Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-12-17
BATTLESHIP TEXAS.
STATEMENT FROM SECRETARY
HERBERT REGARDING HER.
ONE OF THE FINEST OF WAR CRAFT.
This Opinion Established rs Result
of Recent Investigntiou-One OF the
Cromps on the Alleged Conspiracy
Against Her.
Against Her.

I j 49,
statement to-day TO demonstrate that the
battleship Texas. instead Of being IN
any degree failure. ranks with the
finest warshlps in the world. and Is not
surpassed by any American naval ves-
sci. The occasion for this announcement
is Secretary Herberts approval Of a
court-of-inquiry record, which found no
one responsible for the unfortunate
! laundering Of the vessel recently at the
New York nayy-yard. Secretary Her
/ bert's statement is as follows:
IN giving out the action Of the depart
ment on the findings Of the recent court OF
inquiry. as to the accident which re-
suited in the sinking of the Texas at the
navy-yard, New York, ! have concluded
| to depart from my usual custom, and
make a general statement about this
ship.
cot course. the public knows that the
accident. about which this court Of in
quiry was held. could not have occurred
at sea; that II happened because a part
| CT an injection-pipe had been taken Gut
/ for repairs. aud that the ship Was
promptly raised. without having suffered
any material damage.
80 many criticisms OF this vessel have
been made that the public. or part Of
It, at least. may be disposed to regard
| Der as valueless.
"The Texas was laid down by Mr.
| Whitney. a board OF eminent naval Of
| icers awarded TO a prominent English
designer. Mr.. John. the prize that had
| been offered by the department for the
best plans OF a battleship OF given d.
mansions. At that time and for some
years afterwards, the Navy Department
through the bureaus Of Construction and
| Repair. and Of Steam Engineering. was
expending considerable money annually
I'm the procurement OF drawings. plans.
etc. from abroad; we were availlng our
selves Of the experience Of foreign ma
tions
considerable objection was made by
some Of the officers Of the department 10
the building Of a ship on the plans Of the
Texas, and the question was before more
| than one board during the admlnistra-
ton OF Secretary Whitney: and. after
wards. during the administration of Sec
rotary Tracy. the plans having been
! again brought IN question, were sub
mitted 10 other boards, and were again
and again approved. and so the con-
struction Of the ship proceeded at the
Norfolk navy-yard, until during this
| administration, she was completed and
sent to sea.
THE ACCIDENTS.
There have been several accidents 10
the ship since she was commissioned
! Different parts OK her machinery have.
| from time 10 time, develoneI defects.
! as.d IL az one time became apparent that
| her bottom needed stimening She was
sent TO the navy-yard al Norfolk and her
! bottom was stnened. and her defects
have. it IS believed. speaking generally.
/ all been remedicd. except those relating
/ 10 her turret and the system OF water
| light compartments. developed by the re-
cent flooding OF the vessel. as shown by
The finding Of the court of inquiry given
out herewith. The department has given
! orders that these deficiencies be com
| 1letely remedied. which can and viii be
/ lone IN few weeks at the New York
navy-yard. and 90 comparatively small
cost.
1T would. Of course be very desirable
| II all our ships when first completed could
/ De turned over TO the government by con-
tractors and by navy-yards In absolutely
perfect condition. but this has never
set been done either in our own or any
other navy. & modern war-vessel Is an
aggregation Of complicated machines, and
no expert expects a ship to be at its best
until IL has been shaken down by q
cruise Of months, and tried thoroughly In
~ its parts.
1T is believed that we have made
fewer mistakes than any other nation
md certainly less costly mistakes than
most others. IN the building Of modern
ldyy; yet there were two of our ships
The Castine and the Machias-that had 20
be cut in two and heightened There
were three others-the Detroit. Mont
gomery. and Marblehead-in which IL was
found essential TO make far more fun
iamental changes than have ever been
found necessary in the Texas. and yet the
after ship. probably because the question
Il her availability as a naval war vessel
was mooted in the navy from the very
inception OF the ship has been subject 10
am unusual amount Of harsh criticism
STABS ~ THE DARK.
1T is sometimes stated that there are
naval officers who are stealthily and sur
reptitiously attempting through the press
TO have the public condemn a vessel of the
United States navy II this were true
there would be no condemnation toe
strong and no punishment too severe FOR
such conduct
"The Texas has been cruising as
part Of the North Atlantic squadron for
the past four months. since her bottom
was stiifened az the Norfolk navy yard.
Captain Glass. one of the most efficient
and reliable officers OF the navy, who has
been in command OF her. declares that
she IS the stlffest, most easily managed,
and most entirely seaworthy ship in the
service Captain Robley d. Evans, COM
handing the Indiana, holds the same
opinion. lie says that. when the fleet, on
the l2th OF October. was on It's way TO
New York, In a hurricane, in the most
severe sea ne had ever encountered, the
Texas showed that she was the most sea-
worthy ship Of the feet The Indiana
was Just ahead OF the Texas and just be-
hind the Maine, which is the rival ship
Of the Texas, having been built upon the
plans OF the latter altered IN the depart
ment. The Texas rolled only five degrees.
while both the Maine and the Indiana
were rolling very much more.
Captain Evans says the Texas. all the
time. was d perfect gun-platform, and
be was in fair position TO judge OF the
relative merits OF the different ships.
I'm the fleet were. az that time. the
New York. Indiana, Columbia, Raleigh.
Texas. Montgomery. and Maine. repre-
sentlng all the different classes or ships,
above gunboats. now IN the navy or the
United States. and Captain Evans says
that tine Texas, in her seaworthy quail
ties was far superior 10 them all. Ad-
miral Bunce cOrroborates this statement
This controversy about the Texas has
brought out, naturally, from among the
naval officers who are acquainted with
the ship. some very stout defenders,
among them Admiral Brown. command
ant at the Norfolk maynard who knows
more about ner than any one else, ex-
cent her captain. Some statements uy
Admiral Brown which. IL appears from
an interview with him. were misunder-
stood by reporters. has called forth the
following letter from Mr. Charles H.
Cramp. by whose permission l give 1t to