St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-02
Anent the DnlnhiY,.

Anent the Dolphin.
WASHINGTON, Aug. Secretary Whit
ney this afternoon made public the criti-
cism on the naval advisory board upon the
report of the Dolphin board of examiners,
together with the reply of the latter. In re-
gard to the delay i'll giving out the criti-
ciSmS, the secretary remarked to-day that
the naval advisory board declined to unite
with him in asking for the trials; that he
appointed the examining boards and ini-
tiated examination; that naval customs
and prOpriety required him to send
the criticisms to them for their reply before
making them public; that the reply was re-
ceived only yesterday, and that he there
upon ordered both documents to be given to
the press to-day. He also yesterday adj
dressed to Admiral Simpson the following
letter, in which ne says: II can but eX-
press nv surprise that your board should
have certified the vessel to me for a COM
petent one with so many admitted defects
as are shown by your report to have ex-
isted."
The statement submitted by the naval
advisory board makes forty printed pages
(equal to about ten ordinary newspaper
cOlumns), and the report of the board of
examiners is about one-fOurth as long. The
advisory board begin their statement by
quoting, in eXtensO, the criticisms of the
examiners of the structural strength of the
Dolphin. They say:
The structure of the Dolphin is composed
of the best quality of mild steel, and most
careful and elaborate series of tests ON the
whole of the frames, angles and plates show
and average ultimate tensile strength of
2S.5 lOngshore square inches, and an aver
age ductility in eight inches of % per cent.
The rivetS, upon which the strength of the
whole structure depends, are reliable, uni
form and of the toughest material
ever used for the purpose" The
long and elaborate description of
the structure of the Dolphin and COM
parisOn of her scantlings with those pre-
Seribed by Lloyd's rule. the board insist.
in all essential matters the require
ments of the rules as to the scantlings are
exceeded. The board then discuss the
question whether the vessel is sufficiently
strong to withstand the strains to which it
may be subjected. After quoting from
various authorities on such subjects, and
again describing with technical 1ninuteneSS
certain details of construction, they say:
Having now discussed the subject of
strength thoroughly from an examination
of the structure and from the circumstances
of the trial. we will conclude by stating
that an examination of the hull of the vessel
while in dry dock to repair some slight in
jUrieS incurred while aground on some rocks
i'll East river, under the contractors charge,
has not developed the slightest evidence of
weakness in any parts or faSteningS.
The alignment of engines remains perfect,
and none of the signs by
which experienced persons determine
straining can be observed. We now con-
slider we have shown, so far as it is possible
to show, that compared with other vessels
the Dolphin is exceptionally strong struc-
turally and that it is not reasonable to ac-
cept the fact of the heating of crank-pin
to which engineeTs-and particularly new
OneS-are at times liable, as evidence of
weakness of any character, that the
vibrations are very moderate, unavoidable,
easily explained and cannot be regarded as
evidence for or against the strength of the
ship"
The reply of the board of examination to
the advisory boards criticism is dated yes
terday. In relation to the hull of the YES
sci, the examining board says it again as
Serts that the material was not of the best,
and the decks never were properly calked
or fastened. Only two small thin threads of
Oakum were used in the calking, and it is
unable to understand how any professional
man can call it properly fastened when a
lalge proportion of the fastening is placed
in the seams instead of the body OF the
plank. That this was, and is now, the con-
ditiOn of the Dolphin, anyone can see on
the most casual inspection, and further.
that some of the log screws have been
backed out or started by the calking
lately attempted by the contractor.
Referring to some remarks of the advisory
board about the Dolphin's battery, the ex-
aminers observed that in view of the marked
stress the advisory board lays upon the de-
structive range of HOtchkiSS cannon, this
board begs to note what it refrained from
doing before, the extreme vulnerability of
the engines and main machinery, which,
being OF the vertical type, with large surfaces
of exposure above the spar deck, without any
approach to adequate protection from heavy
machine-gun fire-either horizontal or ver-
tical-must be held to constitute one of the
gravest defects of that vessels design and
construction, and it is surprising 10 con-
template when it is considered that the de-
structive power of the HOtchkiSs cannon
was substantially known before the Dol
phin's keel was laid. The opinion is ex-
pressed that the iron shafting substituted
for steel is of no use to the govern
ment. The examiners take up in detail
the comments of the advisory board upon
their findings in regard to number of
alleged defects or shortcomings, in minor
details of the work on the vessel, and as
sert that many of their criticisms are
answered by the advisory board with the
statement that ''the contractor has since
made good the deficit" The ex-
aminers conclude their rejoinder as fol-
lows: ''ThiS hurried reply to
the document before us might
be made much more complete and eX-
haustive than it now stands, but in view of
the secret admissions of the advisory board
as the substantial corrections of the report
of examination made by the board on the
18th ult., it seems needless to cover the
ground any further"