The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-10-05
.r't.y|! Y. BATTLESHIPS
viii l's:''yCOST ::
S18,OOO,OOO
According to Plans Department
will Submit to Congress
WILL HAVE SPEED OHOCOMOIIvfS
Armament viii be Greater Than
That of Biggest Dreadnaughts
Nof AfIoat.
WILL HAVE SPEED OROCOMOTIVfS

Washington, Oct 4-Superior bat
tie cruisers, bigger faster and more
heavily armed than any war craft
now anoat or building and which
cost $4,000, 000 each to construct and
equip viii be recommended TO Con
gress as a part Of the navy building
program for next year. Decision on
this step was reached today at con
ference between President Wilson,
Secretary Daniels and Representative
Padgett, chairman of the house naval
affairs committee
Plans for such type of vessel al
ready have been prepared under the
direction of Rear Admiral David N.
TAYLOR. chief constructor of the navy,
and now are being considered by the
secretary and members of the gen
eral board.
Just how many of the new tyne
ships will be asked for this winter
has not been determined, Secretary
Daniels said after the conference.
Cost of construction of navy craft has
risen since the outbreak of the Eur
opean war some recent steel con
tracts for this navy showing an in
crease Of thirty per cent over prey
ious prices, Dreadnoughts, which al
so will be recommended for construc-
ton this winter, will cost S1S,0G0000
each, it is estimated as against Sl5,-
100000 for those now building. Part
of this increase. however, is due to
new hull construction to provide
greater protection against torpedo at
tack.
The number of ships of each class
to be urged probably will be agreed
upon within a few days, The esti-
mates, by law, must be in the hands
Of the secretary Of the treasury by
october IS.
Plans for the battle cruisers, Mr..
Daniels said, contemplated a speed
of thirty-fve knots an hour. They
will be faster than any except the
swiftest destroyers. In land terms.
they will equal the speed of railway
trains making more than forty miles
an hour In size they will equal the
largest American dreadnohghts now
building and far exceed any now
aGoat
The arament has not been decid-
ed upon, but it probably will be equal
to or greater than that of present day
dreadnoughts. 1t is understood that
some officers believe each ship should
carry twelve fourteen-inch, fifty-cali-
bre rifles, but it is possible that les
ser number of guns may be mounted,
or that the new sixteen-inch rifle, the
largest naval gun yet developed, may
be used. In that case probably only
six or eight big guns would be mount
ed.
All the items of the forthcoming
navy estimates were considered at to.
days conferences. Secretary Daniels
declined to disclose other details of
plans. He intimated, however, that a
building program Tor the submarine
flotilla would be urged that would
make possible an inner line of de-
fense along the coasts to be maintain
ed by submersibles operating from
bases established at necessary interv-
ais on both the Atlantic and Pacific
shore lines.
The secretary said that recently,
when submarines were at the height
of their activity in the European war
the Pendulum of public opinion hda
swung to far in favor of submarines,
and that the tendency now would be
to swing it too far the other way.
The navy plans, he declared, would
not make either error. He added that
the value of submarines for defense