The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1892-12-12
ALL ABOUT OUR navy
l RAPPORT Of tho Progress Ilda Tho Past
-Four YeaFx
BUILDING NEW WAR SHIPS
Advancement In the Manufacture
OF Armor Plate. Gums and
High ExplosIves-Coast
Defense.

" Apmor PIatos Ou0o ana
High ExplosIves-Coast
Defense.
WAsHrNoToE, Dec. 1.-THE secretary
Of the navy In his annual report sots forth
the fact that when the present admins
traitor. came In, March Z, lSse. besides old
and obsolete wooden ships, only three
modern war vessels were IN the commits
sion. During tho administration 10 new
vessels OF IN aggregate tonnage Of 5l,sS2
tons, mounting 9 12-inch, Q lO-inch, 10
e-inch and SS 6inch guns, all Of which,
with the exception of Ave Of the earliest,
have been manufactured In this country.
Three new stoel tugs also have been con.
structod and put In service. There
10 In process OF construction 10
vew vessels, certain to be completed
should tho armor be delivered within
next year, Of an aggregate tonnage Of 0S,-
49' tons and mounting altogether, II IL
inch, l2-nch. 16 1O-inch, 30 S-inch, az
6-inch, 80 6-inch and "a 4-inch guns, all Of
which have been, or are 10 be, manufac-
tured in this country.
Development Of the past four years has
not been confined to ships alone. A. the
beginning Of this administration, says tho
secretary. our naval establishment was
| entirely destitute Of certain elements OF
efficiency. each ono of which 10 indis-
pensable to its practical employment as Q
fighting force and the absence of which,
IL II had been possessed OF q hundred
ships, would still have left II In
condition OF paralysis. These were
armor. torpedoes, heavy rapid firing guns,
armor-piercinR shells, smokeless powder
and high explosives. The secretary de-
tails nj length the noteworthy progress Ia
tho production Of these things and says
that the progress is noted by which the
United States has emerged from Its condi-
tion OF helplessness at sea and by the en-
ployment Of its own resources dis.
tanced it's most experienced competitors
and marks an epoch In the naval develop
ment, not only Of this country. but of tho
world. Delays In the delivery of armor
have caused tho dates OF the Anal compile.
tion Of the armorcd vessels under con.
struction to be somewhat later than at
FIRST contemplated. The only compensa-
tion for this delay 10 the superior quality
OF armor that has been recently dcvel-
oped.
In connection with development of
nickel steel for armor, the department
u8D ok&ACEtuAcu y 0<GiE8 OI experiments IN
tho application Of this material to other
purposes. the construction Of which
promised no less important results than
those already attained. II the expecta-
tions now formed arc realised, Il will not
be long before nickel steel will be exten.
sively used both In ship frames and ma.
rlne engines, with marked improvement
both in the strength Of parts and the re-
duction Of weight. while lie uon-corrodible
qualities, already partly demonstrated,
point to the probability that Il may ulti-
mately present . solution for the harrass-
ing problem Of preserving the submerged
plating of ships.
Coming down to detailed statement
~ to armor tests, the secretary
tells OF the work accomplished Of the
tremendous test to which the Harveyissd
nickel steel armor plates were sub
jected In November, 1891, ~ q result OF
which improved methods were introduced
In their manufacture by the Harvey nickel
steel process. The final test was made
July 30. last. The plate was Of nickel
steel, HarveyiEed, Of i0E inches In thick.
ness. An cight-inch gun was used In tho
test. Five Holtxer forced steel shells,
weighing go pounds each, with q striking
velocity Of l,7o) fe,t per second,
and each with an energy Of 5000 tons to
the square foot. were fired at the plate ut
. distance Of 30 yards. Never before these
trials had any armor plate in tho world
been subjected to such q test as repre-
scntcd by these Ave blows Of total energy
of 1000 tons.
The full quantity OF armor to be
required by tho contract given out
aggregates . supply that will still
amount to only $500 tons per annum,
or not moro than enough for tho con-
struction of three battle ships. To pro-
vide armor for eight such ships, in ad-
dItion to those now authorized would re.
qure three years after tho fulfillment Of
the present contract, with the works run.
ming at full capacity. 1t 10 the belief Of
this department in common with the ma
val committee of the present house, that
this number Of additional battle ships Is
essential to the protection of tho United
States. II 10 upon such vessels this coun-
try. rs well as others having seaboard,
relies, and must continue TO rely for pur-
poses Of defense rs long as naval warfare
remains what IL Is to-day. Without them
We are helpless at sea. With these plants
In existence we can not only armor our
ships now authorised, but We have means
~ MANU- ios eStioEiuR osuets IL We mako
our preparations in time. The value TO
the United States Of the possession OF two
such establishments can't be expressed In
words or figures.
In regard to the ordnance Of the navy
the secretary makes extended reference
to tho Developments promising greatly TO
improve the results, which points have
heretofore been covered in these dis
patches in the report of the chief Of the
bureau Of ordnance. Comment is also
made at length ON the ordnance report to
powder manufacture, high explosives and
proiectiles. all showing progress of the
most satisfactory nature.
With regard TO torpedocs, while the
Howell torpedo hns not gone much beyond
the stage of the hope with which the de-
partmcnt entered upon the contract for
its manufacture four years ago. yet the
latest trials are giving great promise. The
contract made more than n year ago for
tke N, m n acttre hera af lOp & inch yXl,is,