Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-27
EXTREMELY COSTLY
NAVAL EXPERIMENT
Monitor Florida, Built in 1903 and
Costing S1,518,178, to be
Used as a Target.
TO TEST POWER OF DUNNITE.
Also Effect of 19-Inch Shot on Turrct
Relieved Far Reaching Results
VIII BE Obtained

Washington, May 27--Wnd and wca-
Their permitting the ordnance officers
of the navy viii today begin an expert
ment which they confidently believe will
have far reaching results. Indeed It is
entirely possible in the opinion of some
experts that the outcome Of the les
sons that viii be taught by the dosttuc-
tive attack OF the monitor Arkansas
with her big Pinch guns, and By the
torpedoboat Morris with her AmeYicon-
lied Whitehead torpedoes upon the
monitor Florida, will be the most rldi-
zeal changes In naval construction; II
not in the hun, then certainly in the
arlnor protection now offered.
The experiments viii be very costly,
and without doubt severe criticism will
be directed at the navy department not
only by publicists identified with the
little navy party, but economically
minded Legislators.
a STARTLING EXPERIMENT..
The startling experiment conducted a
year or two ago at Sandy Hook by the
army ordnance officers really made this
test of today necessary. on that oc-
ca.slnn the army ordnance officers in
Nited a few navy men down To the
Hook to see them shoot some high eX-
plosive shells ut armor plates of various
thicknesses and inclined at different am
giles to the line of fire. The high ex-
plnsive shells simply ripped the plate
into fragments, and as these plates fair
~ represent the aImOr of a protected
deck, the naval officers quickly saw that
If these shells would do the same work
upon floating ship, not vessel in
the neNy could be regarded as sai-gn
armored. This terrific explosive was
the discovery or invention of a West
Point graduate in the ordnance corps,
who periodically made il over to the
United States government. But there
Is no telling when some foreign govern
ment might evolve another explosive
OF equal or greater power. so 1t be-
hooved our naval constructors to look
out for some means of increasing the
armor protection to match it's splendid
development in the gun and it's projec-
tile.
First IL became necessary to ascertain
whether the shells would function when
fred Mt a vessedl as they had when di-
rected against the armor plates on
shore.
Nothing would do but an actual fir
ing test And this could not be con-
Quoted with any profit on some old hulk,
but exact battle conditions must be re-
produced. That Is why the president
and the secretary of the navy gave
their sanction to this remarkable test
of placing a million and a half dollar
monitor at short range before the muz-
zle of modern l2-inch American naval
rife.
FEATURE OF TEST.
The feature of the Florida test win
be the firing of a 12-inch shell loaded
with dunnitc at that point between the
two 12-inch gun ports on the inclined
face of the Florida turret where the
armor Is II inches thick and thoroughly
face hardened by the Krupp process.
Another point upon which the naval
constructors expect to be informed by
the shooting AT the turret is the eff
feet upon the turning mechanism OF
that great mass of steel and the yaIt
GUS electrical and other devices inside,
of blow of the Finch shot on the
outside Much of this mechanism ~
fastened to the wall OF the turret by
bolts and other means and 1t Is appre-
hended that a smashing shot delivered
outside the tuTret wall and opposite
one of these instruments will send that
apparatus flying across the turret, put
ting that part of the ship out of ac-
ton.
The experimenters also win test
new design of military mast which has
been erected on the stern of the Flor
ida The mast has n base OF "a feet
In diameter, taperlng to the base of 4
12-foot platform at the top. The pur-
pose of the mast is TO furnish an OH
servatlon point for officers. The con-
struction of these masts of steel is
regarded as defective. Should this
steel be punctured by shell and the
shell explode on the inside of the mast.
IL would BE- blown To pieces. The new
masts Is made OF hollow steel tubes,
woven together In a circular manner
the design Of the construction being 10
afford support for the observers
which viii withstand shots and eN-
blossoms. Many shots win be fired At
this new tower tn test its ability 20
stand after being cut through IN many
places.
The torpedo test will be for the pur-
pose Of testing both the effectiveness
OF torpedo nets and for ascertaininG tho
merit OF n newly devised water bulk
head built within the ship beneath tho
arnor belt,
COST OF THE FLORIDA.
The Florida Is one OF class Of -four
monitors built for coast defense work
She was built at ElzabPthport, ". IT,
being completed In 1903 The cost ~
her hull, machinery and armor was
81 307. 100 ANA added 10 these eNpendi-
lures was S2l1O4s for armor and arina-
ment. She Is 1852 feet long, Is beam
draft, l2Is feet. displacement 2,7bo
tons: horsepower 400 speed, II knots
coal capacity. 400 tons. she has one
mast and one smoke pipe Her armor
Is # inches thick amidships. tapcrlng
10 inches at either end She has
protected deck OF atmor Ia inches IN
thickness The armOr Of the barhotte
and turrct rs II inches thick. and that
OF the coming tower inches
Naval officers say that none OF the
vessels OF this class have ever done
ANYTHING since they We're commissioned
cxcopt show their utter worihlcssnsss
Tho type has been set down by general
consent I'm the navy as a failure. and
tho only use suggested for these moni-
tors NJ mat they might be assigned 10
coast defense In time of war.