New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-26
THE SUPERVISED TURRETS.
THREE OF THE NEW BATTLESHIPS TO
HAVE THEM
NOT FINALLY SETTLED BIZ
THE DECISION.
rsY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBrSE1

rBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE IhIBLNE-i
Washington. June 25.-secretary Long to-day
approved the report Of the Battleship Board and
the compromise project for ships without uni
fornftv viii be followed out unless the Navy
Department is brought TO realize the grave Mill
tary disadvantages that wiP follow The con-
illusions Of the Board exactly as given n
The Tribune this morning. the result OF each
vote on the various propositions having been
precisely announced. although all the members
had been pledged 10 secrecy at.Adrnlral OINeifs
instance.
The officers who voted for the Bradford plan
and superposed turrets which the Construction
BOARD had opposed by a vote OF f0UrftO one. were
Admirals Melville and Bradford, Captains H
c. Taylor. Clark OF the oregon; Chadwick. Con-
verse and Walker OF the War College. For the
O'Nef or Construction Board plan OF single tur-
rets the supporters we're Admirals Rodgers anu
O'Neu. Captains Sigsbee and BrOwnsOn and
Naval Constructor Taylor. Admiral Barker
voted to build two ships with superpOsed turretS
and three without them. Finally ali the mem
bers voted 10 recommend three ships with SUI
perposed turrets and two without them Con-
structor Taylor alone dissenting His minority
report is in part as follows;
The matter before the Board iso1e or prime IN
batSeships. much larger than any previously under
taken by us; practically equal m SIZE % IN So
bers over 100000. OF the Two plans before the
should build all five vessels upon II OF [1Tgs
is any reasonable doubt as 70 which Is tne ostIeE
termne this point obtaining incideI1ally tae Pyi
small advantages or uniformly II -
have four turrets two vessels OF the sqPerposed
dtion. The tests made with these tgrrets 50 faT
have practically bearing upon the essentials
noints ar fssua While all Of these points cannot DO
decided by tests many OF them can be, and De-
Heve that II thorough and exhaustive experiments
carried out by this or some other eqIIIy Ese
OF the Kearsarge and the Kentucky the Board would
then he pra ,ticay unanimous in finally accepting
or rejecting the superpOsed principle tor our oare
To divide these vessels between two types .
definitely 70 advertise to the world that aItnouSn
We have completed two suFerposed Ilrrel vessels.
man II they had been built with separate turrets
believe that arr at least IN DosilIoh . setttS
the Navv for five years. and that such settlement
should be no longer delayed
II can be confidently asserted that every u1eua-
Ter of the Board agreed fully with Constructors
TAYLOR as TO the necessity for'unifOrrnity OF the
ships but certain members. notably Admiral
Rodgers and Captain BrOwnsOn could not be-
induced to sign in favor OfIthe TWO story tur-
rets.
In the failure OF the Board to settle the best
tyne definitely the controversy is sure to arise
again when new battleships are authorized c
il does not break out furiOUsly when the Con-
structiou Board attempts this week 10 arrange a
battery for the armOred cruisers. which are
equal in cost and other features 10 the battle
ships II superpOsed tUrrets are desirable on
battleships they are to De regarded as abso-~
concentration OF fre is the great deslderaCurI1-
Perhaps it will be possible in the present atti-
tude of the Department 10 avoid excessive Irrc-t
ton by putting superpOSed tuTrets IN three OF
the cruisers and old fashioned single turrsts
the other three, and thereby causing dtssaris-
faction throughout the service