Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-09-08

than the torpedo boat or the armOr0C
battle ship?
Mr.. Simpson. I think perhaps the
gentleman is right; and it shows the
superiority and the wisdom of the Jap
anese in selecting the swift armared
cruisers aud torpedo boats instead oil
spending enormous sums of money in
the construction of unwieldy battle
ships. Japan has no battle ships with
armor to exceed nine inches. That we
would call light armored vessel. But
you propose here in this bill to con-
Istruct big line-of-batt ships with
these enormously thick steel armor
piates.
Besides that. Mr.. Chairman, such
vessels are not seagoing vessels. They
are not intended for such purposes, and
are fit only for coast defense. Few ma.
-tions avail themselves of the battle
/ ships 10 send to foreign ports. Great
Britain is the only exception of any oil
the maritime nations that sends any
number of her 81 heavy battle ships to
foreign ports. They are used mainly
for coast defense.
Mr.. Money. If the gentleman will
pardon an interruption, 1 did not catch
his statement accurately. Did 1 under
stand the gentleman to say that the
armored battle ships we're not seagoing
vessels?
Mr.. Simpson. Not considered as
such
Mr.. Money. Not considered by
whom?
Mr.. Simpson tcontinuingl. Because
the heavy armor pia es make them TOP
heavy in addition to the immense arm.
anent they carry; and what l have just
stated with reference to the use of these
battle ships is true of every nation ex-
ceps Great Britain, who sends few OF
them to foreign ports.
l.. Mr.. Sayers. The gentleman is speak
ing now of the heaviest class of battle
ships: 9 n1i-1
Mr.. Simpson. Yes, sir the heaviest
armored ships2
| Now, the only reason why we want
tbese ships is to DE enabled to use then
for coast defense. Let US see how prac
tical that is. This class of ships, of the
displacement mentioned in the bill, is
in the neighborhood of 10000 tons; and
they will draw probably not less thar
20 feet. How many ports in the Unitee
States can vessels enter with such g
heavy draft, and be utilized as a means
of coast defense? / venture to say thai
| there is not a half dozen ports in the
United States in which they can safely
enter; and SO, as means of coast de
/ tense, they will be useless. For the
protection of our long line of coast AND
| the numerous small bays and harbors
sells, quick, active, speedy, and which
can defend the coast by being able TT
enter the smaller ports, or those hav-
ing less depth of water, with facility
| So, l repeat, as a means of coast defense
vessels OF this class, light-draft vessels
and swift cruisers are invaluable.
! But, sir, there is another phase o.
this question to be considered; that is
whether the battle ship when built will
not be useless on account of the rapid
development and discovery in the shape
of inventions increasing the already
powerful ordnance we have already in
this country. We go TO work now and
construct battle ship at an immense
cost, sheathe it with enormous steel
plates, and then at once produce a CUR
that will shoot a ball right through
] her. We have today ordnance tina
will shoot through the most powerful
ironcfad that has been built.
cut from the daily press the Other
day paragraph which throws light or
the subject. It says:
/ The Golden Gate is to be protected by thre,
of the biggest guns IN use in the United States
They viii be pointed seaward from vantag
positions on either side of the gate and the,
are calculated to furnish complete defens'
against any craft that might escape the she'll
which the new mortar batteries will send ou
to sea for the distance of six miles, These gun
are as long seven average-sized guns, ant
two men might easily crawl into the bore o
| one of the wonders
/ Mr.. Loud. When is that to BE-?