Evening star., 1923-08-26

starting the building program Of
river gunbosts. large cruisers and
submarines sought by the general
board as imperativeiy needed for
TO the tfessH shs Nh OF ,hs fand
one budget director suggested that
s32.ooo;ooo be eliminated which auto
msticsily would prevent starting
work on any. new ships. 1t is an In
recall that II there should be ""
new construction authoriz. II would
be the first time since 1880 that the
Navy had no building program under
way.
For the first time in its history the
Navy has submarine planes all ready
for operation with the undersess craft
built by the Glen Martin company OF
Cleveland. have arrived at Hampton
! Roads and tests will be fnhugurated in
the near future of operating them with
ments. They are OF the "demonntabie
type" and when not in use will be
stored below deck on the submarines.
They are expected TO prove OF consid-
erable value in scouting work with the
IN recent ruling of the judge advo-
cate genera holds that there is no au-
servants on board naval vessels and
that they cannot be SO employed with
out specific authoriZat by Congress.
However. he adds. there IL no law
against the enlistment Of Chinese for
service on board vessels Of the Yangtse
patron force.
In another ruling il is held that
members of the Fleet Naval Reserve
Oh inactive duty are not entitled TO
purchase subsistence stores from the
Quartermaster Corps of the Army un-
der provision Of Army Regulation 1883.
According to its itinerary submitted
to the department. the administrative
flagship, the cruiser Seattle, now in
Puget Sound ports. will arrive at San
Francisco the last Of the month and
viii sail for the east coast about Octo-
Der Il.
Reports from, the Boston navy yard
indicate that the obsolete bat:leships
Virginia and New jersey will leave
the yard under tow for the Virginia
Capes the last Of this week Orders
from the department merely specify
that they be in position off Cape
Hstteras on September 4, ready for
| the air service bombing tests sched-
uled TO start September . or as
soon thereafter as practicable. Wori;
on the old ships has been limited 10
making them seaworthy enough to
stand the trip down. as the cost OF
attempting TO put them into condition
was prohibitiye.
There 10 every indication that both
branches Of the service are deter
mined there shall be no repetition Of
the controversy that arose out of
the bombing tests with the ex-Ger-
| man warshiDs two years ago over
the supremacy" of airplane versus
bat.leshIp.
It is specifically stated that the
experiments are being arranged for
| training the only bombardInert group
In the United States Army in the
aerial bonn ba rdnlent of sea targets to
| increase the efficiency of the person
mel. Denial is made that the bor-
bardment was reopening the old con
troversy between Army and Navy Az
to the effectiveness Of aerial bombs
againet seacraft.
! II Is stated further that It is hoped
TO obtain valuable statistical data
concerning the accuracy Of various
types OF aerial bombs from various
attitudes. All of the bombing will
be done from an altitude ex@'eding
5000 feet. and some OF the planes
will be equipped with superchargers
to enable them TO operate from an
altitude OF from 5000 to 10000 feet
carrying heavy bombs. No attempt
will be made TO use the 4.00o-pound
! mental stage. but one Of the ships
will be sunk with 2.o00-pound bombs
An interesting report of sighting a
meteor several hundred miles south
| east Of Nova Scotia has just been
| received by the naval hydrosrsphic
steamship Ia xandrter, from his home
in New York city.
He reports seeing about midnight
an extremely distinct and brilliant
meteor which ne describes as follows:
The body appeared about th!rty-f1ve
Or forty degrees above horizon in
bearing 2I0 degrees, travelling verti-
cally. and finally disappearing about
eight degrees above horizon in the
same bearing and simultaneously
! burst. The light was 50 immense that
the horizon was distinctly visible as
lighted by several searchl!ghts d.
/, rected at the same spot. The time be-
tween appearance and disappearance
will estimate as one-and-a half TO
two seconds. -
/ "As 1t was overcast, with nimbus
skies and the horizon a little haZT. II
seemed to me as the body was going
| through the lower atmosphere and,
what seemed more convincing, !
thought I heard a sound like that Of
Il heavy gun bullet passing close by
| shortly before ! saw IT."
The engineering trophy for vessels
OF the submarine class has been
awarded to the Sis and white r
| will decorate each side OF her perl
gineering force. like those OF the
bigger ships. will sport an and each
Will receive SO prize. while their
commander. Lieut.. G. G. Dyer; VIII
receive letter Of commendation
from the Secretary.
The ga and O-6. both older types
Of underseas craft. stood second and
third. while the Ria made the great
est Improvement in her score OF en-.
cheering over her performance or
the previous year.
An enlisted man who has been dis
charged at any time within three
months prior to the expiration or ms
term of enlistment or extended en-
iistment at the direction Of the Secre-
Oh Ne anfitfa1