The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-18

the Navy Department over ship designs
has attracted more attention and caused
greater bitterness than that relating to
the plans for the three new protected
cruisers authorized at the last session of
Congress.
These vessels were intended TO be i'm
proved Olympias. but majority of the
bureau chiefs constituting a board that
determines all types and designs of war
ships has decided that they should be
practically armored cruisers. while the
law states they shall be protected. There
Is a decided difference between protect
ed cruiser having none of the qualities of
a batueship and an armored cruiser. The
controversy over the new ships is due TO
the opposition of Admiral Hichborn to
having the vessels so large and carrying
such heavy protection as the majority OF
the Construction Board wishes, and two
reports have therefore been presented to
the Navy Department in which the merits
and dement's of the tow types are shown.
Admiral Hichborn. in a report TO SecreJa-
ry Long dwelIs on the subject as follows:
The circular of the majority OF the
Board on Construction describes an ar
| mored vessel which. although larger than
the New York and Brooklyn, is not supe-
rior to these vessels in many respects.
The armOred vessel produced on such
lines would be nothing but a second-cIass
armored cruiser as compared with the six
vessels of the California class. which are
tFst-class armored cruisers. The pro-
tected cruiser Is designed for a special
field OF action, She is intended to prey
upon the commerce of the enemy and
therefore. on this type of vessel aTmor is
sacrificed for high speed and ability to keep
the sea for extended periods, protection
being afforded by protected decks, ar
rangement of coal bunkers and cellulose
in cofferdams.
'Protected~e cruisers have lately been
built for the Russian and French nayies
/ with speeds of twenty-three knots. The
| United States would be behind other ma
| lions by building protected cruisers of less
! speed, which vessels would be unable to
meet on even conditions the large passen-
| ger vessels of the merchant marine con-
verified to naval use.
The provisions as to speed in the act
OF June T. 1890, are that the battIeships
shall have the highest practical speed and
great radius Of action the aTmored cruis-
erS the highest practical speed and great
radius of action the three protected
cruisers the highest speed compatible with
good cruising qualities and great radius of
action 1t will. therefore. be observed
that Congress makes distinction between
the batteships and armored cruis-
eTs and the protected cruisers.
/ the protected cruisers being required to
| have the highest speed compatible with
good cruising qualities and great radius of
action.
Il am of the opinion that such condi-
tons can only be met by sheathing the yes
sells. which I believe 10 have been the in
! ont of Com
! visibility OF sheathing the battleshfps and
| aTmoTed cruisers provided for in the act OF
March g. 1899. was considered by the Board
on Construction. and tie majority of that
board recommended TO the department that
with reference to these Two classes of ships
/ Congress be asked to modify the law The
majority and minority reports on the sub
Iect were submitted by the Secretary OF
the Navy to Congress for it's conSidera ton
Hearings on the subject were given Ad-
mlral Dewey and other officers by the Ma
val Committee. After a thorough inves-
tigation OF the subject no change was au-
thoTfZed in the requirement OF the act as
to sheathinS and coppeTing. In view Of
the fact that the appropriation is Identical
with the estimates furnished by this bu-
Teau for protected cruisers, sheathed and
coppered, and taking into consideration
also other facts connected with the pas
sage OF this act, Of which the department
has been advised. l am of the opinion that
1t was the intention o. Congress that the
protected cruisers should be sheathed and
coppered- Furthermore. no question was
raised by the majority of the Board on Con
struction as to the advisability of sheath
ing and coppering protected cruisers.
I will not attempt to discuss this cir
cular in detail. as l. consider it fundamen-
tally unsatisfactory and al variance with
the requirements as authorized by Con-
gress- The limit of cost. $2.S0O coo. pre-
cludes the construction Of vessels as de-
scTibed by this circular. as the cost of all
hull armor, even admitting that the use
of aTloT is permitted by the act of Con-
gress, must, under decision of the At
toTney General, be deducted from the limit
of cost. The majority estimates the cost
Of this armOT at SfU0,0 900. The weight of
the side aTmoT or main belt is stated at
22S tons; the lower casemate aTmor, 1872
tons portion OF the upper. casemate ar
NOR must be considered with this item.
but, emitting this, the 420 tons of side
aTmOr and lower casemate armer 1T S4OA
per ton, a price less than has bean paid
for armOr of this class would amount to
Sf6S, 600, and this sum must be deducted
from the limit of cost. s., SOC COO A fur
Their deduction of about S153 Gee should be
made for designing and inspections and
outfits to be supplied by the Government |
Wit hthfs deduction of 1921, 600 the avail
able limit of cost within which the con-
tract would have to be let is but So 40 0G0
THE contract price of the New York was
$685.. GOO. and of the Brooklyn s., 9S6 &c., |
Notwithstanding the fact that the coz
tracts on these vessels were made at a
time when the prices of labor and materi-
ais were much lower that at present and
the further fact that on these vessels large
inducements were offered in the form OF
premiums for increased speed, which were
subsequently paid. The actual cost of the
New York-1.900 tons lighter than the yes
sci proposed by the majoTity-not includ- |
ing cost of armament. armor for gun pro-
lection, speed premiums. and trial trip ex-
perses. as stated in the report of the Sec |
or S793. 294 more than the total availab' q |,
appropriation for abe protected cruisers. |!
The corresponding cost of the Brooklyn
the vessel proposed by the majorfty-is /
given on page II of the Secretary's report (
1899 as SO, 391, $40 A. 1891 ,349.41 more than /;
protected cruisers. The limit of cast
named in the acts authorizing the New |
York and Brooklyn was in each case So
500, 000, or 100000 more than the limit of |
cost for the vessels under consideration
The Chief Constructor is prepared to /
furnish d circular and design a protected
cruiser meeting in all respects the require
ments OF the law, and carrying the bat I
terry, except the one-pounders in military t
tops, desired by the majority of the board, /
being a sheated, protected cruiser OF about |
$500 tons displacement and having a I
speed of twenty-three knots, one knot ad-
ditionaI to that required by the majority,
having the same coal capacity on a less dis