Show RECENT NAVAL PROGRESS I BY FREDERIC FREDER J. J HA KIN T r-T- lIE II authorization by con congress o otho oC THC tho the building of ot two new ton to T I battleships marks the tho highest note notch In naval progress yet reached One On of or these ships will bo be as largo large a as two of the ho best which took part p-m In th the SpanIsh American war In RUM un poWer powe It Jt will surpass tho strength of any three of ot the ships which helped to sink Cervera Cervera's MriS S vera vera's fleet off th the S coast of oC Cuba Th The Inch fourteen guns gun uns S 'S which these new monsters will moun mount S arc are powerful be beyond beyond beyond be- be yond anything ye yet t fri t known t to naval nava ordnance With a n 4 t pound charge o ot of smokeless powder of au an nl explosIve force torce compared wit with with'S S 'S t which dynamite Bf seems ms ns as h harmless harmles mr a ad aA sawdust the they hurl hurt a n pound 1400 tt shell sheU through th tho thor air at An Initial vo o 0 oH r r- r d LJ H H. i IU of ot nearly one one- halt half air mile a second So great ul Is Ia th the tha force with which this shell Is IB propelled t that at It has M a possible range of nearly twenty c miles At t seven ruwen miles mile It will pierce the heaviest armor that covers the hull bull of any battleship In any European Eu Eu- navy At every broadside o of these e two their t ir Ith H shIps twenty fourteen fourteen- inch will guns gUM hurl fourteen tons o ot of metal against tho the opposing fleet Th This metal will be bo propelled by nearly eight tons tone of powder and md the aggregate cos cosi cost of i each broadside will represent more mor than the tho annual salary of ot nn en admiral o of th the e navy It Is claimed by tho the En English that tho they thoy stand tand ahead of all tho the rest of or tho the world worl in the manufacture of or powerful gun guns They use tho the wire wound method of gu sun gun manufacture Th The ThA guns consist of or a comparatively sma small steel tube wrapped with wire wino It is asserted that when who thus made mado the tho guns gun can stand a pressure pres- pres sure suro of oC from ninety to tons to th the Inch a as compared with a 0 pressure o ot of from era thirty four to tour four tons t to the inch In the tho case cane of ot steel jacketed guns such as are aro us used d In tho the AmerIcan America y rm-y American ordnance experts d do donot donot not agree with those of ot England in th thIs particular and while they admit that tha tho the life lite and safety of or the British guns gun may give them some somo advantage yo yet ot they n assert sert that th these so advantages are aro counterbalanced by others In favor of or th the American guns There Is 16 a n. wide difference of ot opInIon as to what the tho actual cost of or the tho new battle battleships Is to be he It was averted asserted d re recently recently recently re- re b by Senator Hale who for tor a Ion long time was chairman of tho the naval com corn that tho ho ultimate cost of each vessel would 1 bo ho 0 between am and On the other hand th the tho present nt chairman of or the committee Senator Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Perkins of or California dc declared that tha tho the cost would not be bo more than for each ship Later Senator Senater Lo Lodi Lodge o said that would approximate tho the actual cost If Jt the experience o or of tho the past ma may be bo taken as a criterion tho the figures figure stated by Senator Hale wl will willmore willmore more nearly represent the ultimate cos cost than those given by bv Senator Perkins But however much they theS ma may cost It I Is but little as 88 compared with the outlay In their upkeep In times of ot peace the they will require the services of 1000 men an anan and an outlay of a 11 year for maintenance main main- This outlay will be he exceeded to a a considerable extent In time of war So rapid ha has been the progress I In naval na armament in the tho past decade that tha the last word of of f yesterday In battleship battleship battleship battle battle- ship building goes almost to to- to day Even E tho the great which but a few years ears ago wa was the talk o of naval circles throughout all the world and the admiration and despair of every evory rival of ot John Bull today seems hopel hopelessly hopelessly hope hope- l lessly eclipsed b by the monsters that ar are arc being authorized by bytho tho various arlom govern govern- ments Two of the the battleships Just authorized au au- au- au by tho the American congress would make more than three like tho the first Eng lish Not only ony have havo battleships grown 1 In size and In tho the strength of their guns but also In their efficiency The use of steam turbines Instead of ot tho the engine has brought about a wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- improvement in speed and economy economy economy econ econ- omy of at coal Tho The Delaware of 2000 tons ton displacement burns less coal than tha the Connecticut of at tons The Tho Massachusetts Mas Mas- with a IL tonnage of sll slightly more mono than Ulan half hal as much as that of th the tho Delaware required more fuel to steam sixteen knots an nn hour than the Delaware Delaware Dela Dela- ware requires to steam one twenty knots an hour This same condition of economy economy economy econ econ- omy has hils been found to be possible 1 In InIn inin in other branches of battleship pera- pera tion lion In the matter of lubricating oil oila ol ola a vast ast saving has been effected and a aa asa ns as a big battleship uses usei thousands of ot gal gal- loan Ions of ot oil a 8 year car tho the importance o othis or of orthis this item Stem Is not to bo be overlooked On some of tho the newer vessels oil on Is forced Into the bearing of the machinery under