The times., 1899-03-02
THE PRICE OF ARMOR
PLATE CUT down
Reduced From $l45 to $500
Per Ton in the Senate.
Mr.. Buffers Amendment Provides
for a Government Pant.
senator Hanna Champions the Cause
OF a Wet-,.up-C Coiton Firing
Gathmaun Gum.

GathmauH Gun.
The Naval appropriation bill was passed
by the Senate yesterday after being amend
ed so as to reduce the price to be paid for
armor plate TO sSe0 per ton. instead of $i45,
as provided in the House bill. and, in case
the plate could not be bought for that
amount, the Secretary OF the Navy is au-
thorized TO construct a Government plant
for its manufacture. for which $I,500.0O0
is appropriated.
An amendment was also placed on the
bill at the instance of Mr.. Hanna. after
some discussion. in which that Senator took
a lively part. providing s250.ooO with which
TO place one of more of the Gathmann guns
on the harbor defence monitors. the cost
of each gun being 2,0eo.
When Mr.. Hanna proposed the amend
ment he explained that the Gathmann gun
was an invention that had only just been
perfected for firing wet gun cotton that
in his opinion, the gun was bound 10 reyo-
lutionize all modes OF warfare on account
of the terrible desuuctiyeness of the pro-
iectiles "One projectile would sink the
mightiest battleship afioat.' he said, and
this Capitol would utterly annihilate the
whole structure, so great is its power.
The amendment was adopted. but later
in the day Mr.. Pettigrew and Mr. Bacon
asked that the action of the Senate on
this particular amendment be reconsid-
cred. Mr. Bacon read at length from a
report of the Chief of the Bureau of Ord
nance in which the Gathmann gun was
declared TO be as yet merely in the ex-
perimental stage. that the experiments
with it had been far from satisfactory,
and recommending that until ii was fur
ther perfected it should not be placed on
boats
Mr. Hanna refuted this testimony, say
ing that the officer who wrote that report
was against the experiments from the
start, that if he had been listened TO the
invention would never have been per
fected, The experiments, instead of be-
ing failures, Mr.. Hanna declared, were
highly satisfactory. as he could produce
evidence from both naval and army Of
fiCers. and in this connection he mention
ed Admiral Sampson as being an author
ity and heartily in favor of the gun. The
amendment was allowed TO remain in the
bill after a provision had been inserted
at the suggestion of Mr. Stewart. making
il optional with the Secretary of the Navy
whether the guns be placed on the moni-
tors or not.
Mr.. Gray secured an amendment to the
section appropriating $1,000, 600 for the
purchase and manufacture of smokeless
powder so that only S150,9O0 should be
used for its manufacture. He did this,
he said, in the interest of Delaware pow
der manufacturers.
An amendment authorizing the con-
struction Of Two submarine boats of the
Holland type was placed in the bill at
the suggestion of Mr.. Stewart. They are
to cost $3.50 each
The armor plate question. however, took
up the major portion of the time during
the consideration OF the bill Mr. TILL
man made a vigorous speech, in which he
declared the Government was not only be-
ing openly robbed by the armor plate man.
ufacturers, but was wholly at their mercy
in the matter Of getting any plate at all.
All the. armor manufacturers of the world
had entered into combination. he contin-
ued, and were ready 10 dictate their terms
Mr.. Tillman was heartily seconded in his
hight against the arnor plate people by Mr..
Chandler. who had previously made care
iui estimate as to the cost of manufactur-
ing armor plate, based on an expert fnyes-
tsation. He had found that there was a
p per cent profit in its production at sSO1
per ton and ne thought no more than that
amount should be paid
n
iailh, Mr.. Chandler said, when, on account
Of the war, they had agreed TO make the
plate for two ships at $500 per ton, claim
ing at the time that they were losing mon
ey by the deal, and now, when this hill
was under consideration, they had repre-
sented that there were but two kinds nf
armor plate; that they had been giving us
the poorest at $500 per ton, but could not
make The best at less than s545 per ton. nj
ha - IL
rather make the $500 plate than the more
expensive Mr. Chandler said this rather
contradicted their former statement that
they were losing money on the $500 armor.
MI Illlnan s first amendment was to
strike out Sii5 per ton and insert $500 as
the price 10 be paid. and on this motion
the roll was called. the vote being 81 to 26
IN favor OF the reduction. as follows:
Yeas; N-ssrs. Allen. Bacon. Bate. Berry. But.
Ter. Gallery. Chandler. Chiffon, Clay. CockrrIl
Daniel, HanshTuuEh. Harris Kenney Kvlc Lind
say, Mallory, Martin, Money, Pasco. Pettipre,y
Peitus. Rawlins. Roach. Ross. Stewart. sullivan
lhiirsi"n, Iiilman, Turley, Turner, Vest, yelling,
Ion, and White-3I.
NaFs: MesSs Allison. Burrows Carter. Clark.
Dcboe. Fairbanks, Faulkner. Foraker Gray Hale
Hanna, llaVley, Hoar. Mcbride, McEnery. Nc
MILAN. Mantle. Penrose- Perkins. Platt of CON
necilsui. Proctor, Sewell, Shoup, Spooner Teller.
and NsTcu-2G
Mr. Butler then introduced an amend
ment providing that in case the Secretary
oi the Navy was unable to procure tbe
armor at $500 he should construct a miami
for its manufacture, and 81 $4,000 was
provided for that purpose. The amend
ment also provided that neither OF the pri
vate plants now in existence should he
purchased This amendment was carried
by vote of 80 to "a. as follows:
Ter. Cafery- Chandler, Cuckrcll, Daniel. FaulLper
Foraker. Hans6rough, Harris. Jones Of Neyad,
Lindsey. Mclzurln, Mallory, Mantle Martin
Money. Nelson, Paseo, Perkins Petdgrew. PCT,
tus, Rawlins, Roach Ross Simon. Stewart Tel
Ter. Thurston, Ti!lman, Turlcy. Turner. Vest
Warren. Wellington. and White 80
NAYS; Messrs. Allison. Burrows. Carter. Chill
Ton. CLARK, Clay, Cullom, Deboc, Fairbanks, Fryc
t.sliineer, Gray, Hale, Hanna. Hawley. Hoar
hennes', Kyle. Mcbride, Mcf:nery, Mcmillan
Penrnse. Piatt of Connecticut. Pritchard, Proc.
tor. Nhoup. spyoner-27.
The bill was passed at 5:45 without roll
call.
TWENTY MILLIONS FOR SPAIN