Evening star., 1916-10-11
Delivery of Completed Material.

AS TO the facilities FOR shipping COM
pleted material. tidewater site would
undoubtedly be best from this point of
view, since water transportation is
cheaper than rail transportation and
does not impose conditions as to size
and weight of armor plates which are
imposed on land transportation. The
cost of land transportation for armor
plates Is not excessive. but the sizes Of
cars, dimensions of tunnels bridges
etc, have placed a practical limit on
the size of armor plates. If these con-
ditions were not imposed it might be
found best in the future to make larger
armor plates, which would be an ad-
vantage from the point of view Of the
efficiency of the armor in protecting the
vessels to which it was supplied"
Special Advantages.
In Washington the United States al
ready owns most admirable site for
the proposed plant. consisting of
eighty-seven (sD acres, bounded on
two sides by property Of the United
States. on the third side by the Poto-
mac river, which at that point has a
twenty-nine (29) foot channel The
fourth-and shortest-side abuts upon
! tract is so isolated from the residential
section of the city as to minimize
necessity for extensive police and fire
protection.
In the Great Falls of the Potomac,
with its possibilities of tens Of thou
sands horsepower, Washington is In
a position unique for" power for the
proposed plant. the utilization of the
harnessed falls would mean the saw
ing of thousands of dollars annually
for this project alone. and solve for all
time the question of light, heat, re-
friSeration, and the thousands of uses
to which electrical current is now put
Environment.
Washington offers ideal environment,
II is the home of the Navy Department
the station of the heads Of the naval
bureaus directly responsible for the
practical working out of the first gov
| ernment owned armor plant in this
country. Millions of dollars have al
| ready been expended by Congress on
various bureaus of the government the
corporation and close affiliation of
which to the proposed plant Will be
most essential.
Groups of trained men are ready on
| the ground-men of the highest scien-
| tific training and of the most patriotic
and unselfsh character. The geological
survey, the bureau Of mines the bu-
| reau Of standards. patent office, Con-
| gressional Library. and the Washing
ton navy yard and Army War College
are institutions Whose personnel, whose
| facilities, whose equipment would be
| immediately available to the plant.
Close Cooperation Desirable.
| The general board will admit (be-
cause II is matter of daily occur
rence) that the close and friendly CO.
operation of the above-named institu-
tions is an absolute necessity, and in
stance after instance in the past has
developed the fact that the work of the
Navy Department is aided by the work
already done Of certain of the said bu-
1 reaus.
Personal comprehensive hearings
| Gas all business or professional men
| know beyond the shadow of a doubt
are infinitely preferable to protracted
and time-consuming correspondence.
The proximity of the bureau cited to
the armor plant. If located here, would
provide saving in time as well as
| money that cannot be estimated.
| A most important point is brought
out in the hearings before the naval
committee, referred to above. The
bureau of ordnance, page 3T12, says:
should the proposed plant be es-