New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-27
THE ARMOR QUESTION.
tHEAR ADMIRAL O'NEIL POINTS OUT THE
GRAVITY OF THE PRESENT sITuA-
TION-PREsTIGE OF THE NEW
SHIPS THREATENED.

SHIPS hhEAi
Washington Oct IS (SpecaD.-The feature OF
Rear Admiral O'Neil's annual report as Chiel OF
The Naval Ordnance Bureau for the present year Is
b,s vigorous treatment Of the armor question,
which is acquiring gravity approaching the DAN
ger point. and unless Congress acts intelheenty
in the first few months Of the coming session the
results TO the Navy may be disastrous Inc 'h'ei
Of Ordnance says in part:
Bureau demanding serious consideration at
seis now under construction for which yet no
armor has been contracted for and FOR vessels au
which under existing laws cannot be contracted
FOR until the armor therefor has been contracted
This is a most unusual provision. and ATTENDED esa
with considerable difficulty and is ~ 70 n oe
cedure is for the shipbuilder 10 prepare me aroi
tions OF the plates and to classify them In groups
In the order of required delivery. and these tanes
until several months have elapsed after vessel
nish the desired informa ton II would OF Tou zen
be practicable 70 make an armor CONTRACT IN esn-
epred but it is not necessary to contract for the
armor until from SIX to ten months ai'e' '"e '
The tss aTmor Situation at present is as follows
The contracts for the Kearsarge and the kenrncKS
featured for the battleships Alabama, Illinois ana
Wisconsin There S remahh ms AI9hama isS tons for
The Illinois and ss4 tons for the Wisconsin, total
tons will probably be delivered during the next SIX
weeks The armOr contracts for these Nesse, . Ma.i
probably be completed by January L lS"' OF 'nsie'
abouts .n r,,s
,s o above wear a5a nine months after the vessels
had been contracted for and in consequence; .he
shinbuilders although the armor contractors are
ahead OF their contracts in deliveries The resuI,
be completed as soon would otherwise be the
case. -. ,or Tor these
vessels oe was Que 70 Congress had
limited the price which might be paid 10 $s9 PEI
which price BIDS coOlO De
When by subsequent action Cong!ess raiSer So az az
once made for srmor for these vessels on that
In the Bureaus last annual report was stated e,
under the head Of armor that there rs en1 HI, e
dHuni that sa Srm nor q h. and in the
early days Of December last few days aler ,ne
letter 10 the Department setting forth such n,
formation It possessed concerning me IN 5nR y ne
armor commonly referred TO as being mace Dy me
hrnpp he mice asked by the manufacturers That
nf OF ,Se Senate and House Naval committees
for aessoh sdhs4ad to the The
vessels authorized by act OF a.osbns Nos To- II
and ~ Of the Maine class and four haroor de,enee
monitors S S2sa ns nne Of cost 81 at $50 per ton
FOR the armored vessels authorized by acI o. ~
GIess ga @ and three first class cruisers
As the contracts for the hus and macninery rt 81
October 1895 and the Keel OF the frst one was OILY
laid on February Is. 1899 the matter OF thelr aroa
p1a n4. had ali the they could per
fern up 70 sS9 be bureau felt that It was is
to make every effort TO- suPPy ar that could be
procured IN order that the prestige ana hgh' i
Qualities Of hsse u5 ne foF the
ships Of the Maine class except small quant'Iy
70 es s.oo Ton for armor "of suitable quality
Tor Them neither the Bprea1 nor Jne that
&c the ordinary FACE hardened armor, OF suitap'e
quality for the new vessels.
Ill q
.bs NAVY Department last spring TO induce manu-
fac,urers to undertake contracts for the highest
class armor by grouping all the plates required io'
all vessels authorized. TO the aggregate OF more
than "a 900 tons for which under the Consressioai
limitation more than 100000 might be paid Ihis
,arge sun, was calculated TO put the armor makers
on their mettle. especially their works were AT
the time engaged In turning out similar improVeo
plate for foreign vessels under constructor ]" inc
United States. u,r
called for. the large sum of money involved anu ar
the long period which the DELIVERIES ilEnu nd
ssnd only one bid was received, ana that hdHleu
price OF $500 per ton. sum In excess OF thdi ar
thorIzed and fixed the date tcr on nquy
that the bidders had no manufacturing plant Wa
Iron and steel and their bid was not deemed
worthy OF serious considerations About the niuuie
monitors began to send IN the armor drawings and
made request for early deliveries, ana, N OlTel
not 10 complcate matters. and mat tne R S a.
ment might not be embarrassed by claims ior G nd
Law of the nOn-dtnNery OF anu
because the vessels themselves belns OF 10" igb,
board type, offered but small targets ana mlsne
T pc Would receive the support Of the land de-
fences the bureau recommendeqh 10 me orSnarv
face hardened armor should DO contracted to' LOT
these vessels. 1870 .uao.s
were made In August and September Ivy ior aoout
bss Of armor for each vessel ana i0r 90 %
The latter consisting Of four small diagonal plates
and an armored tube for each vessel NECESSARY IN
the early stages of their construction This srmor.
aggregating 2.26S5S tons. was contracted Tor az
n srmdr for these vessels. All the armor for the
\ four monitors should be completed by the end OF
There remains yet TO he contracted for for the
three batleshps Of the Maine class ''S9s TONS foI
The three battleships authorized by me act OF
March 3. 1893. about 5000 tons each; for the three
first class cruisers authorized by the same act
about 100 tons EACH total OF Il ioS IONS approx
mateiy. 49,, ...... .,o,,s 10 mad.
sor ,be amor for the three vessels Of the Maine
class; to defer it longer will most likely delay the
Armor of good quality can be bought presume niy
for s4co ton. unless the rise IN The price OF pie
produced for 500 ton is not the best armor thai
Can he made and hence is not suitable for Tx
vessels in question Armor plates of very hn'
qua fyyeonentiy are made OF nickel steel treated by
the ordinary process of supercarburizaton but tht
baiistic test beyond certain point. there beins
,ye , ~ warrant IL With the called Krupp proc
Gee treatmenf can be carried until satisfactory
Te5gS are can be guaranteed In the Krupp plat
The hardened face is thicker and the plate i
tougher throughout and possesses remarkable i'm
,r,1Si,v from cracking under numerous heavy i'm
pacts The manufacturers consider II more Difficult
70 make than the armor now being manufacture
sor The Department. and less quantity can o.
furned out in given time than OF the presen
srmor To continue the use Of ordinary face hard
ened arnor rather than that made by the krupl
process would IN the opinion OF the bureau. be IN
excusable and would throw great discredit on IN
new vessels Of the Navy. ,,,.
The bureau urges that the matter be lald De1or
Congress as soon as il assemblies. and that II b
urgently requested 10 make such provision IN IN
esrlv DAVIS of the session. by joint resolution o
oIheru'jse as Will ena bic the Department 10 max
contracts not later than January. 1860 for the oes
nualitv OF arnor that be obtained for the thre
- class. also fOr lhe SIX aIm0Ie