Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-02-13
SHIPS AND GUNS.

Inc question OF tulldirg more BAT.
/ ilesh - - sEain under discussion ir
CONGRESS. AMI President Roo-. veit. ru
his letter - the ch4irnsn ~ the Hou.-
J Commit on naval afai'-. nrCes tir
f construction "u' hs',l-.hir. q: lsrl-
displacement with their primary bet.
tsri-. sli q one type ofbig guns y
the bN''l-'hirs - pressnt IN comm &C.
SION will all be comparatively worth
lsss IN 'sw yesrs l. - mot imro-,su'
that such new p ~ "a Congress mas
prov De for shall b. ~ the mot No.
ern type and able 10 more than COZ,
witt ms hing r n Al Tn .ize OF '..
bs'''eship - not The on'y thing 20 -
co.. idersd. Cor il sArknow led 81 t's'
= hattie hip 81 TIE D--sira0Chi ty,.
rDu.t 30 - me ~ reg ~ -0.sI.s-
s1Ip win Cr-ster sp..d al svm.'
9TH cIu. ~ cr-,t.r siIa aud rov-.
ban '"s r--.sr' i2.irch gurs -Four
Il or 70 inch guns m19n'-t On ve..
49, - - CO ICES ! .IlRremen' than TO-
Dresdns0ght ~oI't stand a out 90 tn
ranRe OF her FIRE and destroy her. o-
even s. snip with two such guns con s
'.''s- he Dreadnaurht on TIE snri-rt
p sr = the bow and Stern chsssrs with
b N the privateers OF the war Of
1872 were srred. which enabled them
~ STAN a sHd make easy prey 81
ship - greater power and much
greater brosdsiie ~ lighter gnns.
II r.qlirrs M argument 10 prove
thar battlesh'p ~ 1900 tons, carry
irP four l6.irch gus and having su.
rerior speed. would have the 5000 ton
Dreadnau2h' ~ hP- mercy. although
the latter has ten Pinch guns in her
hroadsd'. TIE fqs'e- ship will ala "
he able ~ select the distance she will
fight ~ and would naturally choose 20
b. where her antagonist could do her
The least harm.
The ship with l2.inch armor i. now
comparatively safe outside az the /
rsnge ~ tnrredoes. whose rsdius -
from three 90 five Thousand yards. be.
csuse the present l2.inch naval gun is
unable TO pierce l2.inrh armor az that
distance. bot a smaller battleship with !
large Guns AMI with the necessary
speed might inflict such damage ss 20
lead O. her sinking.
II u demonstrated that guns OF Il
NJ l6 inch will ~eigh hit little more
than the present l2.inch naval gun,
add il 10 not necessary 60 use such
enormous powder charges. yet the
range Of these larger guns 10 superior
10 the Pinch type. The construction
Df these larger guns is urged by the
Chief OF Ordnance OF the Army, and
his recommendation 10 based upon q
onR series OF experiments, 90 his con-
.lusions must be accepted % correct.
As it 10 now ne are following in the
wake OF England snd sre throwing
away millions OF dollars every year on
hips and armament that have alresdy
proved 20 be OF an obsolete type, and
Jet our tottering Republican poll
icians seem determined TO perpetuate
! type Of ships and guns which will
oon be turned over TO the junk heap.
they persist in providing for shells
hat experience proves will not pen
trste the armor Of bsttleship az the
i.tance that the known range Of tor
'edoes compels the commander OF y
,sttle.hip 10 place his vessel at, not
that experiments have
,roged that shells which explode on
ontart are available and the preseu' :
hell- in use are comparatively WORTH ,
e.s. ?
The committees OF the House and O
enste on naval affairs must wake ~ y
I'd learn their lesson and not con-
inue in a rut that will bring disaster g
I We shall be- 40 unfortunate ~ to en- 5
age in q war with a fret elias. naval II
over. Uncle sam must have the best ,
nd the most modern chips. guus and y
that ihe ingenuity 81 our o.
lven,ors il cfferirg. and the expense
{ experimenting with the new idess .
drred i, but sna ! matter compared
D the millions We are annually Il. y
ending thst are wasted. =