The Washington times., 1908-03-09
Charges Against Navy
Refuted by Officers;
Room for Improvement
New Hoist Greatest
Need, Senate Com
mittee Is Told.
Secretary'S Letter Hints
That Sims Is I'm
reliable.

Although admitting that there IS room
! FOR great Improvement in the coustruc-
ton of American battleships, the naval
officers who testified before the Senate
| Committee on Naval Affairs today were
unanimous in their declaration that the
/ sweeping charEtr Of inehicicncy and
faulty construction contained in the
Reuterdahl Ch -ges We're without foun-
dation.
Lieut.. Richard d. White, assistant in
spector OF taIge' practice. and. there
/ fore, closely associated with Lieutenant
Commander Sims. went nearer the point
OF criticism in his testimony than did
Rear Adnlrls Goodrich and Remey
(retlred), VINO followed him.
lie declared that the present am
muniti0n hoist equipped with shutters
OF the type now used in the navy. is
I most inefficient as installed. He said
he had been on board nearly all the
ships of the Atlantic feet in his ca
pacity as assistant Inspector OF target
practice, and, therefore, was in a posi-
ton to make close observations.
Favors interrupted Hoist.
Lieutenant White said that the slot
in the shutters, made necessary by the
passage Of a wire rope. is about three
inches wide and eighteen inches long.
This opening is large enough 70 per
nit powder TO fall through. Powder
he said had fallen through repeatedly
and would continue TO do so.
do you contend, then" asked Sena-
tor Hale. that the shutters are of no
value?"
"On the contrary" replied the naval
officer, they are Of much value. II one
hundred pounds of powder fell on the
shutter, only about one pound would slft
through into the handling room"
Powder would not fall through If the
interrupted hoist were used?' asked
Senator Hale.
mo. sir
AT the conclusion OF Lieutenant
Whites testimony Senator Hale read a
letter from Secretary Metcalf, embody-
ing the substance Of d conversation be-
tween the Secretary of the Navy and
the Senator Saturday afternoon.
Although he refrained from mention
Ing any name, Mr.. Metcalfs meaning
was perfectly evident when he stated
that the criticisms by "a navel officer"
We're most unreliable Lieutenant Com
mander Sims, who is believed 10 be the
officer referred to, had recommended TO
the Navy Department that the armor
belt should be increased thirty inches.
Secretary a Critic.
Subsequently he reduced his estimated
armOr increase to twenty inches. and
when he appeared before the Senate
crease Of ten inches. The great differ
ence in the views expressed by the Of
ficer, the Secretary said. illustrated how
unreliable his opinion was Secretary
Metcalf said that it was his opinion
that there is now no ground for the
contention that the water line belt is
faulty.
The criticisms which have appeared
in the public press, he said, did not
refer TO ships designed within the past
four years. These ships, the Secretary
wrote. were in no sense inferior TO the
battleships of any other nation. On
the contrary he said they have supe-
riOr qualities, the existence OF which
are admitted by foreign officers resident
in Washington.
Rear Admiral George c. Remev, re-
tired said that his judgment on the
armoT belt line would prompt him To
locate il with reference 10 the prob
able load water line of the ship when
she went into action. At such q time
the ship should have on board full
stores. full ammunition ana about a
lnree-quarJers supply Of coal.
Admiral ROmey said that he could
not subscribe TO the sweeping charges
contained in the Reuterdahl charges.
Referring to the turret hOists the Ofh-
Ger said that the gun tuTret should be
isolated completely from the handling
room, in order to secure for the men
below a proper degree of safety.
Rear Admiral &. +. Goodrich com
said that Admiral Remey's views coin
Cided with his own, both as regards the
armor belt and the turrets- In response
to question by Senator Tillman, Ad-
miral Goodrich said that he had sub
miCted TO the Navy Department In re-
spOnse to q general order a criticism Of
the armOr belt line. His ideal trim of
ship at time of battle would be 10 have
her aTmOr belt divided by the water
line-half the armor above the line and
half below the water. He said that
with a roll OF ten degrees. the average
roll Of a battleship. the unprotected DOR
ton Of the vessel would not show above
the waves.
Senator TiIlman then brought before
the committee the fact that when a
she IS not loaded she IS when in
actual service. and that she rarely re-
peats the speed performance Of her
trial trip.
Admiral Goodrich Testifies.
He asked Admiral Goodrich If ba
knew Of any vessels which had attained
in actual service, with fun equipment
aboard. the speed made on their initial