New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-30
NAVY AND ARMY NEWS.
Washington, November 70.

Washington,
GOVERNMENT ARMOR PLANT OUT OF /
THE QUESTION.-The Armor Plant Board AFTER
aboring several months and visiting various parts
Of the country ends its existence Tomorrow a'e'
reaching conclusions which VIII enectuaiy ue'.
the Government from establishing plant VI man
ing any earnest effort to enter INTO co"Pe't
with the private corporations which no" co"''o
the product. In this result the immense amou"' -
work undertaken and accomplished by Tue "e"
bers Of the Board will not have been in VAIN io'
the report will utterly disabuse the minds OF oof-
gressmen ard others that plant couid DE s'd'teu
by the Navy for less than sl,50o0o and render UNI
necessary a vast iow OF debate on the feasioiity
of the project. In drawing It's specifications anu
plans for armor plant, the Board consideteo
only practicable, fu-sized plants. paying no atteh-
ton TO suggested establishments for doing part q
the required work on small and unecononicai
plans u decided at the outset that eighteen
inch Harveyized nickel armor was essential for nava
purposes and that plates measuring ten by twenty
four feet would be frequently required 50 all parts
OF the plant and it's machines were made large
enough 10 handle plates Of such dimensions weigh
ing about seyenty;fve tons each Though i enn
should be made for plates large as twenty by
thirty feet The plant proposed by the Beard a,rgr
tie. Viii cost over s5oao but this would only be
the begnnns Of government eSpsndtgre Ss
should ia furnaces be allowed TO cool down. ana
Would I'D ar to six thousand tons year which
ia enormously in excess Of the requirements II re-
cent oar IN maya 10 Be- oowed The Board
not attempted to advise where the plant ougnt 10
and SS Sher pa c have resulted n booms for
localities The estimates are based on the u rs
cries OF material at such a convenient point iTia
tive to the various navy yards as Washington En-
Washington is not favored SecretarE ne i Kan, in
accordance with the Boards plans; and VIII lay me
Gnkey ;ot that he viii make any extended comme mt
on the futilty OF the scheme the wotn oi '"7
Board having clearly demonstrated 'ha' '"'"
SATISFACTORY ARMOR TEsTs-A plate OF
srmor representing lot Of Ave hundred tons TOR
the eight-lnch turrets Of the batue-shps hearsase
and Kentucky tested at the lnolah He"'
Proving Ground to-day. For testing purposes TWO
eight-nch shells. one Carpenter pro)ecuie anu
the other q Wheeler Sterling. were fred at the
Mate one AT a high and the other at low velocity
Neither penetrated nor cracked the plate put par
tally welded themselves into H. Inc tsst ,,raa Tho
eeccentance OF the armor The delivery OF me nve
hundred tons VIII wind up ne rneqis Sompanv for
the supply Of for naval vessels anu dinp
EXPECTED th at a bS wh SIe srmor Con
gress After the test the ordnance "a known
s't' dapped she'll and fired to show The pen Se
trailing power OF proectiles OF ths erad az nigh
results we're satisfactory. the smell lieo at ''e
velocity soing entirely through the plate
Dor.prr RUDpERs TO BE REMoVED-The
eynerin,cnt Of double rndders on "a'''"P' ,.
rroduced such altogether unsatisfactory resui'H
,ba, those now in use will be taken or al onoe
and no more will be tried Two rudders one tI To-
ward OF the other. were put on me sILodtSS anght
Wa' 10 Wiinington the remarkably light dtausn.
of hose vessels giving ite room ioI er. aso
good.sized rudder and these vessels weae ia
designed for rnenpuvring IN narrow i've ncrse ga
,be ,vin steering expedlent was adoptei 10 NV .raIs
their obedience 10 the helm on tnGr ~, ia az ri
se St wh~n they dropped four or i've knots
rbi~b Is deemed good river rate. the men a, me
wheel lost all control oi hein anu I'M In SUBSEQUENT
,r,,i. he forward ruader was fastened stralsht
a.crn and Immediately II was founa ma rite on e
behaved admirably ordfp asra "a in dock to take
on tn forward ruddcr and MI IN the NOE ~ UoIn
pied and the Wilmington. when was on t he Nor
rri,LS Wa in a day or two for the same altera-
lions which will delay her at least '"e'Ee ua'''
HEARING OK FIREPRooF WooD-As'i'tan'
Secretary Roosevelt to-day heard arguments oy eN-
c.o,o,,ry Herbert and Mr McoG and from the
members OF the Board OF construction oil the .na,;
Department respecting the merits o. ine 49,
nreproonng wood as now 9avors the dsuse Of
,hn r,,r,Ice hut tho Chief OF the Consruction BY
reau has presented strong ind9r,smenss i =,
prS N,cou supplemented these by arguments IN
It's favor.
Tho Secretary OF the Navy has with some hes-
fancy" "a he says approved the report or the
court ~ inquiry In the case OF Lieutenant Dough,
eytv the commander OF the tug Nina, when wen.
aground with her tow the schooner D,ion' on Es
hat the of'icer should have made the attemp, 70
,aRe .oundings from the Nina. and should n ma
arranged for distress signals. put recommends '"'
| no further proceedings ne mao
| SURGEON WHITE DETACHED-Passed As
| s,.,,r, surgeon 4 s. White Is detached from the