Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-06-24

Congress, in February last, author
lied an appropriation of $20,000,O00
for the construction of pair of
mighty ships that may well entitle us
to the first rank in floating forces.
ships that will be in advance Of any
thing contemplated by either England
or Germany, now the ranking powers.
These two giants of the line of bat
tie, to be known as the New York
and the Texas, will approach close to
10000 tons displacement and with
engines of approximately $4,000
horsepower they will be able to make
speed of 20 knots an hour
In keeping with their massiveness
they will be not only only we'll grid
led with steel protection, but their
armament will be such as to make
them most formidable of their class
In their main batteries there will be
IL guns, each of Ia inches calibre and
each gun five-tenths of an inch larger
than any other piece of naval ord
nance made. not only because of cal
ibre of muzzle, but calibre of length,
these weapons being 5Is feet longer
than any other, giving them greater
powers of penetration.
But It is not altogether upon num-
bers Of ships. character or armament
or conditions of naval warfare, that
one may properly size up" the Amer
lean navy. AS has again and again
been said 1t is the man behind the
guns, and as early as 1875, when Gen.
| Arnolds improvised navy fought a
feet of British craft on Lake Cham
plain, recognition of this was given
when Pausch, the English historian
wrote: "The cannon of the Rebels
were well served, for, as | saw af-
forwards, our ships were pretty well
mended and patched up with boards
and shoppers"
AS 1t was then, continued to be
and is today, the American gunner is
peerless. When the final scores for
the battle practice of 1901 have
been compiled they will show most
remarkable accuracy In shooting
while rolling and pitching in turbu.
lent seas and at targets six miles dis.
tant.
Never has this effectiveness been
better shown than by the results Of
the target practice in the Chesapeake
bay, when the old battleship Texa.
was used as a mark and the New
Hampshire did the shooting. So eff
tective was this Shooting, ut seven ant
one-half miles, that under battle con
ditions of quick firing. but ten min
utes would have sufficed to complete
the work of destruction that wa
spread out during hours in order tina
the gunners might play with her, s.
o speak. At seven and one-hal
miles the old Texas was but a gre
blur upon the water and yet, upo
command Of Secretary Of the Nav
Meyer. the gunners placed their shell
: wherever wanted. Strike the mast,
said the Secretary. and moment LAT
,r the sticks" were broken off. mo,
the tdrrot," was the order and u
inch shells crashed against the struC
cure, wrecking 1t. And all this wa
lone while the New Hampshire wa
{ 'teaming at full speed
The history of the American nav,
rom one point of view. is not inspil
ng reading, for with niggardly Cor
!resses there have been sent into ba
lie ships but poorly equipped fc
their work. Yet. despite these awf,
1 landicaps the American sailors ha,
'gain and again been victorious h,
'ause of superior gunnery and SCI
nanship and they have left benin
hem records that will gladden. Il
> leart Of any man, and examples thu
i nav WnlI ha fnllnwad