The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-13
FIGHTING SHIPS OUR NEED.
soMETHINa MORE THAN COAST DE-
FENCES, SAYS ROosEVELE


onensive-That IL the Best Preparation for
Peace-A Symmetrical Navy the Policy New
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt
made a characteristic speech last evening at
the dinner OF the Society Of Naval Architects
and Marine Engineers at Delmonico's. 1t was
q plea for such q fighting navy as would afford
the best assurance Of peace with the rest of the
world and n warning against tho idea that q
perfect system Of coast defences would assure
10 this country victory in case Of war. He said
In part:
II am glad to say for the Secretary and with
his approval that the policy of upbuilding the
navy will go on in the future as 1t has in the
past, II he gets the means to carry on tho work.
As all of you know. the work Of building the
navy has gone on not very symmetrically. We
found out last year that We were further ad.
vanced with battleships than We were with
dry docks and that wo needed to build up tho
personnel. We needed more officers and men,
more dry docks, ana next in Importance to those
two we needed a large supply Of smokeless
powder and projectiles. Tho increase Of tacti.
cal efficiency that comes from the use Of smoke
less powder cannot he underestimate and the
Secretary feels that he must bring up to the
level Of the ships the docks, tho men, the pow
der and munitions of war, thus making the
navy a symmetrical whole.
II was pleased the other day to sec that the
Chamber of Commerce had awakened to the
military needs of New York. But they have
awakened only to half. We need Notifications
and tho best heavy guns and skilled ~artiller-
lists, but In themselves they are not half enough
for any adequate defence. What we need in
addition to them is the upbuilding and main
tenance Of a fighting navy, not one Of. COM
merce destroyers. whose first duty Is is to run
and whose heaviest guns'are carried aft. War.
ships to fight with, battleships. and torpedo
boats arc what we need for defence. In the
prize ring no fighter ever won a battle by parry
ing and lodging blows and never hitting, and
in like manner no nation ever won a war sim
ply by repelling. Let tho coast bristle with for
tifcations, they will not check for one minute q
nation at war with us. but having a formidable
fighting navy a nation will think twice before
attacking us. Therefore the navy Is primarily
for peace. Once we were plunged into war and
two or three times were threatened with war be-
cause 6 ,ls, we e had mo navy "a x. e nav never did we have
"if any man be base enough to wish that we
keep peace on conditions SO ontemptible that
understand that that Is not the way to keep
peace. Peace comes not to the coward or to
is too strong to allow others to wrong hila-
With only the coast protected we, give the
s sasE. b nS' %its s sn0 sdeS OF st1e ns anS T Rlfis is i9 2l os:
sible for the hostile power to choose the time.
place, and condition or ATTACK.
yet another thing. AS our modern life
goes. on: ever accelera,ing in Rapidly, and the
nations are drawn closer together for good and
with friends and rivals, it is impossible to ad-
here to the policy OF isolation: We cannot
heads. hoping to escape them or ishhirk them, or
e sn cssaos s sRs% n as ! nssIo =. sss 1sssPs fha ai on
tho east and west we look across the waters at
Europe. and Asia, and while sincerely and
| earnestly whaling for no Clnse of war. we would
be sI guilty 96r q 9, the greatest ate sr folly In In Ss being pre- e;
Pp ssea sSf nj. and md =. In h this s country y means ne q @ 3 PRIME az
test of hose who go down e s, the sea in ships.
and on the skill Of the men who handle II.
. r ~In a addI,o MEG you S,1 ! want van co to sdarf Is that thai
Infaencsd By the timid and shoTt;sishtsd.
men to whom whether the stocks 60 two points
up or down is moro important than the honor
that the men Who are readiest to preach war
arc not the readiest to work for the prepared
ness therefor. and that those who 4 are = tn the readi,
vote q dollar for the repair of o ship, much less
the building of one.
spirited and shorttsighted. II tney felt That
they were insulted they would plunge forth
flat Which viii Keep other nations from plung.
ing into war with us and which will be at the
same time a SOLDERING thought to the people.
Therefore 1 wish to Impress upon you and upon
them that the maintenance Of the navy is the
The sSqSjsSs e "XXrq;y;}y ,m YARD h1 E1psDss Sc BY
" as the most important topic, in many respects,
that was discussed at the closing session OF the
American Society Of Naval Architects and
Of the Society OF Mechanical Engineers on West
Thirty-frst street yesterday:
Comparisons were made with the cost OF war
ships constructed in the navy yards Of Great
Britain. The argument of Constructor Baxter
went to show that the expense OF navy yard con.
struction could DO reduced. and that their work
could be performed more rapidly and efficiently
conform to those that prevail In private ship
yards.
subject was Naval Constructor Bowles, who
said that It was good business policy 70 build
warsnip1 IN navy yards, and mat With the same
G ions he wss e s1a ! Is s' the work so RRt eoaId fSsF4 Sone
chopper and fully as well as at any other ship
Chief Constructor Philip Hichborn, U. $. N.
snbmitied g psper. which was Largely TABULAR
Experiences in Commission Of Our New Battle.
ships. which was read by Assistant Naval Con
sIrsrsSlE I q the four o, b Si llS%t iowa. s.4 Indiana ea.
Massachusetts, and Oregon. as regards their
compliance with contr"ct requirements and
Michbofn said that all have given SUBTRACTION
in service. and tho experience gained by their
nard, u. $. n. also spoke on this subject.
- pultT TcltblNb W J''CuIlhtN biocIinB gear
of the United States monitor Terror, prepared
by Ii. A. Spiller. was read by Naval CONSTRUCTOR
Bowles. The details OF the construction OF the
gear were presented concisely with some inter.
esting data from the board of officers who tested
the apparatus and who reported that II operates
certainly, quickly and accurately, is free from
accidents and possesses the valuable qunlity OF
providing an elastic air lock for tho tillcr al
every point to which 1t Is moved. The ruddeI
was moved a distance of 80 degrees. or from
hard over to hard over, in four seconds, and tho
rudAer could have travelled faster but for the
limit OF the mans speed in turning the hand
wheel that controls the valve In the tiller room
Tho principal objections raised against any,
, thing but a direct steering gear came from OK
perts on harbor boats, who maintained that Il
, was necessary for the helmsnan of any harbol
or river vessel to know exactly the position o
, the rudder, which could not be determined Will
the complicated mechanism of hydraulic o.
pneumatic gears.
ELI GAGE BACK IN CHICAGO.
( Ne Denies Again That lie was H~0rsewhiRps
IN the YuLon Region.