The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-03-19
Shall We Have q New Battle Ship ?

The House Naval Committee seems likely
to follow the policy Of the same body in the
last Congress by skipping for tho third
time In succession what Is theoretically tho
annual" authorization OF battle ship.
Two years ago. when Secretary HERBERT
was Its Chairman, the committee found .
reason for not recommending such vessel
in the slowness with which armor had been
furnished up to that time. Still, IL made Q
very important provision for q great ar
mored cruiser. the Brooklyn. But Mr..
TRACY urged the importance. also OF going
on with heavy battle ships In our naval pro-
gramme. and showed that by providing for
. new ship 30 much time would be used up
in making the plans and giving out tho
contract that. with the increasing output
Of armor. the ship would not be delayed
materially In procuring Its coat OF steel.
Tho result was that when the Senate In
sisted on the battle ship the House yielded:
and. accordingly. the Iowa. the heaviest war
vessel ever built in America, 10 well along In
construction.
Last year. again. although the argument
as to the delay OF armor had lost much OF
It's force. the condition OF the Treasury
was serious. The House Naval Committee
was then perhaps justified in again skip
ping the battle ship; but in doing SO 1t went
to an extreme OF self-sacrifice in asking for
only Que i.2Oo-ton gunboat. whereas Secre-
tary TRACY had represented that four OF
that typo were imperatively needed. Once
more tho Senate came to the rescue by
calling for three such gunboats. besides
making available certain unused balance
for the construction Of a submarine boat,
and to this more liberal programme tho
House yielded.
Now once more the House Naval Commit
tee has been largely guided by the condi-
ton OF the Treasury. and IL must be said
that there 10 good reason for taking this into
consideration. The subcommittee having
charge OF the matter. according to one re-
port. has not even asked dollar for wholly
new vessels. But criticism against check
ing the programme OF reconstruction Is
fortunately evaded by making use OF two
unexpended balances. one OF them tho fund
providing for sister ship Of the vesuyius.
and the other the fund for the submarine
boat already spoken OF. The former will
build four and the latter two ordinary
torpedo boats. This is not an adequate
substitute for . battle ship. but it will be
far better than to make . precedent by
dropping new authorizations altogether.
Possibly II the Nictheroy. with her gun
cotton weapon. had achieved . triumph
at Rio do Janeiro. there might have been
. demand for q second gunboat like the
Vesuyius for our own service: but. as IL
has turned out. the use OF the pneumatic
system is left precisely where il was by the
trials on Port Royal. which resulted In a
recommendation from the Chief Of Ord
nance that ordinary rapid-hre guns should
DO mounted on the Vesuvius instead Of
her pneumatic battery. II Is also sug-
gestive that report already comes from
Rio de Janeiro that the Nietheroy dynamite
gun will be taken from that vessel and
mounted in enc OF the forts. The House Ma
val Committee would at all events be Justi- |
ned in providing for the transfer OF the fund |
In question TO torpedo boat construction. As |
to the submarine boat. IL is fair to say that |
experiments lately conducted at Newport |
have been distinctly in its favor, and give /
ground for the belief that sooner or later
such craft will be constructed. But mean
while the House Naval COMMITTEES, in its
stress for money. naturally seizes the de-
eision against building it at present, as
made by the Navy Department a few
months ago.
Half a dozen torpedo boats would form
. timely addition to the navy. They would
give Secretary HERBERT the opportunity Of
making q record Tor his administration;
and as he has been thus far cut on from
building new ATmorclAds. he may ind some
compensation In this diTsetion. The enor- !