The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-02-22
THE LAST OF Her
The Texas, our Hoodoo Bastleship, Will
Soon Sc shot to Psees
TO IMPROVE THE NAVY

She VIII Before Long BE BosnbarG.
ed bs Our Own Friendly Shot and
Shell to Test Cp-so-date Projec-
tiles and .Ar,~.,- and Will Go 70
the Junk Heap
or Hampton Roads in April next
a battleship OF the famous White
Sou. iron OF twenty years ago Viii
nee. friendly fate at che hands
o: the men behind the guns OF our
modern Atlantic feet The Texas.
always a s,eel-sided hoodoo and long
large, soc naval criticism. is to
become at las. a target for Aueri-
can gunners. She will be towed
like culpri, 70 point OF the Chcs-
apcahe's protecting capes. anchored
and shot 20 pieces When her bat
tered funnel shall have disappeared
beneath the great sea the final rec
ord will be made IN the Eaval rec
o-ds O: the arst aattleship built for
the American navy. a vessel that
COS, the Government $c.500.o00 in
1892
Ii will be the FIRST time IN the
history OF our navy that real yes
sci is used as a target for the big
guns. Heretofore targets made or
canvas have been used. but as the
Texas has ouelived her usefulness.
high explosive projee;iles will be Sr-
ed against her in order that the Of
Hcers may study their action against
the hull and superstructure at bat
tie ranges. Surely a fitting end for
the ualuckiest ship in the Aneri-
can Navy, For although she COW
cred hersel: with glory at the bat
tie OF Santiago. she was SO un:or;nn-
ate in time Of peace as TO earn the
title OF The EoodoS.
Foreign navies for many years
have used their obsolete hattleships
as targets. and the results have been
OF great benefit in determining the
relative value Of high explosive pro-
jecti,es The old query. What would
happen Il an irresistible fore: came
IN co,tect with an ;mmovable Oh
iect? nag almost been answered by
these tests- At recent test in the
French Navy It was discovered that
when a twelve or thirteen inch pro
jectiie hits 2 turret such a terrific
hea. Is developed that for twelve
hours no human being could touch
the point Of contact Whether men
could live in a :urret pounded by l2-
:ach pojectiles Is doubtful. although
experiments have shown that cats
and chickens have been able TO with
stand this terrific heat
For the past four or Eve years the
Texas has been little more than a
boating barracks for enlisted naval
men. stationed most OF the time a;
Charleston. S. c. Ever since the
Spanish war she has done nothing
be, cruise up and down the Atlantic
coast. taking the nidshipmea on
their annual practice jauats to the
New England regions. and steamins
around Hatteras in all kinds o!
weather to the fall and winter man.
oeuvers in the tropics.
She has not been considered good
enough for station ship. In fact
like more than fifty other men OF
war that have become obsolete. she
IS nothing more than a pile Of junk.
She cost s2.50o.000 less than TWEEN
ty years ago. but today she would
hardly bring $4,000. The cruise,
Detroit. which cost the Governnec,
sl.233. .o3s twenty years ago. brough,
only $4,000 the other day. In
short. the men-ot-war OF even Is
years ago are little more than junk
today An Uncle Sam has junk
pile which cost bet seen $4,000
900 and s150.000.000. The cruis-
ers Of the famous White Squadron
that sailed the seas before the or
gan:zation OF the more famous fee,
Of the present time are all obsolete.
They are worthless rs fighters. use
less as cruisers.
The necessity for more powerful
ships in the United States Navy was
demonstrated by the battle between
the French and Chinese fleets in
1904 ~ hA DaOn@n
chorase. Min River. where the Chin
ese ships were sunk In half an hour
= Was decided that this country
should have modern defense force
as soon as possible II 1885 Presi-
dent Cleveland approved naval ap-
preparation bill which directed the
building OF the Texas. a battieship:
the Maine. sister ship. ard several
cruisers.
A prize was offered by the Secre-
tary OF the Navy for the best designs
10. battleship to cost s2.5oo.00o
Many naval architects competed. and
the prize was awarded to an English
man. Mr.. John. With the e1cep-
ton OF the protected cruisers Char
Ieston and Baltimore. built later.
the Texas was the only vessel built
on designs purchased abroad
The Tex was constructed at tie
Norfolk Navy Yard. being the srs:
and only ba.;leship ever built there
Work ca her was 50 slow that al
though the keel was laid down IL
January. 1889. she was no: launched
until June. 1892. and by tha, tine
the plans had been altered so much
that she was practically OF American
design.
From the start she showed up
badly. In fact. she had such 4
series Of mishaps that she became
known as the greatest landsoing bat
tieShip in the world Not ONLY did