Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-04
Statements Made BY Lieutenant
Commander Sins FIaI|g Con-
lradicIed at Investigation.
The TURRETs CAN Be RADE safe
Witnesses Also Aver That the Shoot
ing at Santiago Battle Was as Coed
as Any Navy Could Have Done a.
That rime-how Scraps Get in the
Powder.
my Assoclnlad Preus,

Wy Associated PreSB7
WASHINGTON, d. c., March 3 -
Four naval officers. all exports in tur-
ret construction and ammunition man
ufacturc. today testified before the
Senate naval committee In defense OF
the American navy against all forms
Of detraction. Three of the witnesses
Professor =. II. Algcr, instructor in
mathematics at the naval academy.
and member of the special board on
'urrcis; Commander r. T.. Fletcher;
and Lieutenant Commander V. o..
Chase, spoke in defense of turrct con-
s'ruction and methods that have been
adopted 10 make ,urreis safe. None
OF these officers seem to think there
Is great danger in the direct hoist. III
some changes were made TO provide
more etfcctivc screening between tho
ammunition handling room and the biz
| Guns.
Professor Alger defended the Amer
lean navy against the criticism made
by Commander Sims that poor marks
manship was shown at Santiago. He
declared TINT American gunnery was
as good ms that in any navy at that
lime and that nj the present time
there was no rayy in the world that
would surpass the American In target
Shooting.
Lieutenant Commander Straus ies-
tilted IN regard to government pow
| der. Rear Admiral Cowles. chief of
the bureau of equipment. tomorrow
VIII tell OF the explosion OF the Mis-
Souri. He was in command of that
vessel when this explosion. the worst
Ill the history of the American navy.
occurred
Professor Alser. who was Tor four
years attached TO the bureau of ord :
nance, also testified as to the excel
ience OF American turrct construc-
| ton.
Professor Alger commented on the
gunncry at Santiago and said that
S'icc that time there had boon a IRE
rivai OF gunnery" due largely to Com :
mander Sims suggestion OF the in :
stallation OF the telescope sights ON
the guns The big guns were all right
nj Santiago but tho men had not
learned how to shoot them. He as
serted, however. that at that time no
otncr navy knew how 10 shoot and
that no navy could shoot better than
me American navy at the present
time The findings of foreign sub
stances IL sacks OF powder. nut I'm
as charges. was explained by Pro
lessor Algcr. who said tina. such
gross carelessness" was not possible
now because since the appointment of
ADMIRAL Converse as chief of the bur
eau OF ordnance. system OF inspec-
t'on had been iuaugurated.
How Scraps Get in Powder.
The discovery OF scraps of iron
fragments OF wood. and in one case.
"a ioaded revolver cartridge. was due
10 me practice of having officers on
hoard ship weigh loads of powder
lie had heard OF only three instances
cut OF thousands of sacks of powder
"hefc foreign mater mad been found
Lieutenant Commander Joseph
Straus, on duty at the proving ground
nj Indian Head. testified as 10 tho cos,
OF government manufacture of now'
der. The plant at Indian Head turns
out 5000 pounds of powder dav nj
a ost of about i5 cents pound. The
government pays for manufactures
powder at private plants, 60 cents q
pound.
Lieutenan, Commander V. o. Chase
OF Tho bureau OF ordnance. explained
IN detail the changes being nitde in
'nrret construction with n Wow 10
Safeguarding against accident.
Commander r. +. Fletcher, a naval
expert on the subject OF turret con
struction and particularly on the sub
Ject of ammunition hoists. declared
tha' Rear Admiral Converse had given
an excellent description Of iurrcts and
hoists In the navics Of the world
The American device of a straight
hoist" he said. lis similar to lye
s,xths of all the hois,s In use and
therefore are not tho scnselcss ex-
perimcnts some critics have charg.
Cd"
How 10 Make Turrcts safe.
All that Is required 10 MAKO them