Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-11-16
THE CONTESTFOR SPEAKER.
ArmOr Plate TeStSO Bethlehem
Steel.
Minister'S Depravity, Falls From
the Nineteenth Story, The Con-
test For Speaker, The National
Convention, Water Famine In
New York, Row at an Excursion,
Probable Strike, A Soldiers At
tempt to Desert.
THE CONTEXT roR SPEAKER.

THE CONTEST FOR SPEAKER.
i WASHINGTON, Nov. 16.-Comp'
Ie atively few members of congre
~ have yet reached Washington, b
q the skirmish line in the speakersh
- fight is being thrown about the ca
- itol, and "a great deal of prelimiDal
burning of powder has begu
4 Most of the candidates will ha'
r. their headquarters formally esta
t lished within few days. A gre'
y many storie1 ia the interest of TIN
u candidate or that are being circula
e ed, aud the champions Of each sid
o are getting ready for the final strug
:. gle. The relative strength of tn
I candidates may be guessed at yer.
{ closely, but no one knows how nea
J the strongest candidate is to elec
= ton. Crisp's friends seem to fee
sure that he has the best prospects
before him, but admit that he ha'
dangerous rivals in Mills and Nc
MILAN. Mills has been doing
some very active work OF
ate, and his friends speak
with very great confidence of his
lection. He his conceded to have
considerable strength in the Wesl
from he start, but in the East and
South he has been regarded as weak
He has naturally been very anxious
to get the support of Cleveland and
his friends to influence the Eastern
vote, and of course the silver ques-
tion plays an important part in the
discussion of his chances. The sill.
yer question is one which threatens
to give the Democrats considerable
annoyance, aud, of courDe, all the
leaders, who baye in view the sue
cess of the ticket in 1892, are anxious
to avoid an issue on that question,
which might make division in the
party, and would handicap them in
the preoideutial contest. There are
three sets of opinions on the money
question in the house. The radic-.l
anti-silver men are in small minor
ity; the radical silver men are in q
large minority, while the oonserva-
tive men, who have not the fear of
| free coinage of silver which is enter.
tanned by some, are rather inclined
to favor it, but most of all they want
to keep up policy which will be
safe beyond question, and will hold
the party together, aud hold the
balance of power betwcan the two
extremes.
ARMOR PLATE TESTS.
WASHINGTON, Nov. Is. The
second of the armor plate tests was
made at Indian Head Saturday in |
the presence of Secretary Tracy,
members of the ordnance board,
army and navy experts, and the
and naval attaches of the
foreign legations. The tests were
most satisfactory, and demonstrated,
In the opinion of the naval office,
that this country can produce as
good, if not better, armor for naval
'hips than is produced abroad. The
plates tested were the high carbon
nickel steel plate of Carnegie d Co..
he Harveyized plate of the same
lrm, and the high carbon nickel
teel plate Harveyized from the
Sethlehem iron works, A 6-inch :
ifle was used in firing twelve out of {
he fifteen shots fired, and was !
placed with the end of the muzzle
lfty'seven feet to the rear of the
,lates. Five shots in all were dis.
'harged at each plate, four by the
finch gun at the four corners, and
me shot in the center of each
1'ate by an elght-lnch rifle, Each
plate was ten and half inches in
thickness. A member of the ord
nance board, speaking of the ex
Deriments, said any one of the shots
would have gone through the steel
'rmor of any ship in the world, and
he explosion would have destroyed
he vessel, Commodore Folger,
thief of the ordnance bureau, In
up the result of the tests,
said;
"rhe high carbon nickel plate
from Bethlehem has shown less
penetration and less cracking than
the Others, and IL is decidedly the
Iest plate. The penetration was
less and the cracking one
bird less than the plates of the other
lay. In no case did the point of the
lrojectile go into the oak backing,
'nd cracked toward the weaker
lde. IL this side has been normally
reated, II ia fair 10 suppose no crack
would have occurred. The high ear
'on nickel steel plate from Carnegie
vas 40 per cent carbon, which we
'new before We fired at Il was too
ligh and II would probably crack.
The tempering methods used in the
NV carbon plate Haryeyized were
Effective, and we did not expect :
rom II any better result than
rom the Harveyized nickel i,
late, which Carnegie furnished b.
,re we received the high carbon !
late from Bethlehem, which has :
cen our favorite, aud is unquestion- :
bly, the superior TO any armor that !,
AS been TIED In this country or =
broad.
A MINISTER'S pEPRAvITY. a