New-York tribune., 1907-10-07
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS.
Security Of Battleships Causes In
CeStgatiOn.
From The Tribune Bureau. !

washington, October s.
REPELLING TORPEDO ATTACKS-A report
will soon be submitted to the Navy Department
containing recommendations Of changes which
should be made on board ships of war for the pur-
pose OF repelinS torpedo attacks. II is coming to
be realized that the torpedo is a weapon which
must be reckoned with in future naval engage
ments Within the last year or two the torpedo
has been greatly improved. It's radius of action
has been increased and its mechanism has been so
devised that IL is effective in dealing a bloT
of destruction than before. Time was when
warships carried torpedo nets, interlaced metal
web which was supported over the ships side by
means Of booms and. when the ship in motion.
stored in the hold. This supposed TO ward of
the torpedo, and in the days when that projectiIa
had limited range the net served its purpose No
ships the torpedo net In these days and it is
necessary to meet the advance in the effectiveness
Of the torpedo with corresponding means of Of
setting its influence. A special board has been at
work tor some months the problem. and has
visited the various ships, looked up the records OF
torpedo operations, and visited the army plant at
Willets Point n. Y. in the accumulation OF in
formation which relates to the torpedo The result
will probably be the recommendation of a mod
crate calibre gun of the quick firing type
placed at advantageous positions shipboard
to sweep the surrounding and ward OFF the tor
pedo boat the larger destroyer which is coming
TO take the place of the former craft. There will
also be suggested the system of searchight opera
tion which will enable torpedo repulsion at night
when that form of attack Is most TO be feared
Experiments have been conducted with the search
light which is also being improved and the board
will suggest positions on shipboard which may be
occupied by these instruments.
ARMY TEACHING FOREIGNERs.-Four officers
belonging to the army of Mexico and officer
from the army at Guatemala have been attending
the cavalry and field artillery school at Fort Riley
Kansas for the last year. This by way Of ex-
pertinent. and courtesy accorded the foreign
governments upon requests from those sources
The reports Of the progress of work on the stand
ing of student officers from the commandant of
the institution Fort Riley show that the foreign
officers failed to make marks which would entitle
them to be regarded graduates. This is due to
the fact that they were not sufficiently familiar
with the English language, and were seriously
ha ndica pped on this account. They made prog
ress however. and express themselves as fully
satisfied with the work which they had undertaken
They made an especially good showing in horse
manship. II is expected that two Or three Of the
officers will return for the course the coming
winter.
PRECEDENCE AT NAVY YARDS. A long
standing controversy has been ended by a single
change in the phraseoIogy Of the naval regulations.
There has always been more or less trouble to de-
termine the respective duties Of the so-caled cap
tain of the yard. the line officer next IN rank 10
the commandant on duty at navy yards, and the
civil engineer attached to the same establishment
There has been an overlapping OF authority. with
the result of dissenSOn and delay, in the transac-
ton of public business. The change which has
now been effected in the regulations shows more
clearly than hitherto the work devOlving upon the
line officer who is the principal assistant or the
commandant. and upon the civil engineer Their
duties IRE made distinct and separate, with the
result that the civil engineer does not have MS
orders or correspondence sent through the captains
OF the yard. The change was not made until It had
been referred 10 the commandant at Brooklyn and
the heads of other important navy yards. Thus
ono of most troublesome situations which has
caused much friction his been removed.
COLONEL SMITHS REWARD. The recent
army appointment TO the grade of general officer
will have the effect Of giving the President an op-
portlnity 10 appoint another trigader general the
present year This will be late in December. by
virtue of the retirement of Charles 5 Smith. Who
became a brigader general October on the
retirement of Brgadler General r. s Godfrey
Colonel Smith is I'm command Of the army proving
ground at Sandy Hook He was for many years
the pricipa assistant OF the chief OF ordnance in
Washington, and is considered the authority on
gun making. He Is responsible probably more than
any other officer for the present armament of the
coast defences, and il is in recognition OF this
service which General Smith has rendered In
long career that he is made brigader general.
He will probably remain at Sandy Hook until his
retirement or a short time before that One Of the
most important biIlets under the ordnance depart
Inent is the commandant Of the proving ground,
whore all the important tests held. TO the COM
lnand OF which it is usual TO detail officer OF
high standing in the ordnance corps The successor
Of General smith has not been selected.