The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-06-15
Blow Would Have Sunk
Some Battleships, Says
Admiral Caps.
MONITOR ABLE
TO KEEP FIGHTING.
Metcalf Lauds Naval Construction,
and Taft Joins the
Chorus.

Naval OHlcers are nigh Ia their praise
today of the torpedo test made upon the
monitor FloriIt at Hampton Roads.
The efficiency of the latest methods Of
warship construction by American ma
val constructors in resisting torpedo at
tscks. has been proved, refuting once
and for all the sensational charges
which were made by Henry Reuterdahl
last fall
Not only did the torpedo charged with
the highest possible explosive power fail
. sink the ship. but two and possibly
essaEy 10 have sent the ship 10 the
bottom.
Officials Give Their Views.
All the officials refused 10 be inter
viewed on Saturday. but upon return
ing 10 Washington today Secretary Net
calf and Chief Constructor Caps ex-
pressed their views of the result brief
~. Admiral Caps said:
If am 10 be quoted I wish to say
emphatically that The test from every
point OF view was eminently successful
do not wish TO be construed as prals-
ing the method of construction that has
been developed during my administra-
ton or THAI branch OF the navy, nut
that the Florida was not sunk was no
fault Of the ordnance work, No ship
70 my knowledge has been dealt such a
1orC1ble blow in suCu q vital spot, as
the charge was the heaviest possible,
and the explosion occurred as calcu-
lated, Immediately upon contact. Some
American DatLleships, I shall not say
how many or what type, could not have
withstood the test. Doubtless there are
many types OF foreign ships which alSo
would have suCcumbed.
Far from being sunk, the Florida 3
usefulness was in no wise impaired by
the erect of the blow Furthermore.
the ship could have sustained a similar
blow exactly opposite, and still an
other in 8 third bulkhead compartment.
and yet would have fioated. The prompt
working OF pumps aided the bIOyancy
OF ship but little"
Secretary Metcalf said:
Metcaif Praises Constructors
The experiment was emlnentIy.. sue
ceEsfuI and highly valuable. It cost
a gOOdly sum. but was worth several
times the amount as a practical demon
staration of the powers Of resistance
and bUoyancy OF modern WaTShlp con-
struction. The charge of gun cotton
was greater than that USED IN the
standard service Whitehead torpedo,
and vet the damage done was confined
10 the bulkhead selected for the OK
pertinent. Tie Vital parts Of the vessel
and armOr plates elsewhere were not
affected. 1 am now all the more con
WINGED Of my previous belief that the
American naval constr u1Lof~ anu L4ACAA
products are the best in the world,
Taft Surprised.
Secretary of War Taft, who has TAX
en- q peculiar interest in the navy since
the recent favorable development at
Chicago, said
I am neither a construction or ord
nance expert, and nearly everything I
saw Saturday was new to me. I was
deeply impressed, in fact, almost over
aWed by the terrific explosion. and its
immediate results, and was surprised
that the ship still foated, and that the
damage was not infinitely greater. It
seems 10 me that if tOrpedOes are to
be a successful engine of warfare, ord
nance officials will have 10 make great
strides 10 combat the work Of ConstTuc-
tors"
The test was not meant 10 determine
whether such construction shall be
adopted for future Warships, but 10
prove that there had been no error in
adopting il for ships already under con-
srTuction. the only one Of which is the
Michigan, which was but recently
launched