The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-17
BIG SHIP TEXAS HARD TO BEAT.
THE VESSEL ONE OF THE FINEST
OF HER CLASS AFLOAT.

Her-During a Storm at Sea She
Proved the Steadiest ship in the
NRvy-AII the Defects Developed
in Her Since Her Launching EASILY
Remedied.
Washington, Dec. 16.--The navy depart
ment issued an official statement to-day
to demonstrate that the battleship Texas
instead of being in any degree failure,
ranks with the finest warship in the
world, and is not surpassed by any Amer
lean naval vessel. The occasion for this
announcement is Secretary Herberts ap-
proval of a court of inquiry record, which
found no one responsible for the unfor-
tunate foundering of the vessel recently at
the New York navy yard.
Secretary Herbert's statement is as fol-
lows: "In giving out the action of the
department on the findings of the recent
court Of inquiry, as to the accident,
which resulted in the sinking Of the Tex
as at the navy yard, New York, l have
concluded to depart from my usual GUS
tom and make a general statement about
this ship.
"Of course. the public knows that the
accident about which this court Of in
quiry was held could not have occurred
at sea; that it happened because part
of an injection pipe had been taken out
for repairs, and that the ship was prompt
ly raised without having suffered any ma
terial damage.
$50 many criticisms of this vessel have
been made that the public, or part or 1t,
of f1lav no diGnngpd fn regard her a
valueless.
"The Texas was laid down by Mr.. Whit
ney. A board of eminent naval officers
| awarded to a prominent English designer,
Mr.. John, the prize that had been offer
ed by the department for the best plans
of battleship of given dimensions. AZ
that time, and for some years afterwards,
the navy department, through the bu-
reaus of construction and repair and OF
steam engineering, was expending con-
siderable money annually in the procure-
ment of drawings, plans, etc, from
| abroad; we we're availing ourselves Of the
| experience of foreign nations
considerable objection was made by
some of the officers of the department to
| the building of a ship on the plans Of the
Texas and the question was before more
| than one board during the administration
| Of Secretary Whitney and, afterwards,
| during the administration OF secretary
Tracy, the plans having been again
brought in question, were submitted to
other boards and were again and again
approved, and so the construction OF the
| ship proceeded at the Norfolk navy yard
| until during this administration, she was
| completed and sent to sea.
ssThere have been several accidents TO
| the ship since she was commissioned. Dif-
| ferents parts of her machinery have. from
| time to time, developed defects, and it at
| one time became apparent that her bot
| tom needed stiffening. She was sent to
! the navy yard at Norfolk and her bot
| tom was stiffened and her defects have,
| 1t is believed, speaking generally, all Deon
| remedied, except those relating to her
| turret and the system Of Watertight COM
| partments, developed by the recent food
| ing of the vessel, as shown by the find
| ing Of the court of inquiry, given out
| herewith.
''The department has given orders that
| these deficiencies be completely remedied,
which can and will be done in few weeks
| at the New York navy yard, and at COM
paratively small cost.
"It would, of course, be very desirable
| if all our ships, when first completed,
| could be turned over to the government
| by contractors, and by navy yards in abb
| solutely perfect condition, but this has
| never yet been done, either in our own
| or any other navy.
| "a modern war vessel is an aggregation
|
| of complicated machines, and no expert
| expects a ship to be at its best until 1t
| has been shaken down by a cruise Of
months and tried thoroughly in all Its
parts.
"It Is believed that we have made few
| er than any nation and certainly less
| costly mistakes than most others In the
| building of a modern navy; yet there
were two of our ships, the Castlne and
| the Machias that had to be cut in two
| and heightened There were three others,
the Detroit the Montgomery, and the
! Marblehead in which It was found es-
sential to make far more fundamental
! changes than have ever been found neces-
| sary in the Texas and yet the latter ship.
| probably because the question of her
| availability as a naval war vessel was
mooted in the navy from the very M
| ception Of the ship has been subjected
| to an unusual amount of harsh criticism
at is some times stated that there
| are naval officers who are stealthily and
surreptitiously aiding through the press
| to have the public condemn a vessel of
the United States navy. If this were
true there would be no condemnatlons
too strong and no punishment too Sc
we're for such conduct.
1.-The Texas has been cruising as a part
| of the North Atlantic squadron for tho
past four months, since her bottom was
| stiffened at the Norfolk navy yard Capt.
| Glass. one of the most efficient and rsll-
| able officers of the navy, who has been
| in command of her, declares that she is
| the stiffest. most easily managed and en-
tirely seaworthy ship In the service. Capt.
Robey ID. Evans, commanding the 1ndi-
/ ana, holds the same opinion. He says
| that when the feet, on Oct. II, was on It's
| ways to New York, In a hurricane, In the
worst sea he had ever encountered, the
| Texas showed that she was the most sea-
worthy ship In the fleet. The Indiana
was just ahead OF the Texas, and Just be-
hind the Maine, which Is the rival ship or
the Texas. she having been built upon the
| plans of the latter, altered in the departs
'ment. Tie Texas rolled only FIVE degrees
while both the Maine and Indiana were
rolling very much more. Capt. Evans
says the Texas all the time was a perfect
| gun platform, and he was In a fair posi-
tion TO judge Of the relative merits of the
| different ships. In the feet were az that
| time, the New York. the Indiana, the Co
lumbia. the Raleigh. the Texas, the Mont
| gomery and the Maine, representing all
| the different classes Of ships, above gum
boats, now in the navy OF the United
States. and Capt Evans says that the
/ Texas, In her seawOrthy qualities, was far
superior 10 them an. Admiral Bunce cor B.
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