Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-12-07
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE SECRE-
TAItY OF THE NAVY.

| Secretary Herbert Satisfied With the
Progress Made in Naval Construc-
ti"n During the Past Yenr hut BE-
| 1lcvcs That More Should Dc Done.
Washington, Nov. 3O.-Secretary of the
Navy Herbert begins his annual report
by stating that during the past year
nine war ships have been launched and
six more completed. The results of the
various speed trials, already familiar to
the public, are given. The progress thus
far made in our naval development is
shown in tables. which give the number
and type of effective war vessels which
this country will possess when those new
building are completed, and also similar
list of vessels of the principal foreign
naval powers. The secretary requests au-
thority to devote the $45O,OOO authorized
for the construction of vessel similar
to the Eesuvus to the construction of
three torpedo boats; and he also recon-
mends that congress should SO increase
the limit of cost of the swift torpedo
cruiser authorized by the act of June
80, 1890, as to enable the department
to have this vessel laid down during the
next fiscal year.
Surveying the whole field, VIC fud
much to be proud of in the knowledge
that we can furnish the material for,
and build, modern ships of war as quick
" and, without any doubt, as we'll as
any country in the world. feel conf
dent that some of our shipyards rival
the best in Europe" After a statement
showing the progress upon vessels now
being built, the secretary details the cost
or the twenty-five vessels which have
been completed since March 4, 1885. rs
fOllows Cost of construction, $40, S23,
45935; armament, $',lO7, O09.S5; outfit
under steam engineering. construction
and equipment, ST, 4s3, O45.95; premiums,
S5S6,91G.91; total cost of construction,
including armament, equipment and pre-
miums, $25,OOO, 432. -; expended for re-
pairs since completion, 91O,OOS. SO"
The amount expended upon the twenty
three uncomplctcd ships is $2G, 7O1 ,O56.65.
Ordnance.
The production of modern high-power
guns at the Washington factory is pro-
crossing satisfactorily. The gun plant
ut this establishment is not surpassed
! by any in the world, and increased ex-
perence has resulted during the past
, year in still greater economy in all
branches of manufacture. Up to the
present time there have been completed
for service 237 guns, ranging in caliber
from finch to 13-inch, all of which have
not only proved successful upon trial,
but have also given results which show
conclusively that the general system of
construction employed has no superior in
foreign Countries
Emmcnsite and nitrate high explosives
have been experimental with during the
year and successfully fired from high
power guns up to and including the IT,
inch caliber. A decorating fuse has been
used in the shells charged with emmen-
, site, with which excellent results We're
/ obtained.
; The manufacture of armor-piercing
, projectiles in this country is now well
j established. Exhaustive tests of these
shells show conclusively that they are
equal, if not superior, to amy armor-
piercing shell manufactured abroad. The
advent of Harveyized nickel steel armor,
however, has so changed the conditions
. CT attack as to render the higher de-
yelopmcnt of armor-piercing projcctiles
absolutely essential.
! The tests Of arnor plates during the
past year have been most important,
some exceeding in severity any ever at
r tempted either in this country or abroad.
The results of these tests have been con-
elusive in demonstrating the desirability
of using the Harvey process for the
, armor of all the vessels now under con-
struction. In one test, that OF l4-inch
nickel-steel Harvey plate, the he; results ,a
were fired four 1O-inch Hotter armor-
J piercing shells, with striking velocities
, Of 1,472, 1859, 1853 and 2,O59 foot
seconds respectively. All four of these
projectles were crushed on. the plate,
the greatest penetration, which did not
exceed II inches, being that of the last
shot which was fired at a fragment Of
the plate weighing but ~ tons, with
striking energy of 14,715 foot-tons, or
1914 foot-tor.s per ton Of plate attacked.
1t is believed that such an energy per
ton of plate has never been used in any
test.
Regarding the VesuviuS
, the secretary says: ut is just possible
that the e1pern entS with the tfteen-lnch
, pneumatic guns now i'll course OF con-
struction for the war department may
not give such results as to convince this
, department of the value of the guns of
the Vesuvus for naval purposes. The
vessel has now been in the possession Of
the government for three and one half
years, and in case experiments with pneu-
matte guns in the near future show these
guns to be of little or no value for naval
purposes, it would be in the interest of
economy to transform her into vessel
available for efficient service with as lit
tie delay as possible. With this end in
view, 1 recommend that congress give
the department conditional authority to
transform this vessel into torpedo
cruiser"
During the past year the available YES
sells of the navy have been almost con-
stantly employed, and the necessity for
their services in different parts of the
globe has been so continuous that the de-
partment has felt constrained to keep
;. vessels in commission which needed ex-
tensive repairs and should have been laid
up for that purpose.
| Naval Policy.
Under this head Secretary Herbert says:
! cit was not his (Secretary Whitney's)
purpose, nor has it at any time been tho
intention Of congress. to build a navy equal
10 those Of such great naval powers as
France and England. but it is certainly
sound policy to maintain navy at least
az efficent, when compared with others.
as that which our country was in posses
sion Of in the days before the era Of mod
ern navies, and when our seaports were