The sun., 1908-03-26
EVANS UPROLOS REUTTRDAHL
ADMIRAL WENT on RECORD
AGAINST LOW ARMOR BELT.
Navy Critic. Just Back FrOm Fleet, Says
Service Knew the Admiral and General
hoard Had So AdyIsed-Ialuable and
Patriotic Suggestions PiEeOnhOled.

Patriotic Suggestions PiEeOnhOled.
II became known yesterday in Washing
ton that Admiral Evans put on record last
summer his opinion that the arnor belt
on our battleships Is too low thus uphold
| ing the contention made by Henry Reuter-
dahl in his article In MeClureS Magazine
Mr.. Reuterdahl who has just returned TO
this city from the battleship feet talked
Yesterday about this new turn In the naval
controversy.
The statement Of Admiral Evans was
made in his letter TO the commanding
Officers Of the ships after he had been or
dered to detail boards to determine what
weights could be removed from the bat
tleships This was his statement
"It will be remembered that all our ships
are now Of greater displacements than that
Of their original design and In consequence
they not only have an increased draught Of
water, but in the case OF armOred ships
their armor belt is practically awash at
load draught, which leaves them, as far as
protection Ia concerned but little better
| than armored cruisers
This statement Is said to be on file In the
room Of the Senate Committee on Naval
Affairs, as is also similar statement
made in 1900 by the General Board OF the
Navy. which recommended a reduction
OF weights on battleships in order 20 raise
the armor belt
Mr.. Reuterdahl, in his interview yester-
day, said;
According to the public prints the
letter Of Admiral Evans and certain state
ments by the General Board we're not
admitted az evidence by the Senate cdm-
mittee which has been investigating Ger
tain constructive defects Of our navy.
The publication OF il will undoubtedly
prevent any whitewashing and helm the
country 10 ascertain the absolute truth.
As this report was part Of the public
proceedingsit indicates the temper Of the
other side in preventing il being known
The existence Of Admiral Evanss letter
was pretty we'll known TO the service, and
every one in the feet was aware Of the
fact that the board which was appointed
TO investigate the conditions Of the arnor
belt had reported that the belts we're 90 low
as 10 be practically. II not absolutely, use
less in battle. The question OF naval
reform Is very old. Certain tools we're given
our officers 10 fight with They did not
like their tools and they suggested i'm
movements. These suggestions were care
fully studied documents, containing an
infinite amount Of research and information.
They we're written In the most patriotic
spirit and they we're meant for no other
| purpose than TO benefit the service.
Instead Of being received as honest
efforts to improve existing conditions
they we're tied up with red tape and in
most cases buried in a dusty pigeonhole.
Had these suggestions been accepted by
the proper authorities our people would
! never have known about our faults OF
construction-wh already we're we'll
known 10 the foreigner. But they were not.
Instead all possible efforts we're made 10
minimize the importance Of the suggestions
and every one became very busy to save
his own face instead Of improving our
ships. which we're not up to the standards
set by the foreigner.
THE instance Of Admiral Evanss letter
explains il fully. Here We have one Of the
greatest men in our navy, a man Of twenty
years sea experience, stating over his own
| signature almost two years ago that our
hbattieships are nothing but armored cruisers
land that they are so constructed as to
receive no benefit from their amor pro-
lection, which is to protect their vitals
|
| by Admiral Capps and Admiral Converse
some $1,000 words are used TO disprove this
blunt, simple statement by man whom
the entire nation respects.
aOn one side there Ia the man who de-
signed the ships, who sits securely in his
swivel chair and who has fortified his posi-
ton by theoretical figures. which do not
apply to the actual condition previous TO a
sea fight. On the other hand are the docu-
| 49, . ka kp "a fn Anhf
in battles, who must accept the RESPONSE
biIity for victory or defeat ls their word
TO he taken OF that OF the man with theory
| that does not work ont? We don't give
a hang for full load displacement or normal.
| What the country is interested in ia 70 get
its moneys worth when building ships.
And as long as We are paying battleshlp
prices for arIaored cruisers we are not salts
| hed. and this ia the exact situation, ! have
seen the belt Of our ships hidden beneath
the water for one week after leaving port,
and II ia only when the coal Gupply has
| been diminished one-half that the armor
! belt begins TO be Of sufficient Use in case
Of action. And any one who dscredits such
statements can be convinced by the hun
dreds OF photographs Of the ships on their
! long cruise around the continent.
| we have been the fifth wheel in the
! naval world 80 long that II ia about time
| to get into the position where our national
| ingenuity and talent will put rs. II 10 no
| exaRReration to say that our ships are
! Ave years behind and that we have paid
| money for ships which should grace the
! Turkish navy list instead Of our own Toke
! the Charleston. st. Louis and Milwaukee
! Of q, 100 tons, built in l9Oi-06. They have no
| greater offensive power, no greater speed
! and use only 800 tons greater coal capacity
| than the Chilean cruiser O'Higgns, which
| ia 1, 200 tons smaller and which was built
/ in 1897.
tAnd what can be done on displacement
$40 tons larger than the Charleston has been
shown by the Italian constructor Cuni-
| berti, who in the Psa class Of srmored
| cruisers designed a ship carrying four
! ten inch guns and eight eight inch and
! with an eight inch belt.
zone year before, this wonderful con-
| structor, by ell means the greatest designer
! in the world, evolved the ideal battleship
| for the British navy, which, by the way.
| was the forerunner 70 their Dreednoughts.
| One Of our seagoing officers at his own eX-
| penAe completed the plans 81 a similar
| type and laid il before the Boerd OF In
! struction. Had il then been taken up we
would now--in all probability had
! four Dreadnoughts efoat'
Now all this has been known TO our
seagoing officers, who through actual
experience hRve learned the requirements
Of an ideal fighting ship. And all these
years they have bombarded the Depart
ment with suggestions for reform. Hut
the reform did not come. Not until many
| lives were Loaf we're the automatic shutters
put in our turrets, end years before the
Kearsarge accident reports came IN advo-
AZ. z.,,o,yol ~ tho aiaCt riCal aDpli-