el, under the provisions of section 5
of the said act, were submitted to the Secretary of War for reference to
the board, by the Ordnance Department, on the same date.

These plans and specifications having been promptly approved by the
board and the Secretary of War, the necessary authority to publish
advertisements inviting proposals in the newspapers throughout the
country was granted by the Secretary on November 12, and on November 13
the advertisements were sent out to the different newspapers designated,
The bids for the steel forgings are to be opened on December 20, 1888,
and for the mortars on December 15, 1888.

A board of ordnance officers was convened at the Watervliet Arsenal on
October 4, 1888, to prepare the necessary plans and specifications for
the establishment of an army gun factory at that point. The preliminary
report of this board, with estimates for shop buildings and officers'
quarters, was approved by the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications
November 6 and 8. The specifications and form of advertisement and
instructions to bidders have been prepared, and advertisements inviting
proposals for the excavations for the shop building and for erecting
the two sets of officers' quarters have been published. The detailed
drawings and specifications for the gun-factory building are well in
hand, and will be finished within three or four months, when bids will
be invited for the erection of the building. The list of machines, etc.,
is made out, and it is expected that the plans for the large lathes,
etc., will be completed within about four months, and after approval by
the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications bids for furnishing the same
will be invited. The machines and other fixtures will be completed as
soon as the shop is in readiness to receive them, probably about July,
1890.

Under the provisions of the Army bill for the procurement of pneumatic
dynamite guns, the necessary specifications are now being prepared, and
advertisements for proposals will issue early in December. The guns will
probably be of 15 inches caliber and fire a projectile that will carry a
charge each of about 500 pounds of explosive gelatine with full-caliber
projectiles. The guns will probably be delivered in from six to ten
months from the date of the contract, so that all the guns of this class
that can be procured under the provisions of the law will be purchased
during the year 1889.

I earnestly request that the reco