The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-09

one another 20 turn out cheap Jeete 70 cmtch
an unthinling laugh. Yellow c~aricaturists
ridicule. Ignorant or venal pa~raGraphers
heaped opprobrum upon him. They wor-
ried him as insects worry a trapped Lion.
They are worrying him 20 Bis death.
although kind oblivion now wraps the onee
great mentality.
WHAT SAMPSON Is.
To those who knew sampson. there are
m~iDd-pictures that inevitably present them
selves. fonder to linger npon than that
OF the p~rematurely aged, heart-sick man,
broken by an unkind fate, waiting in ig-
norancc for the merciful release Of death.
They see the ~high-spirited. clean-limbed
and clean-minded boy. eager TO take up
The battle Of life for himself and his kin,
OF lofty ideals n indoInitable purpose.
laboring with pick and shovel by his fathers
side by day, to earn n few PENNIES for the
sseanty family iarder, studying by night to
fight. They see him a little later wearing
his country's uniform In tho nations naval
trafning-schooi, leading his class from
entrance 10 graduation, winning alike
structors. acquiring that dignity Of manner
and g~entleness Of spirit That were ever
afterward characteristic, practising that
concentration OF mind and devotion to
duty that afterw ard made him n great
self the small comforts dear to his fellows
that he may save OF his modest allow ance
IA educate his sister. They zee him, little
more than a boy In years, already a leader
Of men. calm and fearless. in the wreck Of
battle. They trace his quiet career in the
long succeeding years Of peace, passing
unobtrusively from one useful department
OF the service TO another, striving con-
stantly TO make himself OF more benefit.
studying, working always. They see him In
the most delicate position Of his time, the ju-
0lCiaI n tticer tn dptRrfnina the Drtilf nr tpnn-
cence OF a sister nation. They zee him In
command Of a great feet of i25 vessels,
whose decks bore the hopes Of his coun-
try. unnoved, impcrtWbable, ceaselessly
watching, planning tho stroke that resulted
" the expulsion Of Spain from the Western
Hemisphere.
AMPsoS s PART IN TIRE U%PBuILDISo OF rHR
NEW NAVY.
The tremendous part Sampson has had
in the upbuilding Of our now Navy was well
expressed by Mr.. ". II Stayton, himself a
Naval Academy graduate and a lifelong
friond OF Sampson, in a conversation recently
with the writer Mr.. Stayton said:
Ten years ago we were without battle
ships. Before we could provide ourselves
with a navy of ships properly built and
armored. and with crews properly drilled,
the following things were necessary:
Il The building Of the gun factory
2. The design and construction Of the
50. The designing and making OF ammu-
milton.
=. The designing and building Of srmorcd
vessels.
IS. The designing and construction Of
"8. The preparation Of a drill-book and the
of q system Of target practice.
II. The drilling OF the crews until they
should become ii efficient in the handling
their weapons.
80 H. A.,I ~ ~.s,..- r.
bringing the individual vessels together
into n homogeneous squadron.
Admiral SIMPSONS influence In these
has been
First: The building Of the gun factory. |
The construction Of the gun factory,
but nothing moro than carpentry work
and masonry, &c, was finished until he
ordered as superintendent. The real
construction, therefore, as to tho factory |
part of IL, was solely IN his charge, and he
In charge Of IL until il was in
operation, when he was promoted chief
OF the Bureau Of Ordnance, and from that
time until he wen to sea on the Iowa,
before the Spanish war, the gun |
wal absolutely under his command,
and grew from unfinished buildings 10 one
OF the most complete ordnance factories
in the world.
Second: The design and construction Of
the guns.
FROM loJ< uIiln tne OUT DTeak Oh tne SPAN /
ish war every gun built for the Navy was |
designed and constructed under the super |
vision Of Admiral Sampson, and tho large
guns were all upon his personal design.
These guns included those on the Oregon.
Indiana, Olympia, Brooklyn, Texas, New
York and part Of these on the Iowa; in
other words. 95 per cent. of the guns that
were in the battle of Santiago, as we'll as
those which were on the Raleigh. Olympia, !
and some of the other vessels OF Deweys
heet. ,
Third: The designing and making Of the
ammunition.
while the Admiral was chief OF Bureau
Of Ordnance his policy was TO create
a large reserve supply of ammunition,
"a in one of his reports he states: Not
My because at any momen an emergency I
may arise making them urgently neces- ,
but also TO prevent the scattering |
Off the skilled labor which has developed
this manufacture, and keep occupied plants
which we're established solely to meet the
Government demands Owing to this
policy at the breaking out OF the American.
war the ammunition designed
by him was used largely at the battle OF
Santiago as well as on board Of other ships
Of the Navy during the war. During his
administration of hat Bureau was seen
the advent Of hard-faced armor and lis
general adoption, necessitating a further
development OF the armor-pierclng pro-
The Admiral ordered exhaustive
experiments in this matter ana by the uSs
Of the Harvey process these projectiles
were greatly improved. He also carried on
extensive experiments with shells charged
with g~un-cotton and illuminate Drimers
for high power guns.
"Projectiles Of i3-inch calibre made from
designs by Sampson in 1894, increased the
irmor-piercing capacity and combined
with Il the greatest explosive effect. Some
of these shells were used by the Oregon.
N the chase OF the Colon.
.When the Admiral took charge OF the
Of Ordnance the brown powder was
used entirely in the service, and the point
not been reached whore smokeless
could be used. He developed
IL perfection by experiments at the torpedo
station at Newport, X. J.. and Naval Prov
ing Grounds, where in II. F.. guns its bal
Iistin effects and keeping qualities proved
equal to powder accepted abroad as satis-
In 1895 smokeless powder for
3-pounder n. +. guns was put on board
ship. He perfected high explosives and
brought them TO efficient use in the service,
Fourth: Designing and building OF ar
nored vessels.
AS chief Of Bureau Of Ordnance, he was
! member OF the Advisory Board and the
on Construction for building vessels
1902 until 1897. While he had much
o do with the general design of all OF the