The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-03-05
SIMS sTIRs UP A
NAVAL PROBE ROW
ROOSEVELT AIDE MAKES MANY
WARM CHARGES.
TILlMAN vrsETs PLANS
Commander Who Armed to Give Out
sensation to investigating Body
10 Held Back, But seed
Takes Root.
rulMAN upsErs PLANS

washington, Mar. s.--commander
William H Sims, naval aide TO Presi-
Dent Roosevelt, by his own statement
is responsible for the row" over critl.
cisrns OF hattleship construction
AT the outset of his testimony before
the senate committee on naval affairs
Monday he gave the committee to IN
derstand it could expect some sensa.
lions. This was done In a preliminary
statement outlining what he had 10
do with naval criticism" which, he
said, began back of 1895 and was con.
fned to oficial channels. Much Of
my service has dealt with these crit.
cisms," he said, and continued: =
began when was S6 years old and
now am nearly So ! put this in be,
cause / am persistently called a young
man. am older than Admiral Caps,
who has referred TO me as d young
man
Tells Of "unpleasant Facts"
Continuing, he said he would have
to go into unpleasant facts, such as
charging officers or inventors with
having made misleading statements,
the secretion OF official documents. and
the refusal Of superior officers TO ae.
cept suggestions 81 value.
The plan Of Commander Sims 70
give the committee sensation was
upset Immediately by Senator Tillman,
who suggested that the witness be in.
structed to confine his testimony to al.
legged faulty construction and TO say
nothing at this time OF criticisms made
Of personnel, or incomplete organiza.
ton, or other matters which are to be
taken up later The commander asked
that he be permitted TO continue his
statement without interruption and
that the senators should not cross-ex,
anime him until he had concluded his
statement In his own way. His re.
quest was ignored.
Turret Construction Up.
His tone indicated that the specific
allusion" would not be complimentary,
and Chairman Hale FASTENED to say
that 1t would not be necessary for
either officer to express his opinion.
The question Of turret construction
and the relative merit OF the direct
and uninterrupted ammunition hoists
were then taken up The commander
gave a graphic description or the open
turret With the direct hoists, which
pictured the dangers In such manner
that caused MIR. Hale to remark: "Tha
wonder to me is that any men come
out OF there alive" Commander Sims
declared that the shutters In the direct
hoists do not work properly and that
when sacks of powder burst the grains
OF powder frequently get down to the
handling room m the hold Of the
ship.
Refers to Georsia Blast.
He referred 10 the explosion on the
Georgia, and said that 20-6dd burning
grains OF powder had found their way
down to the handling room Chair.
man Hale said he thought IL had been
established that only the interrupted
or twostage hoists would be used In
ships built thereafter The witness
took issue with the statements made
by other officers. such as Adrnirals
Capps and Converse. that the change
to the two-stage hoists is being made
in the interests Of speed and not for
safety. He expressed the belief that
the direct hoist can be made safe. He
thought also that there is no broken
hoist that wonld permit Of such rapid
firing as is averaged by the American
ships with the direct hoist, but that
the danger now is great
More Accusations Made
The Gross-examination by Admiral
Caps resulted In more direct accuse,
lions and positive denfals, without
bringing out anything of Importance.
Gunnery was referred to incidentally
by Senator Perkins, and Senator TIL,
man spoke OF the record made at San.
tiago as modern glory" Commander
Sims characterized the shooting by
the American squadron as the most
disgraceful exhibition of gunnery that
ever took place on the face OF the
globe" He said that only ~ per
cent. Of hits were averaged and four
per cent was the best made BY any
OF the big guns "our gunners could
not shoot at an he said. "The Span.
iards were in a wosul condition" sail
the witness, or they could have es.
capped easily"