Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-03
. : TSLDEN7'
AIDE RIDDLES
BAT7LESHIPS
YOUNG COMMANDER SHOCKS
SENATE COMMITTEE
ARMoR BELT TOO Low, TURRETs
DANGEROUS
William n. Simms Offers to Prove In
speotors Made False Statements.
Naval Construction De-
clared Wrong
BY Associated Press.

By Associated Press
WASHINGTON, March 2.-com-
mander William H. Simms. naval aide
to President Roosevelt, bv his own
statement. is responsible for the row
over the criticisms of battleship con-
struction. At the outset of his testi-
mony before the senate committee on
naval affairs today he gave the COM
mittee to understand that 1t could ex-
pect some sensations. This was done
In a preliminary statement outlining
what he had to do with naval criti-
cisms.
He said he would have to go into un-
pleasant facts, such as charging Off
GERS or inspectors with having made
misleading statements, the secretion of
official documents, and the refusal of
superior officers to accept suggestions
of value.
The plan of Commander Simms to
give the committee a sensation was up
set Immediately by Senator Tillman,
who suggested that the witness be in
structed to confine his testimony to
alleged faulty construction.
Chairman Hale said the witness was
not to say anything now about ''re-
sistance of criticism by naval Off
GERS" as that was a matter of ethics.
"Do you care to know if the depart
ment has resisted criticims 2" asked the
commander
mot from you" was the reply.
Armor Belt Too Low
"The armor belt on all our battle
ships is too low" Commander Simms
stated broadly. He charged that the
statements made by Rear Admirals
Converse and Capps were Misleading.
IF an admiral should go out of port
without full bunkers-say on a cruise
to the Paciflc-and should meet an en-
emy in the West Indies, he would be
court-martialed,' said the commander
"There might be a heavy sea run
ming, and the fleet not be able to use
their guns for week. Then the ships
would need fuel bunkers.'
| He said the logs of the battleshfp
| fleet should be secured and these Mould
show the waterline of all the ships.
That's for us to get, not for you to
state" said Chairman Hale.
| Senator Tillman then came to the res
cue of the witness-the first friendly
word he had received.
'All the commander is trying to
say" interjected Mr.. Tillman, lis that
the log books will bear out his state
ments."
| Commander Simms said the French
allow for extra and anticipated weights
and that the Germans in designing
ships figure on a nominal line with
| full bunkers
| He said when the American fleet ar
rived at Rio de Janeiro the waterline
of the Connecticut class were fully a
foot and q half below the normal
Capps Cross-Examines
| At the conclusion of the criticisms oi
the waterilnes, which were made in the
| ,,oocf rararal fprf11S Admiral (yannc WAS
given permission to cross examine the
| witness. The admiral did this chiefly
by raising direct issue with the wit
ness. He denied that the German con.
structors figure on full bunkers in To-
eating water lines; that the logs of q
ship are accurate evidence, and defie6
the witness to show that vessels were
overdraft a foot and half at Rio. Ad-
miral Capps asked the witness if he
knew whether the double bottoms of the
ships were full of water when they ar.
rived at Rio.
Commander Simms had no data il
this regard. and Admiral Capps de.
clined to continue. He commented Il
twas obvious" the witness had no data
on which to base his criticisms.
ST should like to have the COMMITTEES
call Rear Admiral Goodrich and Off
GERS of this type to bear me out" sait
Mr.. Simms.
'I'll make specific allusion to tha
officer in a few moments" said Ad
miral Capps. His tone indicated tina
Specific illusion" would not be com
plimentary, and Chairman Hale has
tened to say that it would not be neces
sary for either officer to express hi
own opinion.
The question of the turret construc
ton and the relative value of the direc
and uninterrupted hoists were thel
taken up The commander gave
.. graphic description of the open turre
with the direct hoists. which depicte'
danger in such manner that cause'
Mr. Hale to remark:
1.-THE wonder to me is that any mai
came out of there alive"
Commander Simms declared tn
shutters in the direct hOiStS do no
/, work properly, and that when sacks 0
poyder burst the grains of powder fre
uuently get down to the handling roor
in the hold of the ship He referred t
! the explosion on the Georgia, and sal
that twenty odd burning grains of pow
der had found their way down to tn
, handling room.
The witness took issue with tn
statements made by the officers, sue
as Admirals Capps and Converse, tina
the change to the two-stage hoistS
being made in the interests of spec
and not for safety. He expressed IN
belief that the direct hoist that woul
permit of such rapid firing as is aver
aged by the American ships with tn
direct hoists, but that the danger is nc
as great
The cross examination by Admire
Capps resulted in more direct accuse
, tions and positive denials withor
bringing out anything of importance
. Gunnery was referred to by Senate
; Perkins, and Senator Tillman spoke
, the record made at Santiago as ''moo
, ern glory" Commander Sjmms char
: acterized the shooting by the America
squad as "the most disgraceful exhib
: ton that ever took place on the face {
: the globe" He said only about p'
: cent Of the shots took effect, and ths
4 per cent was the best made by any
1.-THE big guns.