The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-30
LundborgS
WO-WOLET
Perfume or Sachet.
a very pretty remembrance
For Easter.
TWo-sTORF
Shall They he Used on the New Battles
shlps t-Leaaons Tnnght by tho Indiana.

wA%sHINGToE. March 20.-Now that four
new battle ships, II not five or six. are prac-
tically sure to he authorized by Congress. the
question comes up whether they shall have
their s-inch turrcts superposed on tho l3.inch,
like the kenrsargc ami the Kentucky, or sepa-
rate. like the Indiana class and the Iowa.
In order TO determine this question Secre-
tary Herbert has appointed q Board consist-
ing Of Admiral Walker, Commodore Phyth
Ian. Capt. Cooper, Chief Engineer Farmer,
and Naval Constructor Woodward, the last.
named officer being now on duty at the New.
port News yard. where the Kentucky and her
mate are to be built. The Indiana. after her
docking at Port Royal. will be put at the ser
vice of the Board.
The immediate origin Of this move may
doubtless he traced to a Senate resolution di.
recting an inquiry Into tho merits of the SUI
pcrpused turrct. In addition, although the
subject was thoroughly studied last year, H.
is desirable TO go over IL again. on account OF It's
novelty and of the number of new slips 20 be
constructed. Besides, while tho question Of
calibre, which was also thoroughly fought
out iast year, has doubtless been definitely
settled in favor of lS-inCh guns instead OF H.
inch. yet IL superposcd turretS are used there
will probably lie but four s-inch guns, as in
the Kentucky. with II great number of smaller
calibres, instead OF eight S.inch gun. and fewer
smaller ones. rs In the Indiana and Iowa.
The Indiana will be at the new Board dis.
posal. II desired. for firing experiments. but 1t
IL also said that experiments viii lake place at
lndian Head. In etch l3-inch turrct there are
three sighting hoods. one in front and one on
each side. The question Is what the effect would
be on men loo Sing out Of these hoods of the
blast of an eight inch gun above. as In the SUI
perpoJed turre:s. To test this an eight.inch
gun will be mounted with plating under II re
scmbling the sighting hood of the thirteen inch
turret. ana a man at,oned at the hood.
When the Board of Inspection and Survey
examined the indiana, Commander Bradford
CT, Schroeder at an auxiliary sighting hood;
all peepholes remaining open. and the forward
thirtSen'inch ,s guns ms. being 9rs en-. t nf med o,s ahireG ncS
guns was trained 30 degrees forward OF the
beam. and at snc,eedins fires 80 %, 10,
degrees short OF the maximum. or directly
ahead. As to the first fire, the following was
the official report:
singing blow on the urp.,r part Of the faccnnd eyes.
by n violent thrush OF air through the sighting hole,
which the observer was facing 1t was the observ.
s sars o Ea u sn tna' ssvS %,,nd fires m "a, t9a1 t ,n,5rI m'E S1t
that firing at II slightly greater train would render
not worth while to ruin tho risk OF any injury, and
the observer In this mood was accordingly with
drawn.
AS 10 the central hood. at the second fire, the
Observers eye was ut the telescope when tho
train Of the s-inch gun was 80 degrees forward
of the beam:
He felt IA blast of air on the left side OF his face
and the back OF his. neck. The sensation In tho
thrown into them. In tn" third shot, with a train
OF sIxty.nve degrees forward OF the beam, the same
interrered slightly with the sighting OF the l8-inch
guns. In the fourth round, win a train Of se'enty
severe and closed the c~yepiece Of the telescope. No
ssl.ay mSS in the eyes and M face was more s"vere
than before. In the NTH fire the gun was trained
more severe than before, and more from the front.
The observer was OF the opinion that a person could
shock, especially such delicate work as sighting and
firing a gun, but he doubted that any material Ihysi;
In the coming tower, with all p~eeplrolcs open,
port peepholcs, becoming more severe as tn" gun
fns o 1TaiHsa Of l" fSe a ohser rhGF' a T Tsss n% iS"s Ne out om, m
the ~pecphOies toward the S.inch gun. his eyes close
nearest s-inch gun was fired at a train OF more
than seventy degrees forward of the beam. The
observer in It's centre. not looking toward the gun,
while the nearest s-inch gun was being fred right
Roth starboard s-inch guns, one a, a time. were
fred at a level over the central sishtlns hood OF the
the scuttlc was lifted ard fame entered the ,urret.
hood nearest the gun was shattered and fell n, In
the second fire the same results were obtained, An
disabled, II not fatally injured.
What. then. is the conclusion of the ord
nance AUTHORITIES 50 FAR AS the question OF
s she r. t9 0cfa guns uirsS Sre better .s cpn plsceG above " Il the .I "a.
inch in the Kearsarge than in the Indiana.
But the practical test has thus far been APP
piled only to the %latter's arrangement and not
TO the Kearsnigc's. so that IL Is desirable TO
supplement the former tests by the one pro-
A second question is as to how far the In.
diana's battery has been diminished in. its ex-
Closures Of the hiring tests, As to the i5-inch
guns IL appears that in the first round some
minor but no material damage was suffered;
on the starboard Side, the shock IN the super.
were Knocked about ~ tho blast, the men
were thrown Off their balance, and If men had
been stationed, at the after finch gun they
il not Killed. Some minor damage followed
the third round IL hatch bar being broken in
Various suggestions and recommendations
We're made 10y the INSPECTION Board. One was
not be efficiently occupied when the nearest II
inch gun was fired at II greater train than even
% degrees forward or ahaft the beam, as a sub,
close to tho central hood, 70 that the officer in
the latter could easily communicate with ii.
Should n large speaking tube he installed be-
auxiliary hood could be closed. Further rec
concentrations were that ,hose in the i3'inch
their ears aud mica goggles, for their eyeo 10
avoid any injury from the blast OF the s-inch
guns. and that these latter should be prevented
by stops from ever having a train forward or
at greater than so degrees. II also seems
llktlN tlhl utTfullVI, lbIl nv y lhNll lllINls
not be superposcd. they will he placed further
from the middle line of the ship.
One other conclusion Of the board Is note
worthy. II is that the positions uf the H-inch
guns are untenablo and dangerous when the
nearest 1.EinCh guns. are fired ut extreme
train" and therefore that the fore and aft fire
OF the former should be- sacrificed In that direc-
ton. With this and the placing OF heavier
battle matches on the main deck, as suggested
by one Of the minor injuries already adverted
"a, the l3-inch guns 'can he fired without in
jury Mt level and throughout their entire arcs
inf train " ThRFA ara only fnuf Hinph iFIlnQ
and the giving up OF their fore and aft fire, and
also Of the sector between 10 and 30 degrees
in the s-inch guns. will not greatly dctract
from the tremendous battery power OF the In
diana class,
IL may also turn out that. should the new
Walker Board conduct further experiments
with the lndiana's battery, still greater sat.
tsfaction will he found with II, AS u whole, but
% far as drawbacks go, they are considered
hv advocates OF. the twO-story turrets rs favor
Ing the latter plan.
HEDg CTrTv n y a AnyC nurn