The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-27
Ten Millions to Be Devoted to
Aiming New Ships.
ROYALTY is REDUCED.
Krupp ArmOr Is Now Secured
at a Lower Cost.
No Improvement Is Noted in
Submarine Boats.

:
says that the ordnance bureau wants
$13.1S2. sos next year, of which amount
$4,000. 900 is to be devoted to arms ana
armament for new ships The gun shop
at the Washington navy yard during
the past year turned out 234 guns, pre-
pared sets of forgingS for 146 more ana
has SiXty-five in course OF manufacture.
The bureau is preparing new type OF
three inch gun 80 calibre In length OF a
semi character to replace all
guns of this size now in use in the
navy. Admiral O'Nei1 says that Tor
the first time in years the manufacture
of armor has progressed in sat1sfac-
tory manner, 1872 tons having been de-
livered at the various ship yards DUR
ing the year, with prospects of largely
Increasing deliveries
seems to have been made in the quality
of armor of late. Guns, powder ana
projectiles have each made decided
advance. rendering it all the more
necessary that there should be an i'm
provement in the quality of the armoi
but none seems TO be in sight at present
Recently the armor manufacturers vol
unfairly made reduction of 10 shllllngs
per ton on the royalty for the Krupp
process.
With the exception of ignition and
shell Dowedr, no black or other than
smokeless powder has been purchased
or manufa ctured for the navy since the
Spanish American war All new ships
beginning with the Kearsarge and Ken
lucky have been supplied with outfits
OF smokeless powder, and in addition,
some thirty of the older vessels nave
been thus supplied.
The manufacture of smokeless pow
der during the past year has progressed
in satisfactory manner, so lar as
quality is concerned, but not so much
as to the amount delivered. So far as
the stability of the smokeless powder
is concerned, the results of the years
work have been of the most satisfactory
ballistic qualities of the powder have
rema ined unchanged.
A novel experiment is now under way,
with the purpose of indicat1ong any
injurious change that may take place
in smokeless powder by Incorporating
in it a fugitive coloring matter, such as
rosanitine.
The most interesting event during the
year in connection with projectiles Is
the develoDmnt of a new type of shell,
combining the advantages of the armor-
| piercing with the common shell; that IS,
having the perforating power of the reg
ular armOr- piercing projectile with the
/ capacity for a large bursting charge.
The requirements for these shells on test
are that at a prescribed velocity they
shall com pletely perforate, unbroken,
/ thickness. and to be in condition for
effective bursting. A number of shells
of this description have been ordered,
and the first three lots have success
fully passed the requirements. These
shells are fitted with soft caps.
novel device tried during the year
was the tracer" which renders she'll
visible during the night to the gunner
but invisible to the persons at the tar
get this being accomplished by the in
sertion of a burning composition in the
base Of the she'll
The use of electric power for handling
guns and turretS is unqualifedly en-
dorsed as better than any other system
Admiral O'Neill finds that the best
way to illustrate the tremendous devel-
opment of artillery in late years is to
cite two cases, that of the six-inch gun
and the Pinch gun. The former used
to weigh only As tons. was only 80 call
ibres in length, with nuzzle energy Of
2773 foot tons and practicable rate of
/ fire of two and a half aimed shots per
minute. The new type is 90 calibres IN
length, uses smokeless powder, weighs
eight tons, can be. fired eight times per
minute and has muzzle energy of o.
1886 foot tons. In other words. it is 600
per cent. more powerful than the old
gun The Pinch gun shows an increase
cent Admiral O'Neill says that no such
rate of increase is looked for in the near
future
There is to be a general renovation of
the batteries of the older ships, and it
is said that new batteries will be placed
on the Baltimore and New York, the
Newark and the Albany.
1t is recommended that the Philadel-
phia be given new battery of six guns,
which would make her fit for many
years more of service. The bureau is
considering the feasibility of replacing
the present turrets of the Oregon, In
diana and Massa chusetts with new
ielliptical balanced turrets adding ma
terialy to their efficiency.
Admiral O'Neill has much to say re-
specting speed versus armament He
argues that a ship is naturally a com
promise between various necessities, and
says:
speed craze at intervals, and this coun-
try is no exception, and unless each
batch of new vessels can equal or beat
the worlds record they are usually
characterized as failures. and in defer
ence to public sentiment the tendency is
to design vessels Of the highest possible
speed, irrespective of the uses for which
they are intended, and in consequence
enormous sums Of money have been ex-
pended by several countries in producing
large and fast vessels which have but
trifling value for fighting purposes"
Admiral O'Neill further says: 1T al
ways has been the policy of the United
States to provide its vessels of all
classes with great battery power; that
is. to so arm them that they shall be
superior to foreign vessels Of equal class
in that respect, and that sentiment
still prevails; and while we have in a
few instances subordinated all other
matters to speed it is not likely to occur
again, and the consensus of opinion at
the present time is in favor of applying
large percenta ges of weight for armor
and armament rather than to assigning
it for the purpose of attaining the last
possible fraction of a knot of speed. The
bureau is convinced that no mistake has
been made in the adjustment of speed,
armor and armament of these vessels.
The best vessel is not necessarily the
one that can most quickly get in or out
of battle or keep out of battle, but is
rather the one that can remain in bat
tie the longest after she gets there.
1T is safe to say that any vessels of
this class. Of equal displacement having
a higher speed, are deficient in some of
the other important qualities which
these -sssels possess
OF submarine boats the report says that
no complete developments have taken