Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-04
Things You Want to Know
Recent Naval
Progress

, Of hearings that had run for thousands OF
knots under such pressure that even tho
tool marks were not worn off.
In number OF ways tho United States
has an important advantage over other ma
tons In its naval strength. The average
age Of It's effective warships Is less than
that Of any other nation. This has re-
suited IN keeping slightly ahead Of all
other countries In the effectiveness OF our
defense. England usually has led the way
in the adoption OF Improvements in battle
ship construction. Tho United states has
followed closely enough upon the heels OF
John Bull to afford it an opportunity to
profit by the mistakes as we'll as by the
trumphs OF British naval constructors 1t
must not he supposed, however, that the
United States has lacked Initiative when
obvious advantages were TO be had The
new lattice work mast Of the American
dreadnought is one Of the evidences of the
progressivenCss Of tho American naval
architect.
For years there has been n constant
rivalry between gun power and arInor re-
sistance. As soon as new methods of maxi
ing armor more capable OF resisting the
penetration of shells were brought about,
then the gun makers enlarged the calibrc
OF their guns and the size OF their shells.
and for years 1t seemed that the race was
to be an undecided one. At last the gun
maker began to secure a slight advantage,
and he is now at that point whore his shells
can pierce the heaviest armor IL is practiu-
able to place on a battleship. The armor
plate manufacturer has, in the meantime,
so enhanced the resisting qualities of his
armor that thirteen inches OF the best mod
inches of ordinary wrought iron. Knowing
wen that the gun is superior TO the armor
the modern commander will fight his battle
at a very long range Perhaps five miles
will be the average range between opposing
fleets in the battles of the future. 1t has
resolved itself down into the point where
the battleship is like the prize fighter-the
one which has the longest reach possesses
the advantage.
In the new fourteen-inch guns, the
American navy will have an effective
fighting range greater than that of the
navy of any other country. Even its
twelve-inch guns have range that Is
great and accurate. One OF these was
tested on a range of nearly ten miles, and
five shots struck within 100 yards of each
other. The range of the fourteen-nch gun
will be greater by several miles, and with
the progress that is being made In firing
accuracy, the American dreadnoughts Just
authorized will be able to land shells upon
opposing fleets while the enemy's shots
yet fall short Of their mark. 1t VIII be the
aim of the commander OF a squadron of
such vessels to defeat the opposing fleet
before 1t can get into good fighting range.
one OF the main efforts In present-day
battleship construction is to make them
safe against torpedo attacks. Since little
submarine boat of the American navy made
Its own way at sea for many hours under
such weather conditions as led to the
breaking of the cable by which it was being
towed, the world has come to the con-
clusion that the submarine boat possesses
hitherto unsupported elements of strength
and danger to opposing fleets. While the
United States has been looking well after
the construction of these little engines of
war 1t has hardly kept pace with some Of
the European countries in this regard Its
recent provision for five new submarines
VIII give it front rank in the number of
these vessels
England recently launched it's largest
1ghting craft, the Colossus. 1t is more
IMAM 4OOo tons lighter than the two new
vessels authorized by Congress- 1t has a
N''P'"SNihSHN VI SSiOVV TONS. All ten of Its
twelve-inch guns may be fired broadside on
either side, and in addition to these It has
large number of thirty-fiVe-pound guns
disposed throughout the ship in such a
way as to make them effective in repellinE
torpedo attacks
The new battleships will be built under
the eight-hour law. This Is taken by some
to mean that they will cost at least 81, 900 900
more than they would If they were built
without this provision in the law authorlz-
ing their construction. On the other hand
1t is claimed that in the experience of Ger
many and some other countries, more work
has been accomplished by the eight hour-a-
day laborer than the one who has been
worked for longer hours. The whole coun-
try viii watch this latest test of the eight
hour labor contention.
ny FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.
w--canadian-Amerioan Fisheries.