New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-10-22

enected with the facility as anv other craft
of vision her crew provided for on board with
reasonaole COMFORT and perfect safety for such
either upon the surface or. submerged; and her
herr reat oensye po eatey of torPedoes gives
ableness of the forms of power generators az pres
face and submerged, there is attained. under both
conditions a speed which, while not all that is de-
service as element for coast defence OF the
IN the application Of efficient sub
necessary speak; is it necessary to do more
than mention the economy of men and money wi in
this form of defensive preparation and the moral al
effect upon an enemy which will come from a
biiities e''''' p0SSi-
THE QUESTION OF BATTERIES.
The chief constructor dwells at considerable
length upon the subject of sheathing ships accord
ing to the policy of which he has been the foremost
advocate and records his objections to the double
turrets of the Kearsarge class. On this subject he
says.
The decision finally come to in the arrangement
Dro11fsa hetveer oninions The raer5ts 81 ~
merits of the superposed turret have been under
first battleships 10 which the system has been APP
Piled and the trials to which they have been sub
jected, have demonstrated only the mechanical
practicabiity OF the system of mounting. 1t has
been recognized from the commencement Of the
discussion that there are grave disadvantages in
this system Of mounting, such as impossibility Of
turTets great concentration of weight upon roller
tuTretS,
four important guns upon controlling appa-
ratus disarrangement Of training Of three guns by
ablement Of four important guns. or, say, IS per
cent of the heavy battery, by mishap affecting the
~ show how they may be removed or TO determine
he extent Of their effect upon the vessels in hich
this system is employed. The decision in the case
~ the way as the decision relative to the
fest vessels to which the system applied and
pro and con, although the Navy now possesses the
portion Of the points at issue. Other naval powers
are pursuing a policy of Isolation of the larger
ttturrets. inciosed, classmates etc), and making
them independent of and without communication
with one another, with the aVowed purpose Of
limiting both the material damage to the individual
pieces and the moral effect to the single crew.
The Bureau believes the arrangement of battery
of vessels of war to be matter OF the very great
system of superposed turrets on grounds which 1t
prejudice which could not be removed by practical
tests which the means now at hand make possible
and which the Importance of the matter makes i'm
perative in order to limit policy Of compromise of
opinions based upon theoretical rather than prac-
deal considerations
In conclusion. strong presentation Is given of
the needs Of legislation increasing the construc
tors corps, from which the following extract is
taken:
The Bureau has year after year called attention
this corps the duties and responsibilities Of which
have inc eased steadily The amount of designing
creasing constantly. The Increases in the number
Of officers available from year TO year for this
work have in the past hardly kept pace with the
growing needs. By a recent provision Of law the
number Of naval constructors and assistant naval
constructors has been limited TO forty. This num-
Der is inadequate TO present needs and the granting
of leave to the temporary disablement of a sin
gle officer materially embarrasses the Bureau. In
the near future 1t will be seriously crippled in its
work unless early steps are taken to remove the
existing limitation to numbers and provide for
reasonable increase in the officers Of the construc
ton corps. The cost of the maintenance Of an
efficient body of officers for the Bureaus work is
Of all proportion TO the Importance and value OF
that work, and only by the maintenance Of such a
body of eoficers may the continuance Of the eff
cient and economical administration which has
characterized the building up Of the Navy be
sured. The Bureau therefore urgently recon-
mends the removal OF the present legal restriction
a to the number Of officers in the corps Of naval
constructors, and it's gradual increase by the ap-
pointment OF assistant naval constructors, under
the conditions which have been followed in the
past, to such proportions will enable the Bureau
to carry Its work efficiently and provide for
the detail Of officers to duty in the many places
where the services Of a naval constructor
Quired and have been requested.