The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-05
Admiral COWIes Declares Thai Fighting Must Be Attended
 By Accidents
TELLS THE STORY OF
 ACCIDENT oN MISSOURI
Senate Committee On Naval Affairs Questions Admiral CoWles Regard ing Handling of Guns and
 the Armor Plate.

Washington, March 4-"There Is no safe place in battle" declared Rear Admiral William s. Cowles, chief of the bureau of equipment, testifying today before the Senate committee on naval affairs in the investigation of criticisms of American battleshlp construction. He was in com- mand of the Missouri at the time of tho worst explosion in the history of the navy. After recounting graphically the story of that accident the admiral was questioned as to the causes, the lessons learl.e.l from the accident and the precautions taken to prevent such occurrences in the future.
 You can't handle powder and handle 1t fast without having accidents" he said. You have got to handle 1t fast because you must reach your gun first.'
 "On the principle that man must get his hand to his pistol pocket before the other feu1H,' suggested Senator Tnl- man.
 You t to hit the other fellow quick al 'aany times as you can be- fore he geti at you" said the admiral.
 As an advocate of the open turret and the direct hoist, Admiral Cowles was en- thusiastic. He asserted that they had decreased the time between rounds of fire from 300 seconds to 4o seconds.
 Describing the Missouri accident, Adj miral Cowles said that if the fiapseon the doors of the powder rnags zines had been closed [ ship would have been in no danger whatever. The present designs, he said, make it impossible for fire to get into the magazines under any circum- stances.
 Men Not Afraid.
 The witness said that shipmates of the men Killed on the Missouri had no nesl- tancy in going into the ill-fated turret and continuing the target practice.
 Chairman Hale referred to what he called the mania for rapid firing which has developed In the American navy, and Admiral Cowles gave the committee to understand that he approved that mania" in some degree. He thought, however. that with the shutters in the ammunition hoist the men still could fire fast enough and the navy department was right in declining to permit the off, oers to have them fastened back.
 During battle the guns will not be fired as rapidly as in target practice said the admiral, but we want to be ready He said the open hoist was less dangerous 10 the snip tHdH tns lWo-sldk6 hoist, though 1t was sometimes bad for the men.
 Taking up the question of whether na- val officers have been discouraged from submitting suggestions to the board or construction, of which he Is a member, the admiral denied the charge emphau- cally. He said that criticisms were fre- uuently investigated without considering the officers making them and the exper- iments were always going on in the tech- nical parts with which fault was found. "Nothing ever comes from naval officers without the board treating it with the utmost consideration" he declared.
 Armor Belt.
 As regards the charge that the armor belt on the battleships was too low, Ad- moral Cowles said that he concurred in the views expressed by Admirals Con- verse and Capps. He declared that he would feel safer in going into battle with only eight inches of armor above the water line. than with three feet, for that would mean an insufficient amount un- der the water covering the ships vftals.
 .'Then you do not think 1t advisable to raise the belt above the water line at the expense of the width of the belt be- neath?s' asked Chairman Hale.
 .'No, sir, I think 1t all right as it is," was the reply
 Lieutenant Commander Cleland Davis. assistant chief of the bureau of equip- ment. known as one of the navy's au- thorities on armor plate, also expressed the opinion that the armor belt on Amer ican battleships was properly located and that the open turret and direct ammuni- ton hoist were of the best design In use.
 The committee adjourned until tomor-