The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-02-10
FREQUENCY OF ACCIDENTS
IN NAVY CRITICISED.

IN NAVY CRITICISED.
| Washington, February Are
there more accidents in the United
States navy than in any other navies?
Are the risks greater in the service
aboard the modern Dreadnought
than in machinery plants of an equal
size on shore?
These two questions have been
placed before naval officers so per-
sistently of late that they are de-
termined to prove to the public the
reliability and safety of battleship
management by American naval Off
GERS.
The criticisms against the frequen-
cy of accidents in Uncle Sans navy
came from sources that demand con-
sideration. Following the recent
boiler explosion aboard the Dread
nought Delaware in which nine men
lost their lives, Representative Hob
son, the expert of the House on ma
val affairs, and formerly a United
States naval constructor, said that
the frequency of these accidents was
due to the system prevailing in the
American Navy of requiring officers
to do double duty, fighting as well
as engineering, which prevented
them from becoming expert in en-
cheering or battleship management.
Concerning the accidents due to
gun explosions, Sir Hiram Maxim
an international authority upon ex-
plosives stated that the fault was
to be laid upon the kind of powder
used in the United States navy.
The navy is fighting against such
accusations with all it's might and
main. At the request of Secretary
Meyer, the Bureau of Ordnance made
an exhaustive study of the charges
of Sir Hiram Maxim, and submitted
a report denying their truth. The
bureau laid the blame upon the
types of guns, an evil which they
say, is now being eradicated and will
soon disappear.
denying their truth. The bureau
laid the blame upon the types of
guns, an evil which they say, is now
being eradicated and will soon dis
appear.
A special board of inquiry has been
appointed to probe the question of
certain gun explosions and ordnance
accidents. Upon every accident of a
serious nature the navy department
is appointing a board of examination
to make an exhaustive report.
The naval officers defend them
selves by saying that there are no
more accidents in the U. S. navy
than there is in any other, but that
there is no navy in the world that
permits such wide publicity to be
given every disaster. They point out
that the death of a few men in some
factory ashore is purely a matter OF
local interest commented on only in
the press of that neighborhood
whereas the national character OF
the navy causes the story of every
accident aboard ship to be heralded
in every corner of the country. 9th,
er nations suppress the news of such
accidents
The modern Dreadnought they say
is huge and complicated floating
machine shop. Even with every pre-
caution there is always an element
of danger under those circumstances
but they maintain that statistics, II
they could be compiled, would prove
that the enlisted men of the navy is
more carefully protected than the
civilian employee working under
similar conditions.
It is very probable that some pre-
else information upon this subjec
will be gathered by the navy depart
ment and published to show the true
comparative extent of accidents IL
the United States Navy. This idea
is being seriously discussed at tn,
navy department now.
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