The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-18
Quality Of Material Furnished
to ArImor the Great Dread
naughts of the Navy Is Said
to Be Very Poor.
TESTS SATISFACTORY
THE OFFICERS STATE
However a Recent Board Of In
quiry Found that a Number
Of Plates Were in a Poor
Condition.
~ JONATHAN WINFIELD.


last four years Uncle Sam" has been
having all sorts OF trouble with the
quality of steel furnished by the large
steel mills Of the country for use as
armament for his navy dreadnaughts.
whether the steel under actual war
conditions would resist the onslaught
Of m enemy has never been demon
strated, although firing tests at the
naval proving grounds at Indian Head.
Nd, have. in a measure, satisfied Of
flcers that the steel 10 all that would
be required.
From recent examinations by boards
Of inquiry in behalf OF the navy de-
partment reports have been made to
the effect that the covering Of armor
on ships sides would meet with the
most exacting and searching investi.
cation. Yet. somehow, alarming stor-
les and their way before the public
which describe the plight the aver
age American battleship would be
In. should It meet an enemy Of war.
Naval officers Immediately convene In
extraordinary session. with the result
that assauaging and comforting mes
sages are given the public that the
navy 10 In better condition today than
ever before.
Plates Found Defective.
Nevertheless. other boards Of In
quiry are formed and special investi-
oation ordered. One made about ..
week ago and sent to the secretary Of
the navy conveyed the information
that six plates of armor had been
found defective in the battleship
Utah, four on the North Dakota and
nine on the Delaware. three Of the
The Utah and North Dakota have
not yet been fully equipped while the
Delaware has been in service little
less than year.
The plates. which weigh about Atty
tons each and cover space from four
to six feet wide and about nine feet
long, cover the most vital parts of
the ship. They become detected with
spores" or "quales." a general
cracking Of the case-hardened metal.
On the Utah, ship Of 21.S25 tons
displacement. with Is guns in It's
main battery. some of the lesser
cracks have been gone over with
"filler." On the Delaware. vessel of
10000 tons displacement and with "a
guns In ts main battery, the spores
stood out plainly. the plates being
very badly cracked. while on the
North Dakota, a ship of 10000 tons
with - guns In its main battery. the
plates were 10 bad that new ones
were ordered to replace the old ones
With the disclosures made by the
special board. Secretary of the Navy
Meyer. II 10 thought will call for re
ports from all commanding officers oil
vessels for full particulars concern
ing thearmament Of their ships What
the result will be naval experts are
loath to say. Who is to be "stung'
for the price Of the defective armol
will also be a question? The Judge ad
vocate OF the navy department II
wrestling with the proposition.
Postal Savings Law.
10 President Taft. father Of the pos
tal saving bank scheme to inherit tn,
fame. or the calumny whichever 70,
choose) OF being responsible for /,
race Of misers. Leading financial ex
perts do not look at the matter IL
that light. although enterprising can
dy vendors. amusement men and meT
chants are giving the matter seriou
consideration.
Their objection 10 based on the ide,
and spirit Of the administration's pc
scheme. They claim that through tn,
postal saving bank. thousands of dol
lars monthly will be taken out OF tn
marts Of trade. boarded away and KEEP
from circulation.
In speaking to one OF the leadin,
small merchants Of this city on tn
subject he said
THE habit Of saving. once formed
becomes ineradicsble 1t promotet
thrift. and sometimes makes peopl
miserly. Teach the young to save
but not to acquire misery habit,
when . young boy or girl place
their money In . postal saving banl
denying themselves OF what other chi
dren enjoy. the spirit thus engendel
Cd 10 sometimes akin to the miserl
habit Of older people whose savin
proclivities cut them on from the res
enjoyment Of life. Tho scheme PR
posed by Mr.. Taft may be all righ
but at the same time parents must e,
erciso wise discretion II they wish Z
avoid the possible dangers create
By too much saving In their young O
spring.
On the other hand. First Assistar
secretary Of the Treasury Andrew
pa&husiastic about the scheme an