The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-04
OUR NAVAL DEFENSES
Report of Ordnance Bureau on
Vessels and Equipments.
VALUE OF NlcKEL-sTEEL PLATES.
Dynamite Gunboat vesuvius to Be
der and Emmensits Projectiles.

WASHINGTON CITY, Dec 3.-Commodore Fol-
ger, chief of the bureau Of ordnance, in his an
nual report estimates the expense of the bureau
for the next fiscal year at s4,7s0.29l, Of which
81, lbs. $50 is to De applied toward the armament
of new vessels The number of guns re-
quired is placed at 1,947. ranging in caliber
from four to thirteen inches. Although
none of the ships authorized to be
built require guns OF 16-ineh caliber, 1t Is
believed that such guns may be needed, so the
necessary plans have been made to authorize the
construction of one OF them. 1t is be-
lieved the difficulties experienced abroad
with these large guns can be over
come. The bureau inclines to the be-
lief that the submarine guns now approaching
completion will prove a valuable and important
adjunct to our defensive armament, particular
ly when mounted on vessels intended especial
ly for ramming 1t seems probable that the
chances OF a ram being able to reach her antag-
onist with effective results would be Quadru-
pied by adding this weapon to her means of
odense
Under the head of armor 1t is stated that nego-
tiations are in progress to cause plate to be de-
livered by the Bethlehem company for the
double turret monitors and the Maine and
Texas, to be of nickeI-steel. All the armor Or
dered from Carnegie is to be supplying nickel,
500 tons of ore being purchased last year. 1t
is said the Vesuvius dynamite guns
that she be turned into q torpedo
cruiser. With view to utilizing the old single
turret m onitors now in James river, pans have
been prepared for new turrats and modern eight
or ten inch rifles for them. A long account is
given OF armor tests in the past year. and the re-
suits furnished by nickel-steel plate, treated by
the Harvey process, and manufactured by the
Bethlehem Iron Company, were the most remark
able 1t is unlikely that two of the shots
obtained more than three inches OF penetration.
The points OF none OF the prcjectiles reached
the rear surface of the plates. At the back OF
the plate, opposite the two impacts mentioned
above, tie effects were nil, there being no rup-
ture Of the surface and no bulge of greater height
than perhaps one quarter Of IN inch. The
cracking on the softer side of the plate was IN
important. In conclusion, the bureau considers
that two important results have been achieved:
Firsr-Better plate of American manufacture
has been produced than the department was
able to purchase abroad year ago.
Second-It has developed new departure in
the manufacture OF armor OF American origin
which, there are good grounds for believing,
Will furnish greater protection to the vital parts
OF vessels OF war than any other system hitherto
employed.
Further, notable advantage has been de-
veloped by the above tests, the Importance of
which to the United States at this juncture will
be easily appreciated.
In order to facilitate the interchange of am
hiuultion IN case OF war, IL Is recommended
that all proiectiles used by the army and navy
be made of uniform size and weight The trials
of smokeless powder are said to have re-
suited satisfactorily, and it is said that
within very short time the use OF
gunpowder will be entirely abandoned in cali
bers OF 6-inch and below, it being replaced by
some one of the numerous forms of so-called
smokeless powder. The order for $1,000 pounds
OF gun cotton, the best known high explosive
for naval use, has been placed with Duponts on
condition the complete mill be erected. After
describing the successful trials of "emmensite"
the report says it is the bureaus intention
to recommend the adoption of a rel
attvely short gun of large caiber,
using powder as the propulsiys charge and FIR
ing proisctile containing a charge OF emmen-
site, or gun cotton, for feature OF the arma-
ment OF vessels, with a view to utilizing the
aerial submarine torpedo, by which the effect at
ranges which question the accuracy of the fire
is absolutely eliminated. The experience of
European countries is said to be conclusive as
to the merits of the new smsll-caliber, smoke
less-powder rife, and the navy is only awaiting
the action of the army board to arm the sailors
with new small arms.