Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-12-01
NEW AMERICAN NAVY
United States Has Nov Fftsen
Steel Armofed CfuiserS
The flEETtsT IN The WORLD


WAsaIEDrcE toF. A-lho 4nn1al
report ~ Secretary Herbert 10 an IN
tsssstins ssmaary of the progress made
ia n.s4l construction slaee TIE isagufa.
tioa of the nsU Amsrican steel navy.
18th the result % Feplasiag With high
ps~eFed shift AMI steel ships nearly al
these sid tlnber siliss that made up The
navy lists Al the close u tbs VAR. fhs
rspoft shows that the total numhsr %
servirable var vessels nos n the Cnited
States aavs h forty one. fiftren q which
sss armorasL In addition there are
sEty four sesssis GA the lists. mostly
soodsa cruisers. tugs aud antiquated
uonitors that are set down a. unserYice-
able foe Waf pnfposeA Tables are gwen
sho4isg the navsi sfrength 81 leading
powsss. and comparison drawn from
fhsu. places the Cnited States
seseoth IN the rank % naval
posetz Tho delays experienced
IN baiiding nhipe as result
a ths failare of the steel CON pauies To
furnish tke necesssfry armor is alluded
20 Ot L. ~ tons covered b. the tao
peineIpsi coasracts. oaly 1.s,i9 tons bad
ueen te.ivered on The first dap u March
lss. The great difi sulties experienced
bY the agmor makers have. however. al
ben userecms. aoI deliveries II armor
ara nos besng made with satisfactory
Tapidity. References IL made 70 the re-
msrkabie success IL the steel makers in
p-odnciOg armcr piercing proiectlles IN
this country. and 70 IL said that they are
equal. II not superior. 10 any shells
riaa- abroad A higher Development.
hawever, Of these proiectilcs has been
uade necrssary by the discovery that
they All Eot penetrate nickel plate at
Angies % forty-nye degrees.
armor Plate Tests
The armor plate tests during the past
year have an cases exceeded in severity
any ever attempted. either in this coun-
Try or abroad The results have been
conclusively demonstrated the desir-
ability of using the Harvey process for
The armOr % all vessels DOW under con
sffuotion add have induced the secretary
90 expect that the armoT already or
dered and not too far advanced. should
be treated BY Harveyized process The
department is conducting a careful in
vestlgation "a ascertaia what would be
the effect upon the crew of a sub
merged boat % the detoration of a high
expiosive under water near by. IL ap-
pears that the department ~ waiting Tor
the result ~ the experiments with the
fifieen-inc pneumatie guns now being
constructed for the war department bc-
fore proceeding further with the test q
tie NesnSius. Should the war depart
meat experiments show these guns 10 he
n little value Zoe naval purposes. IL
Would be IA the interests % economy 90
trsz-iOym ths Vesayias .rto torpedo
cruiser.
United state~ Naval Policy.
Probably the most important chapter
ia the report treats u TIE naval policy
% the country. tie says that our navy
has not yet cOme up o. the standard:
that our navy shall be "a effective
when compared with the others as that
which the country possessed before the
era of modern improvement. and when
our seaports we're deemed % be. az they
certainly are not now, amply provided
with fortihcations fully up 10 the re-
quiremeu;- n the axe. The secretary
says 40 one values economy more highly
than he does bot the safety os the
euuBtry. ifs horor add It's dignity must
rss above every other coasleieratlon add
tte prugrau % authorizing the building
u al east souas vessols at each session
81 cong f-ss ought not Il bs interrupted
boz Therefore he recommends that
tn opsiructioo . az ieart ono battle
ship sot -ix torpedo boats be- auth ,r-
tfea ~ corgress a the coming session.
Naval Personnel scored.
The secretary again calls the attention
~ caugie-s - the alarming state 70 the
persoanei % ths navy. iir points 10 the
evils saich result iron rets1lilnr promo
prn& 80 that uIen have passed the iine
% ufe without acquiring knoNledxe of
responssnls duties or having hal the op
peftvni;g % assume control 20 a man q
sar. lAis impertsnt branch q the pub
DC service gov suffers from two great
eriis First. large propnrtion u q
Beers q ira of fhe nav AZ time Ficn
mad AMI bosiy unght - - at the best.
are sewing in the ioscr racks without
command aad the habit Il begets. Sec.
ooi o. nlethod now exists hereby the
gosesumeot can get the very hpWer %
~ personnsl iafo those positions
where they can he - xnosi services to tho
c-flrtrf, in consequence - which a dull.
ne nanicfI giagems ut taxes the place ~
heaiihy pra<fess hs sFgass that the
namtrr af ralfssfi men a1i boys ia tbs
srrTise te Increased ty 700 msn. alao
fnsf the sriisfst ran % the uAty may
- aiaiFei "a t~rume c'tissns ~ the
la.fei STATES siihGnf frrfeiting their
rentiuaoa= sereice IN tbe navy The re-
pesf 81, $50 aifh fhe estimate f0r the
nss' r.g8l Yesf Nhieh snlouats 20 s2l..
s<ssit fha estimates fer the same
riirpa-e ieF iae etlfrsnt hscal year
aasaan'a,i q s-lFsI.tc,