The Washington times., 1905-08-05
Battleship Colorado the
Sufferer by Defec-
tive Sights.
INVESTIGATION WANTED
Employees Will Tell Bona
parte What They Know,
If He Asks.

The sights of the guns now being
installed on the battIeship Colorado are
defective and were known TO be Sc
when the guns left the Navy Yard here
If Secretary 2onapartc will order an
investigation OF the naval gun factory
he will fine enough to Keep him busy
for many weeks 10 come.
This statement, made Dy a machinist
employed III the naval gun factory,
carries in substance the rumors which
have been ahoat for many weeks at the
Navy Yard.
There has been talk OF defective guns
and patched up sights and. more than
this. threats of discharge if any of the
shortcomings of the factory or its man
agement were told TO outsiders.
II IS openly said at the yard that the
sights Of the Colorado guns were OF
faulty construction and were patched III
by orders of some one in authority in
the gun shop.
Tampering With Guns.
The men who assert that this is true
say they are anxious to have the Secre-
tary of the Navy take up the matter
and sift it to the bottom. They hint ii
more irregularities, but admit that the
fixing" of the sights IS the most i'm
portant for the reason that the guns of
the big battleship Will be useless in case
OF war or even in target practice.
The sights in question are technically
known as six-inch mark mark XIIFs.
Special tools had to be designed for
their manufacture. Fifteen of the right
hand sights. it is said. We're ruined OF
practically so and those who ought lC
know say that orders were given tC
patch them up. This was, they say, Sc
cleVerIy done that the finished sights
viii pass casual inspection.
As i is told IN the yard, q prominent
machinESt discovered the patching on
the sights and at once reported il TO a
foreman, saying:
The Discovery.
.What am l 10 do with this?"
Where did YOU get it?" asked the
foreman,
'on my bench with The other work.
was the reply
is it the only one?" next asked the
foreman,
No; there are fourteen others They
are all right-hlnd sights. intended fol
the Colorado. and the riyets are read!
10 drop out now"
What shall we do about it," the
foreman is said 10 have asked. 1ht
nachinIst declined 10 advise the fore
> -
ter appeared TO be serious. il had bet
ter be reported 10 some one higher il
authority
This the foreman is said to have done
The higher authority, the reports
say, after declaring he knew nothing Ot
the matter said IL was all right and
had been reported 10 the proper Of
The finding of the defective sights
was again. so it is said, reported to
this same man the next day. He is
70 hz sF4v1 TsTd h.
chinist who made the complaint that II
was none of his business and that he
had better keep quiet about II.
Change Authorized?
rhe machirist is said to have protest
ed that it was matter which concerned
Kim. as he was in measure response
bic. Then he was told that the change
IN the sights had been authorized by
the proper authorities
Then" said the inquisitive machin-
list where are the blue prints author
izing the change?' He was given an
eyasiye answer. and so the matter rest
ed until day or two after, when there
appeared in the shop a set OF blue print.
with a faint line. Indicating an extra
.'d0vetaN on the sights.
There We're, however, no letters of ref
erence on the drawings, thus arOusing
in the minds Of the men suspicion
as 10 their being official
1t is said that the changes in the
sights made II plain TO the trained ma
chinists that they would not be true
nor would they last for any length Of
time and they began to talk about il.
The talk grew until word was passed
around tn the men had better shut
up or they would find themselves
either ''disrated' or removed.
Talk Continued.
This threat. as the men at the yard
are pleased 20 term it. had the effect
of making the stories OF bad sights less
numerous, but there still was heard
every day and at night. when the shifts
were changed, ali sorts Of reports about
who was responsible. what was going tc
b. done, and, above all, the wonder that
some inkIing Of the trouble had not
reached the Navy Department officials
The fact that no investigation has
been set on foot is sLll the wonder
of the machinists who profess 10 know
all about the matter, They say that
they cannot personally take IL to the
Secretary for fear OF being discharged
tc talk and tell all they know il they
can have the assurance that their places
viii not be taken from them
Said q big machinist last night;
With the assurance that the men
viii be protected for telling the truth
Secretary Bonaparte Will have no trOu-
bie in finding willing witnesses to tell
him OF the defective sights on the Colo
anxious TO tell. bur we must think OF
the family and the JOB.
Leaving out the men, there are the
silent Wttnesses-the sights themselves
There viii be no lack OF evidence when
1t is wanted
sI.z5 10 Baltimore and Return, s1.25.