The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-07
NAVY DEVELOPMENT
A Good Years Progress Reported
by Secretary Tracy.
Peculiar Advantages Combined In The
Construction Of New Cruisers.
Superiority in Armor Plate and Heavy Guns.
Development Of SmOkeless Powder.
Pacific Coast Requirements.


Erectal to The MORNING CALL.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 6.-Secretary of the
Navy Tracy in his annual report speaks
first of new construction undertaken during
the past year. OF this, by far the most i'm
portant is he says, the protected cruiser
No. Is, of 1000 tons displacement, and sis
ter ship 10 cruiser No. IL. The peculiar ad
yantages Of these two cruisers consist in
their extraordinary coal endurance and
their high speed. in both OF which respects
they have no equal among the large cruisers
of the world. The second vessel in point of
size and Importance is q harbor-defense
ram of 2050 tons displacement, now being
built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine.
Proposals for the construction of torpedo
cruiser Of 1900 tons, authorized by act Of
June 80, 1890, were invited, but no bids
were received. The department has not
again advertised, it being clear that no one
would offer to build the vessel demanded
within the prescribed limits. Ityiew of the
great merits of this class of vessels the Sec
rotary recommends that the limit of cost be
increased from S35O,OO0 TO S512, 600. The
Secretary also reviews at length other re-
cent con, truction, showing work progress
ing satisfactorily.
ARMOR AND ORDNANCE.
On the amor question the Secretary notes
the growth of its manufacture here, etc,
trials of which have been fully reported be-
fore in these dispatches. The tests, he says,
were more severe than were ever applied at
foreign trials, and the results have been in
the highest degree satisfactory. Each of
the six plates manufactured IN this country
was superior TO the English compound
plate, while the nickel Harveyed plate and
the high carbon nickel plate were superior
to all foreign plates. They may, therefore,
be pronounced in advance of the best
armor plate heretofore manufactured in
Europe. There is probability that within
year or two the armoT-producing capacity
Of the United States may be quadrupled.
Trial shows that high carbon, nickel,
Harvtyed plate, is undoubtedly the best
amor plate ever subjected to a ballistic
test. The question of temperng or chilling
ca1burized armor plate needs, however fur
Their experimental development. Under the
head OF ordnance the report says that 347
guns are required to arm the vessels now in
course Of construction. OF this number 155
are completed. A test was made of the
4-inch rapjd-fre gun with successful results.
Tie number Of heavy guns were largely H.
creased during the past year and show
marked improvement No 16-inch guns are
yet allied for in the armament of the new
ships. II they should be found q desirable
gun a factory Is ready to manufacture them,
and a design for this ealiber has been COM
pieief which, il is believed, IS free from
the serious defects that caused tie failures
of many foreign guns Of tile largest caiiber.
A close observation OF foreign progress and
experiment enabled the Bureau of Ord
nance to provide materially improved car
Eiages for the batteries Of the new ships.
The supply of guns for secondary batteries
Is making rapid progress,
POWDER AND GUN COTTON.
Brown powder for general service use in
heavy guns continues to give exec lIent re-
suits. The most important advance during
the year is the development of smOkelesS
powder, invented by Professor Monroe Of
the naval torpedo station. The results ex
ceeded antcpations. With charges half the
weight used with ordinary powders the We
locities are increased nearly two hundred
feet second, with no increase Of chamber
pressure. The Secretary adds: 1T is safe
t. say that within a short time the use OF
ordinary gunpOwder will be abandoned in
eslibers of SIX inch and below" Mention
Is made oi P contract with DupOnts for So
600 pounds Of gun cotton. The capacities of
the gun-cOttOn factory at the torpedo sta
tiOn has been enlarged. and in this respect
the resources OF the Government are now
ample. The high explosive. emmensite, is
also touched upon. Mention is made of ex-
perments made with it, and 1t is stated that
the possibilities of these investigations point
to extraordinary developments in the near
future.
IMPROVED PRoJECTILEs AND ToRPEDoEs.
The firms manufacturing armor- piercing
prOjectiles have made improvements and
the difference in the effective force of the
navy to-day, compared with the situa ton
year ago, when 1t had not singls projectile
that could pierce modern armDr, is incalcu-
liable. The hopes held out IN the last report
OF the establishment in the United. States of
new process Of manufacturing forged
steel shells have been realized, and a con-
tract has been made with the United States
PrOjActile Company of Brooklyn. a guam
tlty Of prujectiles made by the electric
welding process has also been ordered from
the American Projectile Company of
Boston, and efforts are being made to do
snestlcate other processes in this country.
As to tOTpedoes. the strenuous efforts
OF the department resulted In the
establishment by the Bliss Company
OF Brooklyn, OF plant for the manufacture
oil Whitehead torpedoes in this country and
CONT act WAS entered into last May for 100
16-inch tOrpedoes of the most recent type
The successful domestication in this couu-
try of the manufacture of the Whitehead
torpedo is one of the most important adj
vances in naval developments for years
The present state of the work is such as to
Justify the belief that torpedo outfits may be
installed on board our vessels within
short period, and that the torpedo equip
ments OF our navy Will soon equal if not
surpass, those possessed by other nations
PACIFIC COAST ORDNANCE FACTORY.
The Secretary says the development gun
factory was continued during the year and
many Improvements were made. The grow
Ing demands for the naval defense of the
Pacific Coast and the great expense entailed
by the transportation OF heavy ordnance in
freiRhts across the continent point to the
absolute necessity of establishing in the
near future an ordnance. factory at some
point In that neighborhOod. Such establish
ment should be under the general control of
the War and Navy departments and do the
work oil both. There Is no reason, says the
Secretary, why such establishment should
not duplicate the success which has been
achieved at Washington. The past twelve
month has given the vessels of the navy
more active employment than they have
seen for many years. Especially in the Pa
clfc the demands on the fleet have been
numerous and constant. The Secretary de-
tails the work of various vessels now In
commission.
THE CHILEAN INCIDENT.
Coming down to the assault on the Balti-
more's men in Valparaiso, the Secretary de-
tails the story as it has already been told
In this country, and says the sailors during
the attack we're without arms, and therefore
defenseess. 1t is clear that their only Of
tense lay in wearing the uniform OF the
country to which they belonged. Whether
the attacks upon the men of the Baltimore
were preconcerted or not, their real cause
can only be found in the bitter hostility Of
the Chleans toward the United States~a