The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-02-13
Old Warships Playing out rapidly.
A Few Years Service and Boats
Are Out of Date.
BE USED FOR OTHER PURPOSE
Claim Democrats Will Not Let the
Navy Yards Go to the Scrap
Heap.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-It seems to be the
present determination of the MAJ jor-
ity in the house of representatives to
deny the request of the navy depart
ment for the construction of two big
battleships during the coming year.
Officials Of the department were con-
vinced some time ago that their re-
quest had little chance Of sanction by
q house which Is economically in
clined. 1t seems hardly probable that
the senate will insist that the house
accede to the wishes Of the navy de-
partment, although such a thing IL
within the range of possibilities.
Five years ago MI. Roosevelt, then
president, asked congress to author.
ize the building of four big battle.
ships in single year. It was gen.
orally believed at the time that the
colonel asked for four ships in order
that he might be sure that he would
get two.
The year of the Roosevelt request
the Republican majority in congress,
let it be understood that the inten-
ton was to build two battleships a
year each. succeeding year until the
Panama Canal was opened. and by.
that time it was urged the navy
would be big enough for offensive
and defensive purposes and that it
would only be necessary to build
ships as other ships became antiquat-
ed and passed out of service. >.
Soon Become Out-of.Date.
Ships are becoming antiquated rap
Idly. They seem to get into their
second childhood before they, have
reached the age Of youth. The last
report is that the Kearsarge and the
Alabama, first-class battleships only
few years old, are nearing the out
of-date condition. The navy depart
ment offlcials say that if no ships
are built for some years we will have
to begin building the navy all over
lgain, a proposition to which some
men do not accede. The peace ad-
vocates hope that II no more vessels
are built the necessity for. future
construction will pass and that with
Hague tribunals and arbitration trea-
ties, turrets and twelve-inch guns win
20 to the scrap heap.
Some of the members Of the ma
jority in the house say that they do
not agree with the peace advocates
and that there is no intention of let
ting the navy 60 to the scrap heap
and that the Democrats can be de-
pended upon to keep the navy up to
the fighting standard. The program,
however, does not necessitate the
building of two great ships this year
at cost Of something like thirty
million. .. -
It is just fifty years ago now that
| the famous ironclad Monitor was
launched at the Brooklyn navy yard.
| From that day iron and steel ships
| gradually have taken the place Of
! the old wooden frigates. There is \
! tremendous contrast, however,. be-
| tween the first ironclads, the north.
ern Monitor and the southern Merri-
mac and the dreadnaughta of today.
Navy's Growth Shown In Models.
! In the new National museum in
| Washington Americans can learn by
inspection Of many models, the de-
| velopment of the navy in the last
half century. The models follow q
fixed scale. They are not large, but
they show every detail of every class
Of war ship of the navy from the very
beginning of war vessel construction
In this country.
The old Constitution, which Won so
many notable victories in the War
Of 1912 over British vessels, is shown,
/ and near her is a model Of the great
/ est war vessel afoat, the recently
| constructed American battleship Flor
Ida
1t is long time since the day Of
the supremacy of the wooden ships,
but that time is spanned by the lives
OF men still active. There are in
| Washington several old sailors on the
/ retired list who served on the Consti-
tuition and the famous if by no means
equally famous Constellation, The
Constellation is gone. but the old
Constitution is moored in the basin
of the navy yard at Charlestown.
Mass. It generally has been sup
4 posed that most Of the timbers of the
Constitution have been replaced, but
4 It is said that a large part Of the oak
which first entered into her. construc-
ton is there today, weather proof
and sea proof.
To pass from war ships to pleasure
ships, attention has been called re-
Gently to the fact that the yacht Pur-