Evening star., 1907-08-25
Experimenting With Paints.

Notwithstanding sthe many confident an
nouncements in the shape of advertise
ments in marine journals of the projections
OF this or that kind of paint the fact re-
mains that in the judgment of the naval
constructors nothing like perfect cover
ing for ships bottom has yet been offered
TO the navy. There are all kinds of paints
compounded upon different principles, from
the kind that is highly polished like Jap
anese lacquer and claimed to be unaffected
by the corrosive action of salt water and
to make easy the passage of the hull
through water to the thick, paSty prepara-
tions that "exfoliate" like the old copper
sheathng formerly applied to the old wood
en- ships with great success, to cast off the
barnacles and marine vegetable growth
which soon retard the speed of ship,
particularly in tropical waters. Yet none OF
these paints has completely satisfied the
naval constructors. and it appears that
they have now embarked upon a set of ex-
periments with the purpose of producing
new pant that will meet their needs
These experiments are being conducted at
the Norfolk and the Brooklyn navy yards
principally and as fast as new compound
Is prepared sheets of seal and steel and
pieces of board coated with 1t are sub
merged In the salt water and careful
daily record kept Of its action upon the
samples.
At present it is a rule OF the department
10 dock every one of the steel ships about
once Il year, If they are anywhere within
reach OF a suitable dock. The cost of dock
ing is considerable not only in the labor,
the cost of the paint and the OF a dock
costing several million dollars, but also in
the loss of the ship from active service for
the time occupied In docking and getting
TO and from the dock. In some cases ships
have been obliged to travel a distance Of
two thousand miles to get into a dry dock.
Now II the naval constructors can discover
a paint that will securely protect from cor
rOsion the plates of the steel ships for two
years instead OF one they will have effected
en- enormous saving OF money. and that is
why the experiments are being watched
with so much interest at the Navy Depart
ment.
Will Prevent Future Imposition.
The attention of the War Department has
been called to a case of a man who appeared
before a recruiting officer for enlistment
and after receiving transportation to the
nearest general recruiting depot failed to
put IN an appearance. The question then
rose as to what should be done in the case
as the man had not enlisted and was not
part OF the military establishment. OF
course, he could be sued in the civil courts
and compelled TO restore the value of the
ticket which he used improperly. The Incl
dent has led the department TO make regu-
lations which make this kind OF imposition
on the government impossible.
Must Cut Out Criticisms.
Ono Of the last things Secretary Taft did
when he left Washington was to issue or
d"rs for the exclusion from all reports Of
commanders of army divisions and depart
ments and bureaus of controversial mat
te:s. The Secretary had in mind an unfor-
tUnate experience last year in which the
commander of one of the military depart
fnepta became involved In most unseemy
wCansle with one of the great supply
bureaus In the War Department The Of
ficer had recently returned from field serv-
ice and took occasion to criticize with
great freedom the faults of this particular
bureau as developed in his own experience.
Naturally the principal officers of this
bureau resented the criticism. and one OF
them INDUCED in a newspaper interview. so
smartly attacking the critic as TO make
himself the object of formal charges. He
narrowly escaped a court-martial.' and Sec
retary Taft was irrtated over the news
paper comment upon this incident. Hence
lbs order this year to cut out of the AN