a separate and complete report thereon to department headquarters through the artillery district commander.

2. The commanding officer will note the condition of the galleries and magazines with respect to moisture; he will cause all doors to be opened and closed and all ammunition hoists to be operated with full charges of ammunition if on hand; he will note if the means of ammunition supply is adequate to the most rapid fire obtainable from the guns; he will inspect all drains and ascertain whether they are free and open, the condition of the parapet with respect to gullies, and note the prevalence of drifting sand; he will inspect all ramps, roads, and covered ways connected with the battery.

3. If guns have been mounted they must previous to inspection be put in condition for service. They will be run to and from battery and the action of all mechanisms connected with the gun will be tested. Each gun must be traversed several times between the stops to test the operation; the gun

must be brought to bear upon two or more reference points, the azimuth being carefully noted in order to determine whether the center of motion of the carriage is concentric with the traverse circle. Test the level of the traverse circle, ascertain whether it is properly graduated, and if graduated the orientation should be verified. The graduation and accuracy of the elevating device shall be verified. All breech mechanisms, all bright and working surfaces, and all mechanical appliances pertaining to the gun or carriage must be carefully examined for present or previous rust; for this purpose the hidden surfaces of the breechblocks must be exposed and all covers should be removed from gears or other mechanism. 4. Whenever a battery or emplacement is turned over without the guns and carriages mounted the inspection prescribed in paragraph 3 of this order will be made by the commanding officer as soon as the guns are mounted.

5. Whenever any guns, carriages, breechblocks, or any parts thereof, or any implements pertaining thereto are received at a post the ordnance officer will make a careful and detailed inspection, reporting to the commanding officer their condition. This report will be forwarded to department headquarters through the artillery district commander.

6. Whenever any implement or part of the armament is shipped from the post for repair, for transfer, or for any other purpose a careful inspection and a full report as to its condition will be made by the responsible officer to the post commander, and a copy of such report will be sent to the officer to whom the article is shipped.

7. Whenever a company commander is assigned to a battery he will make a careful inspection of the same, with detailed report as to its condition to the post commander. This report will be compared with the report of the preceding battery commander, and if any deterioration is found to have occurred the commanding officer will cause an investigation to be made as to the cause thereof. The report of such investigation will be forwarded to department headquarters through the artillery district commander.

8. The commanding officer will inspect the battery commander's station and report as to what trees or other obstructions should be removed in order to give the position finder a field of view equal to the field of fire of the battery.

9. The power plant of the central station, or of separate batteries, including their boilers, engines, dynamos, storage batteries, and switch boards must be thoroughly tested. Fire shall be started in the cold boiler and the time required to get up steam or power noted. The station equipment must comply with the requirements of the Drill Regulations, Coast Artillery, pages 69, 70, and 71. The wiring in the station must be in plain view and wires of different polarity, or with great differences of potential within them, must be so located as to preclude all possibility of their coming in contact. The overhead lines and the conduits leading from the power plant to the gun emplacements must be inspected and tested for insulation. The current must be turned on the mains and inspection made to ascertain whether all the lights burn properly, and whether they are so placed as to give sufficient illumination for the reading of verniers and dials of the system of communication. All switches and junction boxes must be carefully examined and the insulation of the entire system determined. If the guns or hoists are worked by electric power all motors used in the system must be operated and the time required to traverse the gun, elevate it, retract it from the battery, and to hoist the ammunition, and the amount of current used in these various operations must be carefully noted. A similar inspection must be made whenever a new electric plant at any post is turned over to the artillery. Commanding officers may detail officers who are skilled in such work to make the technical tests required. The reports of these officers will accompany the report of the commanding officer

10. Whenever any search lights, position finders, dial telegraphs, or other instruments for use in fire control and direction are received at a post an officer skilled in their use will be detailed to test them and report as to their condition. The same action will be taken upon these reports as is prescribed in paragraph 6.

11. Whenever submarine-mining equipments are turned over by the Engineer Department to the artillery an officer skilled in the use of the same will, if possible, be detailed to inspect the property. In case no such officer is available the officer receiving this property will be governed by the following directions: