The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-20

vided to withstand the recon Of the new
guns and it is worthy OF note that the
cruised Des Moines, now being completed
in the same yard, accurately meets these
latest requirements. Naval designers and
shipbuilders realize now perfectly well
that the shock to which a ships structure
is exposed when a modern gun goes off,
is almost the striking shock of a locomo-
tive.
There are ingenious devices to take
up the enormous recOil of one of these
higher-power rifles. But even then the
shock transmitted to the deck on which
the great gun stands is a severe one.
Something more is required to meet this
shock than mere massiveness of con-
struction. The materials that are 10 be
worked into these battleships must be of
fiawless quality. Here again the govern
ment insists upon precautions that seem
almost extravagant- Special inspectors
are stationed at the works where the steel
plates. beams and so forth are produced,
and all this steel is subjected to both
chemical and mechanical tests of great
severity. Indeed. 50 important is this in
spection regarded that the navy depart
ment issues a book Of general instructions
for its inspectors and others concerned,
and these inspections cover over twenty
printed pages. Each object made from
accepted material must be marked with
four separate stamps-first, the stamp Of
the inspector. second, the stamp of the
manufacturer, third, the identification
number, and fourth, the regulation gov
eminent stamp; and no material is al
lowed to go into a navy ship unless it
bears all these four. Eve natter the steel
has been inspected and approved it may
be rejected at the building or the navy
yards. Standard mdium steel must have
a tensile strength of at least $1,000
pounds. and hard steel of 5000 pounds,
and a piece Of steel eight inches long must
stand an elongation of p per cent AT rup-
ture Steel rods from which rivets are
made must be capable Of bending over fiat
on themselves without showing any
cracks or flaws on the outer surface.
Castings for stems. stern, posts ,turret
tracks. and 50 on. weighing more than
1500 pounds must he raised to a height
of at least ten feet and be allowed to
fall freely upon concrete or macadamiz
ed road surface while castings weighing
less than 500 and more than loco pounds
must be let'fau from a height of not less
than twelve feet. After the material has
passed this rough-and- ready test. it must
he suspended in chains and hammered
all over with a heavy sledge hammer"
and the navy book of instruction adds,
almost ironically NO cracks. flaws. de-
fects. or weakness must appear after such
u treatment
Every lot of steel which is being work
e. at Fore River into the Rhode Island
and New Jersey-these ships are good ex-
amples because of their class they are
furthest along-have had to pass this rigid
INSPECTION. these serenuous tests Of a
thorouah-going navy department If. in
spite of these precautions. a little defect
did somewhere appear. when high-pow-
cred rifles are fired at on unwonted ele-
walton. il would perhaps not be surpris-
ing But the development of even such
small defects in our navy has been the
exception and not the rule. and it is quite
possible that with the help OF precautions
which grow severer and more eNactins
year by year the new steel battle line Of
the United States Will even improve that
reputation for freedom from serious mis-
chance which has made it the envy of
foreign services.