New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-20
NEWS or ARMY AND NAVY.
LITTLE TO THANK THIS SESSION OF con-
GRESS FOR.
NO DAMAGE DONE TO THE ATLANTA-PLANs FOR
THE NEW TORPEDO BoATS-A SMALL
ARMS TEST
IsY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIDrNEJ

Washington, Aug 19-Thc first regular session OF
the LID Congress will be remembered by officers
Of the Army Navy and Marine corps for what has
not been done in their Interests rather than for
what has been accomplished In the course Of
few recent sessions has so little Of importance to
either OF thc three services been accomplished Gen
era.!y Congress Is reasonably liberal and Just 10
officers and men. but this year only one measur,
involving Increase In expenditures OF "A single
dollar has been passed which Is OF any particular
interest 20 the personnel OF the military and naval
branches. Several former officers o: the Army and
one OF the Navy have been restored to the rolls or
otherwise slightly benefited by relief bills. but In
no case has the action help2d d. serving officers now
holding commissions improved the condition oil
the services larre. Two bills affecting former
officers were vetoed Ivy President Cevellnd on the
ground that the principle involved was vicious AMI
the persons affected were not entitled To- legislative
consideration The bills to regulate cn'istments In
the Army and to transfer useless old ships TO states
having naval reserves have become laws. but
neither measure VIII cost IN" Government penny.
The gamers b. these acts. but II either
had involved increase I'm expenditures 1t would
probably have failed IL adoption
Reports received the Navy Department from
Captain Karileit. commanding the Atlanta. DIS
prove the sensational stories that that vessel was
seriously injured while recently rammng and de-
s,roying the derclict Golden Rue. Captain Bart
let's rcpOr; shows that the plan o. destroying N"
Golden Rule by ramm!ng rather than by exploding
"A torpedo under her adopted after mature re-
Election. The wreck was reasonably high out Of
the water and lightly freighied There could b.. no
doubt t. Its Offering little resistance TO IN" ram
Accordingly the Atlanta was started ahead slowly
and struck The dcrelict amidsnIps Will" gong az
the rate OF five or six knots. As The point o. the
Atlantis ram Is be.pw water about twelve re-
ami the upward incl.nation OF her bow froih TIA;
point = at considerable anEl, IA" wreck wa
ftcd or pushed up on the cruisers bow for slight
distance before top?ing OYER INTO thr sea. me
only damage done 10 the cruiser by the contact was
the scrapng OF Of all the paint on her bows Eaviny
completed the ranming the Atlanta was bacl.ci for
short distance ald an ohcer was S,ni 10 IN IN
return one az the engineers made an exam nation
OF the engines II was found that small but ir-
one Would have to be rcniiei. But under no cir
cumstanccs. Captain Bartlett says, could the pm
have been Jared ont 10y the ian,mng.
Rapid progress in the work Of designing plnns for
the three now torpedo-boats authorized by the
year is being mad by the Naval board on con
struction The general plans OF the vessels have
be worked out I'm the course Of week or tcii
DAYS. AZ me present rnts vi progress snf ' S
builders by the middle OF September. The contracts
viii specify one year az the time In which To-
allowances for necessary delays In awarding the
contracts. aud assuming tina, Only bids from build-
ere who hav- plants already In operation Will be
entertained. naval officials say that II IT, reasonably
certain mat the new boats VIII be ready Tor sea
vessels viii resemble the Ericsson In design.
The VIII nave an increased displaccmsni Of about
tcrtiof was 20 make the boats considerably larger,
so that they might rival In speed the English
flyer Hornet and her class. but The small appTO-
pflatIon available made the adoption Of less am
ilf! lou. rlanS necessary. Steel All b" employed
In the construction Of the huls. There Will b.
no arnor. except OF the coming towers. which
Will have plates Of about I've inches In thickness
a. a protection against Hight rarll-frc guns ana
small arms Twin screws propelled by two Sepa-
rate e..yines viii drive the boats AMI as their
boiler power VIII hc slightly greater than that OF
the Ericsson. Il speed OF twenty-five knots an hour
IS counted on
The Navy IL In n fair way 20 secure modern
small arms ia the early future. number of
domestic and foreign manufacturers have informed
Commodore Sampson. chef Of the Bureau ot ord
nance. that they are ready ~ submit thflr hN"h-
and Professor Alger. - the Nayy. and Lieutenant
Korrrauy OF the Marin" Corps. have been "i'-
,ointal n board 10 conduct the tests. I'll" expert
nente are 10 take place the Training station ~
N.WUorf where the board Is directed 10 asf"mhl"
on Soot0rnbor l. The Navy Department mas Issued
thrty-tlrc. Of the new model. .&'! callbre barrels
and /, Is expected that ~ least half that number
of hrcech mechanism inventions viii be submitted
To- the board. The experiments w1ll relate To The
sinpc.ty and strength ~ the brooch parts. as NE
diameter length and other charactciisics OF -"
hs rr.ls have boon determined upon. TWO domestic
and three foreign manufacturers have ALREADY sig
uincd their intention Of competing II Is prnctciy
certain that a number 81 other Americans VIII hr
rcnIy Tor the trial hefor. tho day got The R'r1ng-
ton works viii offer three and the Lee fun com
many two complete rifles -Four Of the leading
n,nagazinn rifles Of Europe VIII bc tested Th'y
40 m, Nianacr tCicrmanl. D1ud"tau ana Herthlcr
1Fr.nch) and Krng -Jorgenscn DANISH. inioriha-
lion ha. reached the Navy Department thnt INC
co,,iry cxperlmcuts will bc watched win mucn