The morning times., 1895-12-02
He Touches Upon the Washington
Gun Plant and Its Future-Urgent
Appeal for More Enlisted Men and
Various Suggestions for the Good
of the Service Are Made.

the action OF Congress. We are not in
| want OF ordinary unarmored cruisers OF
guDboats. but we are lamentaby deficient
in torpedo boats. and we certainly need
| more battle ships"
The paper deals largely with the present
and proposedstrength th of ourn navy and tifa ws
| some Interesting comparisons bet ween our
| naval war footing with that of our neigh
bors. Our vessels in course of construction
are the first-class battle snip Oregon. the
| gunboats BROOKLYN ana Helena, and Iugboat s
| Unadilla. and Nos. 3 and 3.
Our navy is composed OF the following
| arnored snips: Turee battle shiDs. au-
| thorized and building I6 coast defens,.
| total 80: :unarnored: protected cruisers.
| 20 cruisers, 8 gun vessels, building: L
torpedo vessel; total. AZ; grand total in
| service. G2: building, -; total torpedo
| boats, 9.
| COMPARED To FOREIGN NAvIES.
| England has ga ships in service. AZ
building, OF which 10 are battieghips.
France. 144 effective vessels in service.
| exclusive OF torpedo boats, building SO
vessels, OF which tpcssibly 81 are battle
| ships and 4 are armored cruisers.
Russia has 9 ships building. or which 10
| are armored. in service. 100.
Italy has III service, Il vessels; he mum
and unarmored Z.
Germany has 81 efficient ships. and is
building 1 arnlored and unarmored.
Spain is building 10 additional vessels.
| Of which oDe-half are armored, which Will
make total effective strength OF 52-S
The Dutch navy numbers 81 effective YES
| sells; the additions are to be armored
and urarmored vessels.
on this continent Argentina, Brazil, and
Chile have, AL told, ordered abroad g
arrIored and 9 unarmored vessels.
France leads in the possession or torpedo
boats. with 2lS III service and "a build
ing; Great Britain has 1S9 in service and
5E under construction. Spain is doubling
her tOrnpgiO DDnt force. and laDan has a
total OF 40 in service. building. Ia more,
while fifteen countries have altogether
POS torpedo boats in service tATgrn-
tina, with the smallest number, showing
21l. the United States has only 2. The
average number building for these other
countries Is A and traction.
OUR BIG GUNS.
The department has fixed upon the 13-
inch caliber for the main battery guns
OF the new battle ships, tests at the naval
proving ground having conclusively demor-
strated the superiority OF this caliber over
the l2-nch and the necessity for the higher
power in order to meetrecent improvements
in armor.
The wisdom OF this decision has already
been fully demonstrated in the test OF the
i-inch side arnior OF the Iowa.
Primarily this test was for the purpose
OF determining the balistic staUs OF this
group OF arnlor and its supports upon the
snip to Withstand and distribute the en-
ergy of the impact of proiectiles which
falled TO perrorate the armor.
The target. which represented n section
or tile iowa's side, withstood the attack OF
the 12-inch CGn, using the best modern
prolectiles. with striking velocity OF
l 500 foot-seconds. the energy developed
by this velocity corresponding to that
produced by full charge a { 500 yards
range
WHERE THEY ARE MADE
The admirable gun plant at the Washing
ton navy yard has been from time TO time
improved tp keep 1t, i'll all its appliances.
fully abreast or the times. Important modi-
fications IN the breech mechanism uf guns.
tending to secure greater rapidity uf fire
and secjrity for gunners. have been adopted.
many OF which are devices of our own
Officers, and alterations have also been
made in the length OF guns.
The test OF the Hurst S-inch gun and am
munition having shown the impractlCa-
biiIty OF the system, the department has had
this gun converted into a service lO-inch
rifle. 1t having been specially designed with
such view.
The experimental s-inch nickcl-steel gun
referred to in my last report is not yet COM
pleted, difficulties having occurred in Its
The extension of the rapId-fire principle
TO the 6-inCh caliber having been decided
upon, the gradual conversion of the older
guns of this caliber will be undertaken, the
cost of conversion being inconsiderable.
Even If the expense of the change were
much greater the increase OF efficiency
would Justify the undertaking. The Won
Gerful efficacy of rapid-fire guns was
stTlhtDBly Ill tlit DdtAit VI
in 1894, between the Japanese and Chinese
fleets.
A boat and landing gun Of 3-inch caliber.
using fixed ammunition, has been decided
upon, and a number uf these guns will be
at once manufactured.
LABOR AT NAVY YARDS.
Four years ago the registration system
of employing laborers and mechanics at
navy yards was inaugurated, and il has
now come to be generally understood
FNf hot
with The labor boards in order to he EN-
ployed, that after registering, workmen
are taseD on i'll the order of registration
that political or other influence plays no
part in securing employment as a laborer
or mechanic and that the department does
not interfere in the matter OF employing
or diSchargtng workmen at navy yards,
unless the rules have in some way been
violated.
REMEDIES EFFECTED.
As a result there are few requests made
upon the department for the employment
of laborers and mechanics at navy yards,
whereas much time was formerly consumed
in hearing and answering applicants and
their friends.
The rules governing the employment of
labor at the navy yards were devised and
put i'll force by my predecessor four years
ago. That the work was well and faith
fully done sufficiently appears from the fact
that very few important changes or amend
mentS have so FAR been found necessary.
1t appeared, however, during the last sum-
mer, when work was running short III the
several yards, that the rigid enforcement.
always insisted on, of rules preventing trans
fers from one trade even 10 another allied
trade or occupation, and some other kindred
provisions, were so operating as to render
it exceedingly difficult TO keep together
such n force of skilled worknicn as every
business establishment finds it important
to maintain.
To remedy these and certain other de-
fects which experience had pointed out
IL became necessary to make somewhat
extended revision of the whole system.
This / have done after visiting the yards
and consulting carefully with the COM
mandants at Washington, Norfolk, and
Brooklyn.
observation-disclosures made. though none
of them are radical. il Is hoped and believed
Will tend to the betterment OF system
which has so far met with general COM
mendation throughout the service. To
give an idea of the extent and importance
of the work done. it may be stated that
from September L, 1894, to August 81.
1895. there were 3.SGS mechanics and
lahorers employed through the boards of
labor employment at the various navy
yards. The number of appointments made
through the United States Civil Service
mail. Indian, customs, and postal serv-
ices, as shown in the last annual repor. of
the commission. was 4,372.
PROJECTILEs.
The principal work during the year in the
domain of proiectiles has been the develop
ment of semi-armor-piercing shell. which
while strong enough to pierce Il consider
able thickness OF arnlor. also has capacity
made with the Sterling Steel Company
for 13-inch shell to carry a 50-pound
charge through Z inches of armor
has been successfully filled. and one for
similar S-inch shell has been made with
Iynif cd Of Tor f.f