Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-03
NO CAUSE FOR SHAME
Samps0n's GunnerS Defended
by Prof. AIger.
GOOD AS IN ANY NAVY
Workmanship Has Since Much I'm.
proved.
FOUR NAVAL EXPERTS HEARD
Commander Sims Criticisms Answer
ed Before the Senate COMMITTEES
on Naval Affairs.

Four naval officers, all experts in turret
construction and ammunition manufac-
ture. today testified before the Senate
naval committee in defense of the Ameri-
can navy against all forms of detraction.
Three of the witnesses-Prof. p. r. Alger.
instructor In mathematics at the Naval
Academy and member of the special
board on turrets: Commander +. F.
Fletcher and Lieut.. Commander V. o.
Chase-spoke in detail concerning turret
accidents and the methods that have been
adopted to make the turrets safe. None
of these officers seemed to think there
was great danger from the direct hoist il
some changes were made to provide more
effective screening between the ammuni-
tion handling room and the big guns.
Prof Alger defended the American navy
against the criticism made by Commander
Sims that poor craftsmanship was shown
at Santiago. He declared that American
gunnery was as good as that in any navy
at that time and that at the present time !
there was no navy in the world that
would surpass the American in straight
shooting Lieut.. Commander Joseph
Straus testified in regard to government
powder manufacture. Rear Admiral
Cowles, chief of the bureau Of equipment.
tomorrow will tell of the explosion on the
Missouri. He was in command of that,
vessel when this explosion, the worst in
the history Of the American navy, oc-
CURED.
Prof. P. r. Alger, instructor in mathe-
mates at the Naval Academy, but former
ly for fourteen years attached to the bu-
reau of ordnance, also testified as to the
excellence of American turret construc-
ton. He described the Missouri accident.
and said that never again will fire get into
the magazines in that manner, for the
copper flaps covering the -apertureS
through which powder is passed are al
ways kept in place.
Senator Tillman. commenting on Prof.
Alger's connection with the Naval Acad-
emy, asked il he was not rather ooso-
lete' as an ordnance expert.
The witness explained that since taking
up instruction in mathematics he had con.
Der of the special board on ordnance.
Doubtless you are an expert. only
raised this question in your own inter-
est" said Mr.. Tillman.
The Gunnery at Santiago.
Prof. Alger commented on the gunnery
at Santiago and said that since that
time there had been "a revival of gun
nery," due largely to Commander Sims
campaign for the installation Of the tele-
scope sights for big guns. which were
aOOpte0 ITOn tHe bTltlSu- he SAiu tiib
guns were all right at Santiago. but the
men had not learned how to shoot them.
He asserted, however, at that time no
other navy knew how to shoot, and that
no navy could shoot better than the
American navy at the present time.
The finding Of foreign substances -
sacks of powder. put up as charges, was
explained by Prof. Alger, who said that
such gross carelessness" was not pos
sible now. because since the appointment
obi nf<,f >f hvs-
reau of ordnance a system of inspection
had been inaugurated.
The discovery of scraps of iron, frag-
mentS of wood. and in one case a loaded
revolver cartridge, was due to the prac-
tice of having officers on board ship weigh
loads of powder. He had heard of only
three instances out of thousands Of sacks
Of powder where foreign matter had been
found.
Lieut. Commander Joseph Straus, on
duty at the proving ground at Indian
Head testified to the cost of govern
ment manufacture of powder. The plant
at Indian Head turns out $500 pounds OF
powder a day at a cost of about ~ cents
a pound. The government pays for pow
der manufactured at private plants 81
cents pound.
Lieut.. Commander V. o. Chase Of the
bureau Of ordnance explained in detail
the changes being made in turret con-
struction, with view to safeguarding
against accidents.
Commander Fletcher's View.
Commander F. F. Fletcher, a naval
expert on the subject of turret construc-
tion, and particularly on the subject Of
ammunition loists, contradicted much Of
the testimony given by Commander Sims
yesterday.
Senator Perkins questioned Commander
Fletcher about the statement of Com
mander Sims that the American navy
at Santiago gave poor exhibition OF
craftsmanship. The witness said that
from all records he had ever seen or
heard Of. no navy could have done better
shooting at that time.
He declared that Rear Admiral Con-
verse had given an excellent description
of turrets and hoists in the navies OF
the world.
1.-The American device of a straight
hoist he said, sis similar to five-sixths
of all the hoists in use. and therefore
are not the senseless experiments some
critics have charged" All that is re-
quired to make them safe. he thought,
is t. provide proper screens between the
guns and The handling rooms. Under
the present system. he asserted. there is
no danger whatever to the powder maga-
zines. He told of the Missouri accident.
where 100 pounds of powder burned i'm
the handling room and large quantity
in the open door of the ma gazine without
any damage or much danger to the air.
tight powder tanks.
''Of course, that is somew what more OF
a chance than we like to take, however,
he commented. He said that there had
been forty or fifty accidents In the
French and other foreign navies where
powder had burned in the handling rooms
Of ships without causing explosions. He
agreed with Admirals Converse. Capps
and Mason that the turrets can be made
safe. in accordance with late designs, at
a comparatively small cost