The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-27
smokcIess Powder Now in Use ny the
United states Navy Equal to the
Best Made I'm the World.
INCREASE in IMMIGRATION
COMMISSIONER POwDERLY's RE-
PORT FOR YEAR ENDING JUNE 30.
Total Number Of Foreigners Arriving
at Our Ports Was 3I1,7I5, Being ST.
A16 More than i'm Precedfng Year

WAShlNOlON,
partment has made public the report OK
Rear Admiral Charles 0'Neill. chief OF ord
nance 1t shows a satisfactory condition OK
affairs in the ordnance branch of the serv-
ice in all departments. save that OF armor.
Admiral O'Neill goes at some length into the
history of the present difficulty I'm obtaining
armor suitable for the new battlesh'ps ana
cruisers. Congress last year limited the
price of armor to s40O per ton. AT this price
no acceptable bids were received. but pro-
posals were recently invited for armor Tor
the three new battleships. Nos. 10. II and IL
of the Maine class. the four harbor defense
monitors Nos. Z, s, 9 and 10, of the Arkansas
class, and the three battleships. Nos. 13, IA
and Is. and three armored cruisers.
The total amount of arnor necessary for
the seven vessels authorized by act OF Con-
gress approved May 4. 1s9s was A.ooo tons.
Only one firm put in bid and that at $50
per ton. II was ascertained on inquiry that
these bidders had no manufacturing plant
whatever and the bid was not considered
The difficulty in quality and price OF armor
arose in the desire of the department to
secure plates of what is generally known as
the Krupp process. which is deemed much
more satisfactory than the face-hardened
armor heretofore in use in American war
ships The contractors claimed that IL was
impossible to supply this armor for sioo per
ton and the department. in order 10 avoid
a delay in the completion OF certain vessels
already contracted for. was obliged TO con-
tract in August and September of this year
for a comparatively small amount of armor,
aggregating 226s tons. for the vessels of the
Maine class and for the four harbor defense
monitors. There remain still to be con-
A. sl~r
battleships Of the Maine class. for the three
battleships authorized by the act OF March
g. 1899, and for the three irst-class cruisers.
In order not TO delay the completion OF the
vessels Of the Maine class beyond contract
date. Admiral O'Neill says that IL viii be
necessary to make contracts for the remain
ing armor by January. 1900. He deplores the
suggestion that the ordinary face-hardened
armor should be used in the new vessels and
urges that the matter should be laid before
Congress as soon as II assemblies and that Il
be urgently requested to make such provi-
sion in the early days of the session by joint
resolution or otherwise as will enable the
Navy Department to make contracts not
later than January, 1900 for the best quality
Of armor that can be obtained. TIE same
should also be done. he says. for the six
armored vessels authorized by the act OF
March 3. 1889.
MUST BE SETTLED SOON.
The question Of a government armor fac
tory. he says. should have no bearing IN
the supply OF armor for the Maine, Ohio
and Missouri. as 1t would be impracticable
to obtain armor from such source in time
TO complete these vessels. He says, in con-
clusion, that II is quite evident that the
building Of armored ships OF war must be
soon discontinued by this government un-
less the vexed question of the supply and
cost of armor can be disposed of.
Admiral O'Neill notes that "A new type OF
gun has been completed for the navy this
year and will be ready to test soon. 1t r. a
fourteen-pound, three-inch, rapid-fire rife.
intended as a part CT the armament Of the
new ''destroyers," and probably will form
an important part OF the secondary battery
OF future battleships and large cruisers. II
is particularly powerful gun OF its size
and is calculated to have a penetrating
power of over an inch and half Of har-
veyized steel at three thousand yards.
Complete batteries main and secondary.
together with ammunition and ordnance
outfits have been already shipped to Hong
Kong for the former Spanish vessels. Isla
de Luzon. Isla de Cuba and Don Juan de
Austria.
There is an interesting paragraph devoted
to automatic and machine guns. a new tyre
fully automatic three-pounder gun has been
tried with promising results. IL has a pos
sible fire OF seventy shots per minute. COM
pared with forty shots per minute for the
semi-automatic guns of the same type.
Mention is made OF the report OF the joint
small arms board of the army, navy and
marine corps which considered the adopt
ing of a uniform caliber rifle for the three
branches OF the service. Admiral O'Neill
says that while there Is no fault 10 be
found with their decision 20 adopt the army
caliber (3O. together with the canular
cartridge OF the navy, owing 10 the time
that would be consumed In the experiments
with the new cartridge his bureau has de-
cided to adopt the army rife outright in the
purchase of the additional guns now needed
The report says the smokeless pow
der now in use in the navy is equal 10 the
smokeess powder now in use by any other
country. Work at the proving grounds at
Indian head. the Potomac. has advanced
satisfactorily and the same is true OF the
work at the torpedo station. the Washing
ton gun factory and at the various navy
yards and stations in control Of the bureau.
The estimates for the ensuing year are So
D3,l
MIR. POWDERLY'S REPORT.