Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-04-12
EFFORT TO SECURE IDEAS OUT.
SIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
Most Radical Departure from Prece.
dent Since introduction of Ar
mored vesset-voted by House
Committee on Naval Affairs-out.
siders Stand Equal Chance.

Perhaps the most radical and i'm
portant departure from established
practices in construction of the Amer
lean navy since the introduction of
the modern armored vessel was taken
the other day at Washington when
the house committee on naval affairs
voted that plans for the proposed new
battleship, which 1t is contemplated
shall exceed anything afioat, may be
drawn by persons outside of the navy
department and that the department
shall consider such plans in deciding
by whom and how the new ship shall
be built.
For some time the department has
fer alternate plans when bidding up
on the departments plans. In this
case the department may draw plans
II it wishes, but it must notify out
siders that their plans will be con
sdered before the type of ship is de.
cided upon and the contract let.
If congress sustains the view of the
house naval committee il will mean
the infusion of new thought and young
blood into the red tape and conserva-
tive methods of the navy department.
Plans Take Two Years.
No better illustration of these char
acteristics can be suggested than the
admission by Admiral Capps, chief
constructor of the navy, before the
department can begin preparing plans
for battleship to equal or excel the
British leviathan Dreadnaught. This
statement indicates better than any
thing else could the absolute depend.
ence of the navy department upon
foreign warship builders for ideas.
The theory of the naval committee
was that this attitude was unreason.
able.
we believe" said one member of
the committee, that Americans can
design just as powerful if not more
powerful warships than any foreigner
The history of the American navy up
to the close of the civil war period
proved this. Then the United States
led the world in naval construction.
Every new and important improve
ment in naval architecture was the
product of American ingenuity and in.
ventive faculty. Foreigners eyed
those Improvements at first with sus-
picion. They predicted that they
would cause the ships concerned to
turn turtle and do other unexpected
things. But events proved other
wise.
Seek American Ideas
Since the civil war things have
been reversed. We are now following
the procession in which every other
nation of the world leads. Depart
ment bureau chiefs say, forsooth, that
they cannot build ship to equal the
for instance, until they
find out how England bnilt it.
Indeed, Admiral Caps even went
SO far as TO say that it would be i'm
possible for vessel of her tonnage,
$4,000 tons, to carry the armor and
attributed to her. They
nsinuate that Great Britain is de-
ceivng the world; that the Dread.
naught in reality is of $4,000 or 10000
IONS
Il predict that one of the outsiders
will capture the prize in having his
plans chosen over the departments. |
believe the committee has acted wise
" in determining upon this course
and that congress and the country
will endorse its action.
IF logically followed out this plan
will surely lead TO return of Amer
can laurels TO their own and it will
lot be long before the rest OF the |
world is waiting for our naval ideas
o develop before copying them. in
'teay of our navy department de-
pending upon the foreigners for new
IDEAS in warship construction"