The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-12-17
Considered uern splcnuid vessel.


alton Secretary Whitney independently
of the board invited the Judgment OF
others, including myself, ana | cXamin-
ed the drawings ana specifications care
fully. My verdict was that the plans
were good. symmetrical and practical bile.
They might not be absolutely The best
possible but they were by odds the
best submitted In that competition.
The scantlings were light, but their
iiChtness was synme ,rlcal. ana as II
whole her hull construction involved the
best mechanical distribution of mini
mum weight that had ever seen. The
practice abroad at that time was to re-
ducc scantlings to the lowest limit of
weight. The steel era was new ana
many designers thought that bccalsc
steel had more strength than IRON thick
ness could he proportionatcly reduced
ana equivalent rigidlty and strength
lstili maintained. This led TO eXtraordin-
AIRY demands of armor ana armament on
small displacements. and the Texas and
othcr sh Us designed ut that time
reached the climax OF this tendency
which had been approved and adoptcd
by our naval authorities i'm certain ships
of that date.
Such was my opinion of the plans
OF the Texas then and | have never seen
any reason To alter it.
| te Has Never Trnduccd the Vessel.
Returning now to the alleged 'conspir-
acy against navy yards I state ON
phaticallv that have never handled
IN" subject oi naNy-yard methods ex-
cept in public hearings before commit
tees. and once In the Washington Post
making no secret OF my responsibility
Tor tIc publication
| IN This did not attack the quality of
| work done in navy-yards, but producrd
a report which had been made by the
Navy Department for the House Com
! m.ttec on Appropriations showing that
on the basis OF my bids To buhl the Ra-
| leigh and Cinc!nnati.l would hav, built
three such ships for whn. those two cost
III the navy-yards. and did this 10 meet
and overthrow combination--T will not
say consp:racy'- between New York
! Norfolk ana Mare Island Nuvy-yards
| against the contract system
| AT the same time | admitted this high
| cost was due To the necessary red tape
ana military methods inscparable from
any and all attempts of the Government
TO operate as Il manufactures.
Apart from and beyond the foregoing
| consideration, ! have always ana most
strenuously deprecated public criticisms
ana discussion of such matters. for the
reason that they are used abroad to ham
diea -our--industresAi competition for
| foreign work.
| For example, LII Hung Chang asked
| me. why do the South American Re-
publics 30 to England for their ships?"
| und ! learned that lie was prompted to
|
| in consequence Of the fact that both the
| British and German Ministers to China
| mad called attention To the matter, ana
| had told the Chinese authorities that 1t
was because good ships could not be
| built here.
| Criticism sturtful.
The armor plate investigation. the al
| legations of defective stability anI many
other published criticisms on n,Ir shins
br dad Inv
Germans in Japan. China and ';uss.a.
and their substance translated ana
printed in newspapers there TO our pre-
judiC".
Far more serious faults prevail in
other naV!es. but they are ucvc. known
to the public, because /. is policy 10 pre-
vent ill-judged or mlsconccivcd critl-
cisms OF such affairs. rris policy Is
sound, because whatever may bc the
liultS or defects, they crrJainly cam,
be made good by printers ink. convic-
ton which am sure You share with
me.
In conclusion ] remark that while |
have long deprecated this tendency
without saying much about IT, I hay
been provoked TO this som what en-
phatic protest by the fac: that Admiral
brown, as quoted. seems - nave rcac ched
Tie climax of mistake ana mis,hicr
Very respectfully.
CHARLES II. CRAAIP,
Il cail particular attention TO what
Mr.. cFamp says about the plans of the
TeXai The very Ycma kablc qualities
as Seaaung vessel she has demon
st?atcd certainly v!ndicHte his iudg-
ment. do no. mean to assert hat the
Texas is a model ship. She was laid
down ten year; ago. Many improve
nents have been made since that time
IN iutrct and Whter-.ight buikhead
systems. and also in the distribution of
b tter!c:. What | do mean to say Is
that the Texas viii prove herself TO be
valuable naval We: sci.
0nitcrs tIusi Not TnIk.
"As 10 any controversy between Ad
miral brown ana the ship-ysrds, | have
directed him not TO talk for publ!ca lion
hereafter in relation to the Texas. and il
Is my earnes: dts!,e tina; all naval Off
GERS snail pursue a similar course
Il especially desire to call attention
- what Mr.. Cramp says in his letter
about the effect in foreign coun res
Of the Very frequent cr!tici ms upon
american ships by. potion Of the
American pres. / have direct infoy-
NATION from sources other than Mr..
Cramps le.;cT which hear; out his
statements. Both China and Japan a;c
building naVieS. our sh!pbuilders ma
turally desire The custom Of these two
countries ] am Credltably informed
that certain shipbuilcrs Of other coun-
tries who were competing lat spring
- -. =. T.. :