The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-10

ment to the House bill with respect TO
armor for war vessels.
Mr.. Tfliman offered an amendment In
effect limiting the price TO be paid for
procured for that price authorizing the
secretary OF the navy 10 construct a gov
eminent armor plant at q cost not exceed
ing s4.o00.oo0.
the committee amendment. He said the
committee had sought TO relieve the coun-
try from the embarrassment that was irk-
some to almost everybody. Right IN the
midst Of our remarkable advance In the
construction OF naval ships said Mr.. Hale.
1--WE were arrested by this controversy over
the price of armor plate. i believe the
srmor plants put their heads together and
put up prices Of armor. OF course, this
created resentment, and j am not surprised
at the action and feeling or the senator
from South Carolina (Mr. Tillman). who Is
acting entirely conscientiously in the mat
ter"
Mr.. Hale said that Tor the armor Of 1897
S41z per ton was paid. A 1t was seen,
continued Mr.. Hale, that we had ships
which needed armor, the companies raised
their prices to S45 per ton" Mr.. Hale said
that IL was the opinion Of the committee
that the government could get better armor
from South Carolina mr.. Tfllmanl, who is
itself and avoid any of the possible at
tendant scandals. Still, IL the companies
declined to accept si45 a ton, a government
plant for the manufacture of armor was
TO be constructed. He believed that when
the manufacturers found the government
was in earnest as 10 the plant they would
accept the price offered. I'm a few words.
he concluded. "our project is to pay $H5
per ton for armor or construct a govern
nent plant. 1t is intended to solve this
yexed question, and j think IL VIII.
Have the armOr makers been taking
advantage of the governments necessity
inquired Mr.. Stewart.
sUndoubtedly they have" responded Mr..
Hale. "As soon as they got upon their
feet. financially. they began to put the
knife into u.s.
Then" declared Mr.. Stewart. I'D make
a good deal Of a sacrifice to teach them a
Mr. Tillman who followed Mr.. Hale. said
IL the prices asked by the manufacturers
were paid 1t would cost the government
II 100000; while at the price he proposed
the necessary armor would cost only about
5000, 900. His proposition was to build an
armor plant no matter at what price the
manufacturer proposed to supply the
armor. Referring to the suit begun by Mr..
Frick against Mr. Carnegie and the
formers allegations OF enormous profits.
Mr.. Tillman said Ii was no wonder Mr..
Carnegie could go to Scotland and buy
game preserves and baronies and that sort
OF thing. Mr.. Tfilman said he was not
convinced that the new process armor was
one whit better than the old kind. A nine
inch new process plate had been easily
penetrated and who could say that a four
teen-inch plate would not suffer similarly.
Mr.. Hale interrupted TO state that the
OLA1 IN VI (1ll 49,
to show that the best projectiles will pierce
anything, but that the new process armor
has an impenetrability of % per cent. great
er than any other. The cap projectiles
went through the nine-inch and even the
eleven-inch plates as though they were
only pine boards. Mr.. Hale commended that
Mr.. Tillman could not urge this as a new
reason for a government factory.
Mr.. Money inquired as TO the Information
available on the soft nose proJectiles."
Mr.. Hale presented a memorandum from
Rear Admiral O'Neil, chief of the naval
bureau of ordinance. giving the latest
available information on the subject OF
armor and particularly on soft nose pro-
mo armor that exists to-day, regardless
OF its thickness or quality, can resist the
power of the modern gun at short range
Therefore. the fact that armor can readily
be perforated at short range must not be
considered an indication that 1t Is OF In
ferior quality. 1t simply means that 1t is
overmatched by the gun. Naturally, that
which Is the most difficult TO p~erforate Is
the memorandum states, are made with
u~ncapped projectiles and are exceedingly
severe. The memorandum adds: lit Is a
well known fact that a soft steel cap at
tached to the point of an armor piercing
projectile increases its efficiency to a
marked extent, anywhere from Is to 20, and
often % per cent. and all such projectiles
for the United States navy are fitted with
caps. A few day ago at Indian Head, a
six inch capped shell was easily driven
armor and the same has been done through
eight inches of Krupp armor." After fur
Their debate 1t was laid aside for the day.
A joint resolution making the selection of
a site and the erection of a tronze statue
I'm Washington. d. c., in honor of the late
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was passed.
After a brief executive session the Senate,
at sis p. m, adjourned.