unde heavy pressure This has been Instrumental instrumental mental in effecting great s savings through the tho overcoming of or hot not boxes and f similar simi simi- lar tro troubles bles It was noticed In the ex ex- cz- cz I ambition of ot bearings that had run fo for thousands of or knots under such pressure pressur that oven even tho the tool marks were cre not worn o off J In a a. number I b r of ways the United States has an Important advantage over ove other nations In li-i Its naval strength The era a average tI ago age of or its c effective warships 1 Is less than that of f any other nation ThIs has haa resulted in k keeping slightly ahead o or of orall all other countries in tho the effectiveness eness of our defense England usually has led the tho way In tho the adoption of ot Improvements improve improve- monte monts in In battleship Construction tion Tho rho United States has followed closely enough upon tho the heels of or John Bull Bun to afford It it an opportunity to profit by tho tim mistakes as well ell as by the triumphs o of British naval constructors It must no not bo be supposed however that tho the United St States has lacked Jacked Initiative Initiative- when obvious ous ous nd cL advant advantages wore were to be had Tho ThoI I no new lattice work mast of ot the American I is one ne of the evidences o otho ot of tho pro of ot tho the American naval na t. t For years Years Years' there thoro has lias been a constant constan rivalry between cn gun power and armor r resistance A As Aa soon as new methods o ot of making armor alnor mora more capable of or resisting tho penetration of shells were brought brough about then the tho gun makers enla enlarged ged the calibre of their guns and the size o or of their shells and for tor years ears it St seemed that the tho race wa was to bo be an undecided ono one At Al last the gun maker began to secure a slight advantage ad and he Is noat now nos at that point where his shells can cai pierce the tho heaviest armor It Is practicable practicable cable to place on ona a a J. J battleship The armor plate manufacturer has In the meantime so enhanced the resisting qualities of or his armor that thirteen en Inches of or the but best modern armor Is mOre moro powerful than fifty Inches of or or ordinary wrought iron Knowing well that t the tho gun Js is superior to the armor annor the modem modern mod mod- em ern commander will fl fight ht hi his hili battlo at a avery avory very vory long range Perhaps five live miles will be tho the average range between opposing fleets In the tho battles of at th the future It I has hils simply resolved Itself down into the the point where the battleship is like the tho prize fighter tIm fighter the ono which has hab tho the longest reach Mach possesses the advantage In the new inch fourteen guns tho American navy will have o an ctr effective fighting range greater than that of r tho the navy of any other country Even its twelve-Inch twelve guns have a a. range that is 18 great grout and nd accurate Ono Of t these W was tested on a 11 range of ot nearly ten and nd live shots struck Iti within yards ards of ot each f-ach other The range of oC tho the fourteen fourteen- Inch sun gui gun will bo be greater by several miles and arid with tho the progress that is being made in firing accuracy tho the American bread bread- Just authorized will b be able to land shells upon op opposing fe fleets fleet t while the enemy's shots yet fall lall short of at their mark It will b bo be the aim of the com com- commander mander of or a a. squadron of or such vessels to d defeat feat the th opposing float fleet before it can get Into good lighting fighting range Ono One of or the main efforts in present day battleship construction Is III to make them tem sto safo against t torpedo attacks SIncE a lIttle submarine boat of the tile American navy made Its Us own way at sea aea for many ma-gy hours under under- such we weather ther conditions as s 8 1 led Si to the breaking breaking- of the cable by which It was wu being towed the world has hu como come to the conclusion that the submarine sub sub- marine boat bat possesses hitherto unsuspected d el elements met of ot strength and danger to opposing fleets feets While the United States State has ha been ben looking Wie well te after etor the construction of at these little engines engine of ot war It has h hardly hardly kept p pa Pace with some of ot the Euro European an countries In this re re- re gard Its It recent provision for five new submarines will wl give glo it front rank In the inn number pf f these vessels f England r recently centy launched its Us largest lighting fighting craft craf the Colossus It fl is more I than tons tone lighter than tho the two now vessels authorized by congress I It has hasa a displacement of tons All AU ten tenor of or its ita It twelve-Inch twelve guns suns may bo be fired broadside on either cither side and in addition to these thee it I has ha a largo large number of oC additon thirty thirty- pound five five guns disposed throughout the ship in such a way as to make them ef of- of in repelling torpedo attacks e- e The now new battleships will wJ be b built bui un under under un- un der the tho hour eight-hour law This Is taken by some to mean that they will wi cost at least a a million dollars more mor than they would if It they were built without this provision in the tho to law authorizing their construction On the other hand it is claimed that in th ther the experience nce of ot Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many and somo some other countries more work has been ben accomplished by the hour eight day laborer than the one who has been ben worked for tor longer hours The Tha whole country will wi watch this latest test of ot the hour eight labor Jabor contention |