Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-03
CAN BEAT THE WORLD.
Rolled Armor Pronounced Superior
to Hammered Plates.
WHAT CARNEGIE'S WORKS CAN D
The Recent Test at Indian Head NoI
Entirely Satisfactory.
A WE'LL POSTED WITNESS ON THE STAND

A gentleman connected with one of the
great industries of Western Pennsylvania
and an expert on armor plate and kindred
subjects, in an interview last evening spoke
as follows:
''The account given in the papers of the
armor plate test at Indian Heat last Satur-
day appears on the face to have a strong
coloring in favor of the Bethlehem Iron
Company. This may be readily accounted
| for when it is known that prejudice exists
in some quarters against rolled armor plates
as compared to the hammered plate of such
firms as the Schneider Bros, of Creusot,
France, and latterly the Bethlehem Iron
Company, of Bethlehem, Pa. 1t was fully
proven by the test of Saturday last that the
Pittsburg rolled plate is immensely superior
to that of the forged or hammered plate of
the Bethlehem Company.
The Composition Considered.
sTo appreciate this fact it is only
necessary to consider the composition of
the three plates that were tested last Satur-
day. The Carnegies submitted one low car
bon nickel steel plate whose surface was
not treated by the Harvey process OF sur
face carbonization, while the Bethlehem
carbon and one low carbon nickel steel
treated by the Harvey process. A careful
analysis of the various shots fired, and
their relative effects upon the three plates
will convince any intelligent man that the
low carbon nickel steel of the Carnegies
was superior from every point of view.
Take the first shot fired at the high carbon
nickel steel plate of of the Bethlehem Com
pany and the second shot fred at the low
carbon nickel steel plate of the Carnegies
and we find that the effects produced were
almost identical. This, in itself, was of
vast Importance when we remember that
one was high carbon and the other a low
carbon plate; and if the tests were made
for the purpose only of determining the
quality of the material used in
composition of the plates, the rolled armor
of the Pittsburg concern would easily carry
off the honors. But it Is not generally un-
derstood that the test was made for the pur-
pose of determining the difference between
rolled and forged armor.
A Successful Demonstration.
There is no question now that the firm Of
Carnegie, Phipps & Co. have demonstrated
to the world that they can, successfully,
make the armor required to sheathe our
monitors and cruisers as we'll But one
thing is certain, and that is, that the Pitts
burg firm has mighty obstacles to surmount
and q mountain Of prejudice to climb In this
competition. There is deep-rooted preju-
dice existing among the manufacturers of
the East, and it is known that predictions
were made that the method adopted by
Carnegie, Phipps & Co. for turning out the
armor for our navy would never prove sue
cessful.
'Tn view of the results obtained at Indian
Head by the competitive test of last Satur-
day, all doubts must of necessity be now
dispelled, and I venture to predict that
when the series of tests will have been con-
cluded, Pittsburg steel will be on top.
Their Costly Plant.
Carnegie, Phipps & Co. have expended
the enormous sum of 81 900, 600 for the erec-
tion of plant for the sole purpose of max
ing armor for our navy, and every patriotic
and public-spirited citizen in this great iron
and steel center of the world will rejoice at
its success. More than this, in the event of
the United States going to war with any
country-and there is possibility of her
doing so at the present time-the Carnegies
would at once place their entire industrial |
establishments, having a total capacity of |
10, 900 tons finished output per day.
"In the time of war the Bethlehem Iron |
Company would be at disadvantage. They |
would be unable to push any order they |
might receive, as the forging of armor under |
a steam hammer is of necessity very slow |
work and considerable time is required to |
forge single plate Carnegie, Phipps & |
Co., on the other hand, with their immense |
and their method of rolling could |
easily turn out sufficient material to make
and equip any ordinary gunboat or torpedo
vessel required for quick utility.
''At all events Pittsburg has nothing to
fear from the competition of the Eastern
firms, such as the Bethlehem Company,
which is backed by the Creusot Works and
other foreign capitalists with Sir George
Whetmore at its head organized to rake in
some of the shekels Uncle Sam is going to
expend on his new naval fleet"