| Show ' r ' ALL-BIG-GU- N INFIELDERS THROW THE BALL HOW SHIP WAS THE IDEA OF AMERICAN SAILOR Dreadnought Came from Great Britain Its Possibilities Had Been Foreseen by One of Uncle Sams Naval Officers "raced to Its Source Curiously Enough the Idea Was the Result of Santiago andfot as Supposed of the Naval Fights in the e War EW YORK — The plans for the two new battleships authorized by the last congress have at last been ofOne the ficially approved Florida is to be built at the New York navy yard by government workmen The other the Utah is to be constructed by contract at some private yard the award not yet being made Both are to be of the now famous Dreadnought type and in accordance with the restrictions of the law which authorized their construction they must be "similar in all essential characteristics” to the battleships authorized in 1906 — these being the Delaware and the North Dakota This furnishes merely another illustration of the lack of initiative which has so long characterized our methods of naval construction says the New York Times The Delaware and North Dakota are of the type now popularly known as "Dreadnoughts” — a type which has revolutionized naval construction as radically as did the monitor But while the idea of the ship Jiad its origin among American navy officers — the revolution in naval construction it may be noted did not start from American shipyards The nation might have led all others in the construction of this new type had the plans drawn by Lieut Commander Homer C (now a commander on the retired list) been utilized at the time of their inception It was in 1903 that these plans of an ship were submitted to the navy department and — pigeonholed Then came the war As the ally of Japan it was recognized that Great Britain would be the first to profit by any lessons And which that war brought out directly after the running fight thaf followed the Bortie from Port Arthur came news that England was hurriedly constructing some great new ship of war Other nations made diligent efforts to discover the nature of the was so lesson that Great Britain sedulously solidifying in steel but the British constructors kept their secret and not until the Dreadnought had gone overboard and floated into the view of outside eyes did the world at large know that the last great war had taught the lesson of the ship — a heavily armored craft of tremendous speed and wide steaming radius and carrying in her main battery an armament of the heaviest guns that could be emplaced on shipboard and all of the same type save a single battery of smaller caliber installed for the sole purpose of moderating the enthusiasm of any enemy contemplating torpedo boat attack American Target Practice The idea of the ship was suggested not by this war in the east not by any lessons learned off Port Arthur or in the Tsushima Straits— but by target practice in the American navy It came as a consequence to Santiago and where only two per cent of hits was made by the American ships America cheered long and loud over the victory but the navy men who had fought it did very little of the cheering and took silently and seriously to heart the very small number of hits that had been made They more than the exulting how disastrous realized patriots might have been this shortcoming had the ships of the blockading squadron faced most any 'other foe Then for the first time in its did the navy of this country make every other consideration subsidiary to target practice the office of and target inspector was created Commander VV S Sims that energetic and accomplished officer who has done so much to place our navy at the head of the straight shooting and rapid hitting was chosen to fill the post Hitherto such target practice as had been held had been at short ranges But the introduction of smokeless powder and the employment of the telescopic sight so changed the laws of gun fire that practice at long ranges was substituted for the other Then it was discovered that the range finder — a mechanical device intended to give the distance between ship and target— could not be depended upon whenever there was any refraction in the atmosphere and it would be a queer sea atmosphere that has no refraction Gun as Range Finder So it was to the gun itself that the navy turned as the one dependable Here again was anrange finder other difficulty the By observing fall of shot short or over to right or left the plotter stationed aloft could correct aim the of any single easily piece but with ships of a mixed gun battery and the various calibers firing at the same time it was found to be impossible to distinguish between the impossplashes and consequently sible to correct the initial error Then it began to dawn on the navy that the solution of this problem was a ship carrying guns of one caliber only and as a corollary this single caliber 4o be of the heaviest that could be mounted Then it was that Commander Poundstone an ardent coworker of Commander Sims drew the plans of the “U S S Feasible” and the “U S S Possible” the two types of battleships which now have their prototypes in the South Carolina and Michigan in one class the Delaware and North Dakota in the other But that was away back in 1903 A year or so after these plans had been pigeonholed in the navy department war broke out the As a result of that Japan's ally Great Britain hurriedly began the construe tion of the Dreadnought the first of the ships to take the water and closely following the launching of that vessel the Japanese Aki went overboard Other nations immediately comprehended what the building of these two vessels meant Germany paused only long enough to give one regretful look at the battleships she was then building and making a quick revision of her naval plans has now committed herself to a program by which she is to construct four Dreadnoughts each year up to and inGreat Britain has alcluding 1911 ready laid the keels for ten of these great vessels having launched six during the course of the last year France hrfs laid the keels of six and has authorized the building of six others Brazil set about the building of three Italy made contracts for two and Russia's program contemplates four of these new architects of ruin "Had Poundstone’s suggestions been adopted when they were first submitted" asserts one naval authority “the designs of the four which were not yet laid down could have been altered and small Dreadnoughts like the present South Carolina and Michigan have been built The money appropriated for the Idaho and Mississippi obsolete before launched could have been turned into one real ship Lieut Poundstone's plans for his new type never came before congress In fact there are few who know that had our authorities been awake we would in all probability