The Portland daily press., 1900-04-19
(Dsspatch Of The New York Evening
PuEt.l

despatch OF The New York Evening
Pust.)
wasbing gtou, April l6.--The purchase by
che government of the submarine torpedo
boat Holland will probably Afford many
critics Of the Navy Department an op-
pertu nifty to declare that public opinion
forced the officers there TO yield. An Inn
pression has got abroad that naval ex-
perts have been jealous OF the builders Of
the Holland and have resented any new
Invention for the navy which did no.
prooesd from themselves. Indeed, several
months ago. Secretary Long made public
q letter which he had written to a critic.
stating that the department. hsd arrived
at no conclusion an to the purchase of a
submarine hoat, and showing why, on
financial grounds. the decision was re-
served. A prominent member Of the
Borrd OF Construotion, who 10 not fet-
tsred in any way By bureausratio pr ju-
dices. said to your correspondent this
morning.:
'Nothing could to more absurd than to
assert that we have opposed the purchase
OF the Holland. On the contrary, think
Il q good plan 70 encourages suoh enter
prisss. / regard this purchase as note
worthy step In advance towards the solu-
tion OF the great problem Of ubmarine
looomotion for war vessels By that do
not mean that consider the Holland an
efficient boat, but it ID q great improve
ment over anything made hers,ofore,
and / am glad tt has been bought. and
that two others like IL are to be bought.
We are watching the experiment which
France Is making with such boats, and
notioe that the First Lord of the Admir-
atty stated In the British House Of COM
mons few days ago that Great BE- tain
also was gathering all the facts possible
on this sui jsot.
"franos Is a peculiar COUNTRY In Its
coast, so open to attack and SO CLOSE 60
its traditional enemy, Great Britain.
shat IL IL justified In It's order CT a hun
drsd such boats for coast defence. Per,
sonally / think them OF no practical
value, but their moral value TO tie
French may be very great; for with u
hundred or more little submarine craft
lying In wait for hostile battls-ships the
effect would he to make the oommander
OF one Of those ships decidedly nervous.
and cautious about yeuturing into har-
Dor. He miRht feel certain. on technical
or theoretical grounds. that they oan do
no harm, but-there Is always the posi-
bility. Therein lies their utility.
1he Holland Id q long step forward.
and her owners have reason to be proud
of her, but she has such Inherent defects
as to make her likely to be abandoned In
short time. In the first Elace. 10 70 her
rudder which causes hsr to sink, and
any disaster that stopred the working OF
the ruddsr would send her to the top ut
once. Further more, her speed under
water ID 80 siight that any strong current
could defect her from her course, Rnu
sven carry her directly astern. It is I'M
know where she will come up. Imagine
torpedo warship, but not Gndinp her
her bearings afreshi
snow, as to her use in harhor defence
Suppose she were on the lookout for q
hostile dsst; she Is so small that she has
no spaos for any ona to sleep or store pro-
visions aboard her, and the men who
orerrte Ter would have to be relieved ev-
cry day. or another boat OF the same sort
must take her place-an awkward ar
rangement In ths presence OF the snsmy.
And In order to do any damage this bsst
must be ssnt we'll out, where . storm
might soon AXE her wreck. The se
ara only some Of the general defscts
which any one CON see. Naval experts
see many more that need not now be
mentioned. Such criticisms are not
oapttous. We take great interast In the
Holland, and only hope that her builders
will continue 70 Improve Ia their work,
for 1t 10 entirely possible that In time
they may be able to turn out the very
boat we want, and not merely pretty
toy. az We consider this tc bs. !"