The Portland daily press., 1888-11-29
ENGLISH DEFECTS IN AMERICAN SHIPS.
Disadvantage of Secretary Whitney's
Way of Building a Navy.
Costly Errors Found in the Plans of
the Texas.
Elaborate Preparations for Cen. Har-
rison's Inauguration.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.-The policy of
building an English-American navy, which
has been so frequently advocated by Secre-
tary Whitney and his Bureau of Naval In
telligence." does not give promise of sue
cess so far as the great battleship Texas is
concerned. 1t is reported that gross errors
have been discovered in the plans and for
that reason work has been entirely suspend
ed upon the Texas at the Norfolk Navy
Yard. visitor to that yard will find that
all the work which has been actually done
upon that vessel is practically none at ALL
The keel-blocks have been laid on the east
side of the yard; working shed has been
put up, under which there is a tandem com-
pound Corliss engine; two upright boilers
for furnishing steam have been put up,a part
of the iron flooring has been laid under the
shed, and there are one or two machines
ready for punching the plates.
The working plans which have been laid off
in the moulding loft at the Norfolk navy
yard show that serious blunders have been
made, which will not only retard the pro-
gress OF the vessel, but will cause a loss Of
money to the government, which closed the
contracts some time ago for much of the ma
teriai Tor the vessel as originally designed.
weight and dimensions, and the plans for
the interior arrangements are so conflicting
that the construction of the ship by them is
not only lmpractcable but impossible. 1t is
decided that the vessel must be heightened
at least "a feet, and the question is now be-
ing considered whether the original plans
must be discarded altogether or altered. If
they are altered, there will need to be so
many changes that the original plans will
hardly be recognizable. This would neces-
nfrnQ fftary fAx laA.
including many expensive steel castings.
Ihen comes the question of cost of the ves-
sci. The act of Congress of Aug. g. 1886
which authorized the construction of the
armored cruiser Maine, ,,aLd the armored bat
tleship Texas, limited the cost of the con-
struction of each to $2,5OO,0OO, exclusive of
the cost of armament.
1t is said that these defects in the designs
of the Texas would not have been discovered
at this time except for the failure of English
vessels OF corresponding designs to develop
more than three-f0urths of the speed expect
ed OF them in the recent manoeuvres of the
British Naval Squadron. OF course, If the
Texas had been continued and completed
without any knowledge of the failure of the
English vessels, the failure of the Texas to
produce the speed and develop other quail
ties promised by the designers would have
been laid upon the shoulders of the Ameri-
can navy engineer corps, notwithstanding
the fact that line officers, who are not ex-
pected to be experts. have the supervision
OF building the Texas and Maine. In COM
munlcation addressed to the House Naval
Committee explaining his reasons for going
to England for designs for war vessels. Sec
retary Whitney said: II think our true pol
Icy is to borrow the ideas of our neighbors,
SO far as they are thought to be in advance
OF ours, and give them to our shipbuilders
IN the shape of plans; and having
this obJect in view, | have been anx-
iious to acquire detailed drawings of the
latest machinery in use abroad and should
feel at liberty to spend more in the same way
IN getting hold OF the latest things as far as
possible for the purpose of utilizing them"
put there are many who believe that the
Secretary was influenced to this not from his
own personal knowledge so much as by the
appeals. of Lieutenant Commander, Chad
wick, OF the American Legation in London,
Commander John G. Walker, and the coterie
Naval intelligence" If such is the case.
Mr. Whitney was unwittingly imposed upon.
As member of Congress remarked at the
timethe appropriation was made for thelIaine
and the Texas: "We don't need to go abroad
for ideas nor ships for our navy" 1t is ac-
knowledged abroad and at home that the
American naval engineers and constructors
have not their superiOrS in any other couu-
try. But the Navy Department has not rec
ognlZed this; on the contrary, it not only has
purchased foreign designs for vessels and
every one of which has had to be
modified, but 1t recently imported a foreign
to do work in the Navy De-
partment to give the impression that no
American could be found capable to do the
work