Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-07

| sity, and that if we had 10000 tons to let and
could give Is months from date of contract
to commence delivery, the cost of manu-
| facture would be reduced from 25 to 3S per
| cent while the work hitherto confined to
| two firms would be thrown open TO a large
| number of competitors.
| Finally the trial shows that the high car
| bon nickel Harveyed plate is undoubtedly
the best armor plate ever subjected TO bal
| listic test.
| Itm NAV be assumed that the principle of
| super-carburiZing steel to considerable
| depth has passed beyond the experimental
| stage. The question of tempering or chill
| ing the carOuriZed armor plate needs, how
| ever, further experimental development,
| and the lack of uniformity in results, indi-
Gated in the Indian Head armor trials may
| probably be ascribed to this want of expert
so great as to warrant the department in
making further experiment. in this direction,
with every reason for anticipating a COM
pletely salts sfactory result
The Itata and Valparaiso Affairs.
The portion of the report devoted to ord
nance is not extensive. and that part given
up to powder and high explosives has been
covered in the report of Commodore Folger,
already published. In armor-piercing pro-
jectiles no progress is reported. More ad-
vsnce is reported in torpedoes.
The correspondence on the Itata aHalr
and the attack on American sailors at val
paraiso has all been given to the press. Sec
lows:
1t therefore appears that neither in the
affair of the ltata. whose surrender was vol
un tarily determined on by the provisional
Government at 1quique, NORM the presence
OF the Baltimore when the agents OF an
American cable company spliced their
cables on the open sea, nor in the visit or
Admiral Brown to Quinteros Bay was there
any ground o: offense given by the navy OF
the United States to any person. party, or
Government then existing in Chile, nor was
any assistance or encouragement OF any
kind rendered to what was at that time rec
ogniZed by all the world as in TACT the Gov
ernment OF the country. 1etiti is Impossible
to count for the series of outrageS perpe-
trated on the crew of the Baltimore on any
other supposition than that those who con-
certed them were Influenced; by the calum-
nies which had been actively circulated, ana
that they were aided and abetted by police
guard which should have suppressed them.
No charge or even suspicion of misconduct
ATTACHES to the men who, on the night OF the
18th of October, endeavorlng without
weapons to defend themselves against an
armed attack, were driven by the police to
q Chilean prison because they wore the uni
form of American sailors.
Needs and Cost of the Navy.
Recommendations are made as to pro-
motions iii the navy, and an increase of
apprentices from $50 to 1.5C0; also, the i'm
portance of a trained militia for the navy.
Tie general estimates for the support of
the navy, including public works and the
marine corps, which were sent in last year,
showed a reduction, stated in the report
of that year OF over S1,O0OGG0 below the
estimates of the previous year. The esti-
mates for the same purpose herewith trans
mitted show further reduction of $24l ,053
below the estimates of last year. and a re-
duction of IS $50 9S below the appropriations
for the current year.