The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-09-28
THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS.

The final test of European armor plate was
given at the naval ordnance proving ground on
Monday. AS anticipated the English plate was
entirely destroyed by the projectile from the
S-inch gun This was the famous Cammell
plate with which the whole of the British navy
is armored. The French plates withstood the
tests of both the 6-lnch and S-inch guns much
better, but in the final test on Monday the solid
steel plate of French manufacture was badly
cracked. The nickel steel plate, however, de-
veloped, according to expectations, greater
elasticity than the others, and withstood the
entire test much better than either of the
others These tests will reyolutionize the man
ner OF manufacturing protective armoring for
vessels and will in all probability cause great
deal of concern on the part of the British, who
have hitherto considered their navy infallible.
Secretary Tracy has called meeting for Oct. S
of representatives of all the firms building ships
or furnishing steel for the Navy, to confer with
the Secretary and board Of steel inspection on
the subject of steel for new vessels Action has
already been taken in Congress to enable the
Navy to obtain quantity of nickel the recent
tests having shown that it can be used to such
great advantage in armor plates. The main OBJ
Ject OF the conference will be to devise plans
whereby a greater quantity of armor plating
than is at present being made can be manufac-
tured in a short time. Secretary Tracy is very
much interested in the progress Of the new naval
vessels now under construction, and is deter
mined TO make as good a reputation as possible
for his administration in naval matters before
the close Of his term of office. One of the prin-
cipal causes Of delay in building vessels occurs
in the manufacture of their armor plating and
the Secretary thinks it about time that an i'm
proyement should be made along that line
Representatives of the Baltimore Iron Works,
Rsdon and Union Iron Works, of San Fran
cisco, and of the Cramp firm, of Philadelphia,
reached the city about the middle of last week
and have been busily engaged in examining the
plans for the new ships of war, on which bids
are TO be opened on Wednesday. The Colum-
bian Iron Works, of Baltimore, are also ex-
pected to bid, and spirited contest will very
likely be made by the rival shipbuilders.
Capt. Crosier and It. Hobbs, Ord. Dept.
graduates of West Point, were theinventors Of the
idea of combining steel and nickel in armor-plate
manufacture, composition which proved it
self far superior to any other yet known in the
test at the Annapolis proving grounds last
week.
Lieut.. j. b. Briggs is acting as secretary and
treasurer Of the Naval Institute at Annapolis
until 1t. K. Wainwright's successor shall be
elected. It. Wainwright was ordered to the
Alert
The demand for engineers in the Navy has
become so great that the Dept has been obliged
to Withdraw all the engineers who have hitherto
served as instructors in higher mathematics
mechanical drawing, and practical steam en-
gineering in the numerous colleges throughout
the country, An act of Congress of 1882 re-