Evening star., 1914-07-19


fall and by proper system of cultivation
of the soil to let the water soak into the
ground instead of running OF and de-
stroying the top soil. Col. Thorpe has
conducted these experiments over q pc
riod of more than seventeen years.
His methods are said to be extremely
simple and inexpensive, consisting chief
ly of contour plowing and embankment
work SO planned as to hold all the water
which falls on the land.
The recent statement Of Sir Percy Scott,
one. of the best known naval authorities
Of England: to the effect
Battleshlp that the day Of the large
Doomed? and costly Dattleship is
marine and aeroplane are taking its place,
is creating no end of comment among the
officials Of the Navy Department who
are now stationed in Washington
Sir Percy Scott has perhaps Won more
fame than any Of the other English ad-
mirals Of the present generation in the
upbuilding OF a strong navy. which relies
chiefly on the very instrument of war
whose period Of usefulness he says Is
now passing. His statements are opposed
While men outside of naval circles for
many years have been at loss to under
stand how the battleships in future war
were going to withstand the attacks of
submarines and aeroplanes, Sir Percy
Scott is the first great naval authority to
come forward with a statement on the
comparative worthlessness Of huge bat
tleshtp when combating enemies which
are dropping bombs from overhead and
which may be firing powerful torpedoes
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Although officers of the United States
Navy have no desire to comment officially
on Sir Percy's statement. they are free
IN making expressions privately. Neither
the airshfp nor the submarine boat, in
the opinion of the majority of naval Off
GERS. has been developed far enough to
prove a menace to battleships in actual
warfare. The maneuvering ability of
submarine Is very much restricted at the
present time, it Is said. and the efficiency
of this type of vessel in warfare on the
high seas is doubted by naval officers
Airships. too, they believe. are even
worse handicapped because of their lack
Of development. and besides it is believed
developed which will cripple these navies
of the air and make it impossible for
them to carry on their attacks.
Although most naval officers believe
continue to be the principal tool of war
fare carried on on the high seas, they
admit that the tendency is toward the
development Of a boat of the semi-sub-
marine or submersible type. This would
be a torpedo boat designed with a dis
placement of 5000 to $3.50 tons and with
a speed Of perhaps twenty-eight knots
per hour. The new type of high speed
turbine engines and boilers in which oil
is used as fuel and other mechanical i'm
provements make it possible to develop
submersible boat of good displacement
and plenty of speed and still leave room
for the fighting crew. The speed with
which such a boat could work in con-
hict with battleships would make 1t a
dangerous enemy and hard to combat.
Even If a chance shot should hit such a
rapidly moving submersible torpedo boat
penetration would be very doubtful be-
cause of the distance in the water at
which the boat would be submerged. and
the chances would be that the shot would
glance off its sides.
The statements made by Sir Percy,
notwithstanding the extent to which his
opinions have been opposed by American
naval officers, have set authorities at the
Navy Department thinking. and 1t IS
more than probable that within the next
wear the result Of the English admtraPs 8
criticism of the efficiency Of the larger
battleship would show its results. bat
tleship costing many times what a tor,
pedo boat or a submersible ship would
cost and an airship costing only a frac-
ton of the cost Of either compels thoughts
Of economizing in war costs and has
started American naval experts planning
for, a new kind of fighting craft. There
are some naval officers who believe that
changes may be made before many years
are past which will mark the beginning
of a revolution in naval construction.