Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-27
CAPITOL TOPICS.

/
| CAPITOL TOPICS
| A Formidable Instrument OF war Onos'
Consideration by the Naval COMMITTEES.
The House committee on naval anairs Ia,
for some days had under consideration I" Dill
looking to the addition to the navy
Of q novel craft, which, the ssseruoh'
of its designers are realized, will revoiusioh'
lie the present practice Of harbor defense'
The vessel 10 to be known NJ the berdsn iioh'
clad DESTROYER It is to be 260 feet In ieng'h oy
forty feet in breadth and sixteen feet drait CIV
| ing a displacement of 2, 400 tons. with speed
/ of tuenty knots per hour. The vessel In size
| will be larger than the Yorktown and smaller
| than the Charleston. The feature OF the design
! is found in an enormous So bmaflne gun carried
| M the how below the water line. Submarine guns
| have been tried before this, notably by
Ericsson, and the Navy Department is
| experimenting in this direction. but the
projectors of the pending bill feel that they
have successfully overcome the difficulties
encountered in these attempts and have now
a prac .icable means at hand to drive an enor-
nous shell loaded with an explosive charge Of
| gunpowder or gun cotton into the hull Of
| any ironclad afioat and explode it in
the very vitals Of the ship. According
to the design submitted to the COMMITTEES and
explained by Gen. Berdan hydraulic buffer
projects from the bow of the vessel. This is
SO adjusted that it will stop the boat
at distance Of eight feet from the
enemys ship without injury to the boat. At
TINS snort range the buffer automatically dis.
OF The ship and lodges within it shell
CARRYING bursting charge of 46O
pounds Of powder, sufficient to blow down
every bulkhead In the ship and wreck the bot
TOM. The details Of the boat have been
carefully worked out, and the calculations
hv
the chief Of ordnance of the army has approved
the plans and, as Gen. Berdan stated to the
committee. Cramp 4 Sons stand ready to guar
antee the performance OF the vessel.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
There was two hours struggle today in the
House committee on public buildings over the
policy to be pursued in committee with refer
ence to public buildings bills. The committee
Is very much divided on the subject and when
an adjournment took place the policy which
would secure the adherence OF a majority
of the members Of the committee was very
much IN doubt The members who want public
buildings arc making a strong fight and will
perhaps defeat any policy which proposes not to
recommend the erection OF any new public
buildings at all, but it seems likely that the
action of Chairman Bankhead will have the
effect Of keeping down appropriations 70 mar
row limits.
AGAINST THE REMOVAL OF THE UrEa
In the House today Representative O'Neill
OF pennsylvania presented for reference reso-
lutions Of the universal peace union protesting
against the removal of the Southern Utes
NOT IN FAVOR OF PRIVATE SECRETARIES.
The House committee on revision of the laws
today reported adversely upon the bill to
establish the office of congressional CORE
spondence and department business.
ia q rti al off ~,
the direction Of providing clerks for members
OF Congress, proposition which has often been
considered by the House and always rejected"
The committee deems it unwse to increase
thinks the plan proposed would be neither
useful or satisfactory.
THE SOCIETY OF FLORISTS.
A favorable report was made to the House to-
day from the committee on agriculture on the
bill to establish the Society of American
Florists. 81.
PENSION LEGISLATION.
Representative Patton of Indiana has intro
dueed bill in the House amending the PEN
sion laws SO to date payments ON account of
pensions to persons diseased or wounded in
the war from the date of discharge and all
persons now drawing pensions are to have the
accrued benefits.
He also intoduced a bill to grant honorable
discharges to all soldiers who served faithfully
with their commands until May, 1865.
TWO ADDITIONAL JUDGES.
Representative Culberson of Texas has intro
duced q bill providing for the appointment of
two additional judges for the Court of Claims
In order to facilitate the disposition Of cases
before the court
JUDGE BoAnMAN's CASE.
Judge Boarman was asked to appear yester-
day before the subcommittee Of the House
committee on judiciary to make answer to the
charges lodged against him Of misconduct on
the bench as United States judge Of the Louis
lana district. He was not present today, and
Chairman Oates OF the subcommittee has not
heard from him. Unless Judge Boarman should
put in a defense it rs probable the subcommit-
tee will recommend that the preliminary stops
to his Impeachment be taken.
THE URGENT DEFICIENCY BILL.
Mr.. Sayers yesterday in the House submitted
the conference report on the urgent deficiency
bill and it was agreed to. CAS- agreed to the
bill appropriates s42s, 664, being sl49.4ss more
than 1t carried when 1t originally passed the
House and S39, 1913 less than it carried when it
passed the Senate.)
CRAIG SEATED IN THE HOUSE.
The House yesterday by vote Of $50 to IS
seated Mr.. Craig dem of Pennsylvania in the
House in place of Mr.. Stewart Crep.). Mr..
Cochran and Mr.. Rabbit voted with the repub-
licans-
no QUORUM LAST NIGHT.
There was no quorum in the House last night,
and therefore no business was done.