Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-02
SENSATION
IN THE COMMITTEE
Commander Sims Criticises
Naval Construction.
GIVES VIEWS TO SENATORS
Charges Rear Admirals With Mis-.
leading Statements.
SUFFERS SHARP EXAMINATION
Paints Graphic Picture Of the Perils
of Serving in the Turret-Low
Armor Belt.

Commander w. H. Sims, naval
aid to the President, today told
the Senate committee on naval af-
fairs that the armor belt on bat
tleships is too low. and he. charged
Admirals Converse and Capps
with making misleading state
ments before the committee.
Commander Sims gave graphic
descriptions of the open turret
and the direct ammunition hoist
which caused Chairman Hale to
exclaim that it was wonder that
any of the men who work in these
turrets were left alive.
Commander Sims. by his own statement.
is responsible for the row" over criti-
cisms of battleship construction. At the
outset of his testimony before the Senate
committee on naval affairs today he gave
the committee to understand it could ex-
pect some sensations. This was done in
preliminary statement outlining what
he had to do with naval criticism.
was confined to official channels. Much
of my service has dealt with these crit
icisms." he said, and continued: Il be-
gan when l was thirty years old. and
now am nearly fifty. l put this IN pc
cause ! am persistently called young
man. / am older than Admiral Capps.
who has referred to me as young
man." =
Continuing he said lie would have to go
into unpleasant facts, such as. charging
mace
misleading statements. the secretion or
official documents, and the refusal OF SUI
perior officers to accept suggestions OF
value.
The plan of Commander Sims to give the
committee a sensation was upset tu1me-
diately by Senator Tillman. who suggest
ed that the witness be instructed to con-
fine his testimony to alleged faulty CON-
struction and to say nothing at this time
of criticism made of personnel, or incom-
plete organization or other matters whicn
are to be taken up later
The commander asked that he be per-
mitted to continue his statement without
interruption and that the senator's do not
cross-examine him until he had finished
his statement in his own way.
His request was ignored.
When confined to criticisms or con-
struction Commando Sims protested that
the procedure of the committee upset
him.
.You would upset the committee il you
went into all of these things at this time,'
said Senator Tillman.
Chairman Hale said the witness was
not to say anything now about resist
ance to criticism by naval officers" a.
that was a matter of ethics.
Don't YOU care to know II the depart
ment has resisted criticism" asked the
commander.
mot from YOU" was the reply.
This incident furnishes an Illustration
Of subsequent proceedings during Com
Io cynt 1vya
from the line of inquiry again and agai-
and members of the committee called him
back sharply.
Low Armor Belt.
THE armor belt on all our battleships
is too low" Commander Sims stated
broadly in taking up these subjects. Aie
charged that the statements made by
Rear Admrals Converse and Capps were
misleading eff an admiral should go out
of port without full bunkers-say on a
cruise to the Pacific and should meet an
enemy-say in the West Indies-he wound
be court-martialed." said the COM
mander. There might be heavy ssa
running and tine fleet not able TO use their
guns for week. Then the ships wound
need fuel bunkers.' He said that the
logs of the ships of the battleship fee.
the water line Of all the ships.
THAT is 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 statements.
Commander Sims said that the French
allow for extra and unanticipated weights,
and the Germans in designing ships figure
on a normal line with bunkers full OF
coal. He said that when the American
at
lines of the Connecticut class were fully
a foot and a half below normal.
Questioned by Capps.
At the close of the criticisms of the
water lines, which were made in the most
general terms, Admiral Capps was given
permission to cross examine the witness.
The admiral did this chiefly by raising di-
rect issue with the witness. He denied
that the German naval constructors figure
on full bunkers in locating the water line;
that the logs of ship are accurate evi-
dence and defied the witness to show that
vessels were overdraft foot and half
upon arrival at Rio. Admiral Capps as. -eu
the witness if he knew whether tn,
double bottoms of the ships We're full OF
water when they arrived at Rio. Com
mander Sims had no data in this regard,
SO Admiral Capps declined to eontinu-.
He declared that 1t was obvious .that
the witness had no data on which TO base
his criticisms.
.WeIl. l should like to have the COM
mittee call Rear Admiral Gocdri,h and
officers of his type to bear me out, said
Commander Sims.
'.I'll make specific allusion to that or
ficer in a few moments" said Admiral
Capps His tone indicated that the .'spe-
cific allusion' would not be compliment
arv and Chairman Hale hastened to say
that it would not be necessary for either
officer to express his opinion.
Perils of the Turret.
The question of turret construction and
the relative merit Of the direct and -un-
interrupted ammunition hoists was then
taken up.
The commander gave a graphic descrip-
ton of the open turret with the direct
hoists. which pictured the dangers in
such manner that 1t caused Mr.. Hale % :.
remark: The wonder to me IL that any
men come out Of there alive.
Commander Sims declared that the
shutters In the direct hoists do not work