The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1907-07-06
BATTLESh|PS
IN DANGER
President Roosevelt is Warned That
There is Constant Danger of
Explosions.

suit or the experience or foreign gov
ernments with smokeless powder,
similar to that used by the American
navy, Robert S. Waddell, of Peoria.
H., has advised the president tina.
there is grave danger of an explosion
on one or more American battleships
or magazines, with the consequent
casualties.
Mr.. Waddell has supported his pre-
diction with evidence strong enough
to cause the president to order a
thorough investigation to be made
into the keeping qualities of the pow
der used by both the army and navy.
Fearful Object Lessons.
According to letter Mr.. Waddell
has written to the president, our men
of war and magazines in the coast
Notifications and at the army posts
are in peril from the menace of spon-
taneOus combustion and consequent
explosion. The official report of the
japanese admiralty shows that the
Mikasa, the flagship of Admiral To-
go, was destroyed with heavy loss Of
life as result of spontaneous COM
bustion of powder III the ships mag
azines.
The official report of the French
admiralty on the destruction of the
French battleship Jena at Toulon
last March states it also was caused
by the spontaneous combustion Of
smokeless powder in the ships mag
aZine.
Money would replace battleship
destroyed by an explosion caused by
spontaneous combustion of powder
and sunk in mid-ocean," Mr.. Wad-
dell said in his letter to the presi-
dent, but it could not restore the
men who perish"
Peril III Present Policy.
Mr. Waddell asserts it is manifest
ly unwiss and unsafe to continue .he
present policy of creating large re-
serve of powder that is sure to deter
iorate and render gunnery defective.
even if no fatalities should ensue.
Experts of the army and navy
claim the powder in use in the two
services are examined so frequently
that there is no danger Of spontan-
eous combustion. The French claim
ed they made frequent examinations.
According to Mr.. Waddell, the
properties Of smokeless powder have
not been determined accurately az
yet, owing to the fact that the ma
terial is of recent development lie
insists that it is the duty Of the gov
eminent to change its policy, and to
maintain a reserve of say 100000
pounds, renewable every four years,
and at the same time to provide
largely increased facilities for the
rapid manufacture Of this material.
The cost of 100000 pounds of
powder. if contracts were placed with
the powder trust, would be about
$23,000,o0O, the interest on which
would amount to nearly $1,400, 900
annually. Mr.. Waddell wants the
government to spend $5,000,000 in
building government plants. The II
terest on this sum at per cent
would be only 100000 annually.
Mr.. Waddell's representations have
aroused the administration far more
than did his complaint against the
Du Pone powder trust. The latter
resulted in a decision to file proceed
ings under the antitrust law in Or
der to release the government from
a monopoly which has been compel
ing it to pay more than twice as
much for powder as it costs to
manufacture it. The governments
bill is practically ready, and Mr..
Waddell will call at the department
of justice for the purpose of having
a final conference with Assistant
Attorney General Purdy, who has
been charged with the prosecution of
the case. The result of this suit is
expected to be dissolution of the
trust and perhaps to force competi-
ton between the plants which COM
prise it.