New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-17
REPORT ON THE TEAAS.
THE SHIP NOT FAILURE. IN MR.. HER
BERTS OPINION.

YORK NAVY YARD APPRovED-CHARLEs
II. CRAMPS LETTER-A coNGREs-
SIGNAL INQUIRY PROPOSED.
Washington Dee ls-The Navy Department Is
sued an ofical statement this morning to demon
strate that the battc-ship Texas. instead OF oehs
IN ant, deerec a failure ranks with the finest ships
IN the world and IS not surpassed by any American
naval vessel The occasion for TINS announcement
is Secretary Herber,s approval OF the reco'" "a "
court Of inquiry which found no one Responsive
for the unfortunate laundering of the vesse recent
~ at the NewYork Navy YARD. secretary ''e'
bert's statement Is as follows:
In giving the action Of the pepartme", IT, on ai
finding Of the court of inquiry as 10 TnS
a tSs N wRcS Ya resueS de-
part from my usual custom ana make se"ei"'
az aoO me ' pube knows that the accident
about which this court Of inquiry was neid cousa
a rart of an injection pipe had been taken out LOT
repairs and that the ship was promptly Ia's 60
without having suffered any material damage ,, 80
many CRITICISMS of this vessel have been made ina,
the public. or a part Of It, at least may o1 "a dawn
Inv Mr. whitney A board OF eminent naVai ON ON
GERS awarded to prominent English desghea, M,.
ment for The best plans of a batte-ship OF given
dimensions At that time and Tor some y' a.,
of,erward the Navy Department. through the hh-
re,us Of CONSTRUCTION and repair and of steam en-
cheering. expanding consideIane inoass a., c
nuay in the Gr orssIycs Of the ex
iroi rom, an' "f r"rcien nations Considerable obJcc-
ton made by some OF The 4'cerS ,b Ul Mans Of
partment to the building OF snip on lhe pa',a ~ W
,,ha Tcxas and the question was before more than
one board during the administration EI
Whitney: and afierward. during the admihis'rato'n
~ Secretary Tracy. tn. plans having pcea again
brought in question. were supiniltdu TO o,,r
and so me construction of the snip proceeded AT
the Norfolk Navy Yard. until durlrs ih's admins
ration she was completed ana sent &c sea
DEFECTS IN THE SHIP REMEDiED
There have been several accidents to the snip
since she was commissioned. Different parts OF
her machinery have from time TO time developed
deracts ard Il at one time became apparent that
her bottom needed siihening. She was Sent 10 ~"
Navy Yard at Norfolk. and her bottom W. s I'm
encd ard her defects have. 1t Is b licNr" speHnn,
generally all been remcdicd. except mos" rri'lnS
10 her turre,s and the system of waterman CON
resscl as siowr by the finding of the court o. IN
qury given out herewith Tne i'I
given orders that these DEFICIENCIES be c2mp'',yn
Ts,ncd'.d which can and VIII h. done In a ie"
wseks at the New-York Navy Yard. ana at com
paratiyey small cost ,-., O., al ,,,.
ships 0hen first competed could bs tuin'u over 80
inc Government by contractors ana -! nav aa,".
H. absolutely perfect condition. bur TINS naS n"N,i
A modern war Jesse Is an agereS"toh o. co'"p',,
cAt,d mAchincs and 10 eNpcs. ehprc.s .hp ~ ,s
at It's best until has been shaken down by cruise
If mon, hs and tried thoroughly IN All us paris 80
|, i believed that We have made fewer thah any
Naon and certainly less costly mistakes man ms
othe,. in the building OF a modern navy ~. ,i w,
we're TWO II our ships. the Gasoline and the ManhiiS
that had 20 be cut in TWO ana eng .h.i''m 10,
we're three others. the Detroit the MONTGOMERY ana
me Marblchead in which it was found essential 10
been found necessary IN the Texas ana ie. .r |
ship probably b.cause the question OF het AVA, ini
from the very inception OF the ship has been SUD
iect 10 an unusual amount OF harsh criticism. al,
I, j. sometimes stated that there are naval onlcrr
MO are s.ral'hly ana .urcp.itousiy aiding through
the press have the public condemn Nssr. %, ~
r,nii.d states Navy II this true here woud n'
no condemnation too strong ana no pun''h"'"' 700
severe for such cohdi'c'. , - . 80. 81. ,ho xo,.h
bottom was siirened At the N9Tfek Nay LAX, Xxx.
officers Of The Navy who has ben IN 'omni"nn o.
her tccares that she i the sunesi mn.i rt,e.
CAPTAIN Roblcy ID. Evans commanding me inIl.h'.
ho'ds IN. same opinion Ne s,ys maj wh,n lR' nee,
hurricane In the worst he had ever encountered
ne Texas showed thar she was the mos sra"2f,hy
Texa. ami jus bchrd the Mainc. which Is the IVA
shp o, the Tsn ss . 6s'1f h e' ori "o The
rexas rolled only Nv degrees. While both the Main
Evans says the Texas all the time vas PEREZ gun
platform and he va, n IA, p.,.,ion l.. Jug, , o.
;he rsstvs merits 9' '9 ne e NnsYerk lS raana
the Columbia. TIC Paieirh. the TeSaf, IN" M9n,rom.
erv and the Maine. representing all the enereni
the United States. and Captain Evans says maj INC
to them all Admiral Bunce corroboraics this state
meni
4 LETTER FROM CHARLES n. CHAMP
This controyersv about the Texas has brought
out naturally from among tho naval officers who
are acquainted with the ship some very stout dc
tenders among others Admiral Brown. commandant
at the Norfolk Navy Yard. who knows more about
her than any one else. except her captain. some
statements by Admiral Brown. which. II appears
from an interview with him were misund' rstood
by reporters have called forth the fol owing letter
from Charles H. Cramp. by whose permission !
give IL 10 the pubic:
Philadelphia. December S. 1896
To the Honorable tho secretary al the Navy
Washington -. g. 49,
Dear Sir: The New-York and Washington papers
have recently printed some cAtfdo1Iinaiy statr,
ments concernins the Texas attributed to Admiral
i hroTn we're Tat sna af and
from day to day. without disc aiinefT rom me
evidence 10 the effect that II the Admiral was not
responsible for them his failure TO disayow them
stance of these statements is that the troubles OF
the Texas not due 10 any defect IN IN. snip,
discredit and defarne her because she built In
a navy yard While the rank absurdi,y OF sdch
It's own refutation yet the high rank OF Its legged
and thus far not disputed source compels attention,
"consplrins" to defame the Texas i have always
deiea, d ner TO an .xtent that has made me oh
bitterly opposed to the adoption o. Mr. Johns
scheme When the pans were under consideration ,I
vited the Judgment OF others including myself and
| examined the drawings and specifications care
symmetrical and practicable: They might not be
absO utely the best possible but they were by odds
the best submitted In that competition The scant-
,ings light. but their lightnesa was symmet,
real and az a whole her hull construction involved
the beet mechanical distribution OF minimum weight
that had ever seen. The practice abroad 1T that
time was to reduce scantlil.gs to the lowest limit
o, weight The steel era was new, and many
designers thought that because steel had more
tensile strength than Iron thickness could be pro-
~ A business man is not the
K Il Azz..=zs-=, most patient creature in the
&|S3 ID xZYA world. He cannot stop work
.~& -ETJ m every minute TO bother with
II wv an irritating skin disease or
I,,cl. ;,,u that; ,,c;c