Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-04-22
UNCLE SANS SUBMARINES AND
THEIR DERRICkS.


THEIR DERRICkS.
We note with more or less inter.
est a Washington dispatch which an
Ilonnces that special precautions are
10 be taken for the safety of The sub.
marine boats now In the navy which
practical men have come 10 believe
are menace to the men who handle
Them. For instance. we are told
them For instance we are told that
not only will there be with them at
their manoeuvrcs tender, equipped
with :; powerful derrick and blooms for
lifting a disabled submarine to the
surface, but 1t is purpOsed to furnish
each submarine with floating sig
nal. arranged with a spool of light
wire carried on the outside of the
submarine shell and connected with
the Interior so that In time of dis.
aster the imprisoned persons may re.
lease the floating signal. which will
appear on the surface Of the water
anu Indicate that the submarine is in
Distress
III has been pointed out" contin.
ues the dispatch. "by an expert that
Il submarine might really he unable
70 get to the surface, and that by
The nature of the exercises no
one would he aware OF the fact until
1t was too late to render assistance"
we fall to SEQ why 1t required expert
knowledge to arrive at conclusion
established by more than one horri.
bic and sorl-sickening catastrophe on
the other side of the ocean and which
might have been duplicated here but
Tor the fact that the nayy's subma
rines have been towed from place To
place and have seen very little real
service under everyday conditions.
There is eidently something radi-
cally wrong with the submarine which
requires such elaborate and costly
apparatus to prevent 1t from becom.
Ing death trap even under ordinary
conditions following summer DAYS
manoeuvers. Would It have n ten.
dency to encourage the men pcnned
up in such "a craft to know that their
comrades above knew that they we're
helpless ON the bottom of the sea?
would 1t have Il tendency to enco,lr
age that confidence and esprit d,,
corps which is so ESSENTIAL in the sal.
isfactory handling of war vessel or
any Othcr war cOntrivance?
1t seems to US that this trifing
with the submarine question has been
carried far enough. IT is becoming
quite apparent that the Navy De.
partment made an egrcgious blunder
in its original selection of subma.
rine and all this derrick and signal
business is designed to hide the mer.
us OF the case and to bolster I'M and
Try 10 make practical a boat which
Is build on dangerous principles. to
begin with.
NOW the question Is: What does
Congress propose to do about the
matter! II would be the rankest
sort of stupidity to continue buyinr
submarines which have demonstrated
their unfitness for practical service
ana which must be reinforced BIZ
derricks and signals and must always
nave convoy close at hand to keen
II from being more destructive than
inc guns of an enemy's ship.
In view of these facts il is sur.
prlsins that the navy department
should persistently attempt to shut
out any competition which would
nave tendency to show better
submarine. Does that mean lobby
and an ultimate submarine scandal
rs oaoriferous and as disgusting as
mat which sent some government
officials of the postofficc department
TO the penitcntiary?
u SOME member of Congress could
Just erect derrick which would
ilft the navy department out of its
preconccivcd ideas OF submarine af.
fairs greater service would be per.
formed by any mechanical contriv
ancc which simply would pull a
submarine out OF the mud.