Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-07-19
LESSON OF THE TEXAS.
Eyewitness Tells of the Recent
Remarkable Target Test.

must be eliminated from our war;
ships. Had there been crew on
board the battleship Texas during
her destruction, not man would
have escaped death by the splinters
which filled the air at every broad
side, writes Dudley Harmon in Les
lies Weekly.
(Mr. Harmon Is stationed at the
State, War and Navy departments in
Washington by the United Press AS
sociations, and Is one of the news
paper men who were eye-witnesses
to the blowing up Of the Texas in
the recent target practice.)
In the interest of humanity and to
save hundreds Of American sailors
from horrible deaths by flying splin-
ters, naval constructors are deter
mined to insist upon the change One
glance at the shattered Texas tells
the story. Jagged gashes two feet
wide have been torn in her decks
and sharp-pointed splinters lie every
where.
With the wooden weather deck
gone, the danger from fire in battle
will be greatly reduced. Frequently
shells from the guns Of the New
Hampshire set ablaze the woodwork
on the Texas. Naval constructors
have long clung to the wooden deck,
and 1t still exists in every navy, but
even its American champions are now
convinced by the ruined Texas that
its retention Is impossible. 1t Is
probable that steel will be substitute
ed, though experiments will be made
with fireproof compositions.
But these are not the only lessons
drawn from the destruction Of the
Texas. The results are the most far
reaching ever attained in the history
of the American navy. This amaz-
Ing test has also shown that our
battleships are In desperate need of
armor protection below the water
line, that the coming tower must
be strengthened, that the present ex-
plosive shell Is faulty, and above all,
that even more efficient gunnery Is
imperative.
The blowing UP Of the Texas fore
IDLY demonstrated the theory that
the armor belt should be extended
further below the water line. En-
gines and magazines. the vital parts
of modern battleship, are almost
certain Of destruction in our naval
engagement. unless this is done at
once. Shell after shell that struck
the water near the Texas continued
It's downward course and pierced the
side Of the old battleship. Any one
of these shots would have been suffl-
clent to put her out Of action, by
flooding the engine room or explod-
ing a powder magazine. In half
hearted manner the navy is at pres
, ent extending the armor belt some
what below the water line. Neces-
sity demands that full protection be
given the underwater portions Of
the battleships Immediately.
1t is no less apparent, after the fir
ing on the Texas, that something
must be done to strengthen the con-
ming tower. In this steel tower,
found on every battleship are not
only It's eyes and ears, but its brains
as well. From this point the captain
watches the progress Of the battle
and issues orders directly to the en-
CINE room and the gun turret.
The coming tower OF the Texas
lies In pieces on the deck, Its nine
inch steel walls smashed by shells
Two projectiles did the work. The
first, an cight-inch shell, penetrated
the side and smashed the delicate in
struments the tower contained. The
second, an explosive twelve-nch
shell, completely shattered the steel
walls and the structure toppled
down. The crumpled coming tower
OF the Texas caused every young off,
Ger, each prospective commander
to realize the dreadful dangers the
captain Of warship is exposed to.
AS result OF the destruction OF
this powerful sea fighter, the coming
towers OF future battleships in the
United States navy will be built Of
thicker steel The search for tougher
material. Of greater shell-resisting
power, will be prosecuted with re-
newod vigor. But 1t also means that
the navy must learn to give up some
OF It's dependence upon the coming
towers as point Of control and CEN
ter It's lines Of communication i'm
some other less vulnerable though
less advantageous Dart of the hotun