have had Dreadnoughts afloat before any other nation” Fifty Vessels in Four Years Withfn the short space of four years more than half a hundred vessels of this new type have been built or authorized The introduction of the type has set a new standard of rivalry and England Germany and Japan s“m to be setting the pace In the oft type of battleships England possessed an enormous lead Following her frankly announced postulate that whatever the cost she meant to maintain a navy that would be equal to the navy of any other two powers she had found no great difficulty in living up to that somewhat rough and ready standard But according to an unLondon correusually spondent (Sidney Brooks) who appears to have been making a special study of the subject the advent of the Dreadnought has brought to Great Britain a crisis of unparalleled complexity and peril The type has not cnly made obsolete all battleships built in a previous era but has committed all sea powers which intend to maintain maritime supremacy or even relative strength to an unprecedented ' expense in newer construction Cost to Great Britain It is upon Great Britain as this investigator recently pointed out that this expense falls with greatest weight Hers is the greater fleet that the new type makesinefficient and hers the greater burden in the necessity of constructing a new armament to meet new conditions The naval act of May 1908 which authorized the construction of two battleships "similar in all essential characteristics” to the two older ones Even Though the Developed r VARIOUS SOME PROMINENT STYLES IN TOSSING TO FIRST BASE OF HAVE GRACEFUL MOTION Steinfeldt Third Baseman of' Chicago Nationals Called Prettiest Thrower Since Nash’e Time— One of Most Reliable as la Devlin of New York Giants Harry T7T£ ‘fAJ&AC : 76 77 brings our list of building and projected up to the formidable list of four Upon these two later vessels are to be bestowed the names of Florida and No limitation is placed upon Utah the displacement but it is understood that it will be approximately 20000 tons although the two new ships may each be about seven feet longer than the Delaware This increase in length will be brought about if the decision is feacned ‘for the installation of turbines One reason why Parsons turbines could not be installed In the Delaware is the fact that they would occupy more space than was available in that ship’s hull unless changes were made in the design Curtis turbines were ordered for the North Dakota and engines of the reciprocating type for the Delaware No decision is understood to have been reached yet respecting the type of engines — or reciprocating — whether turbine that are to be installed in (he Utah and Florida It is not unlikely says the Navy a service journal that the new battleships will also be provided of with an entirely new arrangement military mast somewhat similar to the openwork tower of latticed steel tubes which was tested during the recent experiment with the monitor Florida The department appears impressed with the performance of that mast and is believed to be contemplating Its use on the newly authorized no announcebattleships although ment to that effect is yet authorized Comparison of Gunfire A writer for this same publication draws an interesting comparison between the gunfire of a Dreadnought fleet and the 16 battleships which Admiral Evans took to the Pacific If says the writer a Dreadnought fleet of 12 vessels which the royal navy will have at the end of two years were drawn up in line of battle confronting any 12 vessels in the Amerithe former cruise can battleship would present 96 broadside guns of caliber to the 64 broadside caliber on and guns of the latter ships Besides this advant21 average age the Dreadnoughts knots for the battleships and 25 knots for the cruiser battleships of the Invincible class while the average speed of the American vessels according to would rpn their trial performances from 17 to 19 knots v'Gt'JrO 79000 latter would average a fraction over 18 knots trial speed This comparison is not made for the purpose of considering the vessels of the Connecticut and Vermont type as in the same class as the Dreadnought but on the contrary to indicate that the latter are not ship for vessel ship equal to the The German Nassau which was recently launched is credited with being the most formidable of any yet constructed or "Dreadnought” The battery of this Teuton planned rifles giantess is Baid to be 16 Another statement is that she will have 12 such guns with 12 and some smaller With regard to the rate at which she has been built It roust be understood that for months previous to laying the vessel down vast quantities of material bad been made ready and w'ere alongside the slip The actual time occupied is alleged to have been 7Vjj months but the launching weight is not given How’ever this period considerably abridges that occupied in the case of some other recent ships From laythe Brauning down to launching schweig was 14 months the Elsass 17 months and the Hessen about 16 months There can be no doubt that the Germans are expediting their rate of warship construction by improved facilities at the building yards CANDID CRITIC Old OF PREACHER Lady Left No Room for to Impression That He Made on Her Doubt Had as It Is a remarkable fact that the highest appointments In the Church of England are held by Scotsmen The archbishop of Canterbury and the archbishop of York both hail from the land of the shorter catechism and if rumor speaks truly the next bishop of London will be Dr Cosmo Gordon Lang at present bishop of Stepney the son of Dr Marshall Lang principal of Aberdeen university Queen Victoria held Dr Cosmo Lang in considerable esteem and frequently had him down to preach at On one occasion however Osborne his mannerism while in the pulpit brought a piece of candid criticism down upon him from a lady of his acHe was pteaching in quaintance Westminster Abbey and during his sermon closed his eyes in order to concentrate his mind on the subject of Dreadnoughts The lady when he met her commentEfficiency “You may Any two of the Dreadnought class ed upon the fact thus: would present as many guns think with your eyes shut you looked on a broadside as any four of the like a saint but you really looked like American vessels named A division a fool” of four Dreadnoughts would present a A Census of Physicians broadside fire of 32 guns none of which would be of less than Throughout the United States there caliber while a division of the same is one licensed physician to every of the 709 persons in New York state one number of units consisting Louisiana and to 672 and In New York city one to Connecticut Kansas Vermont would be able to present a 653 The income of physicians varies broadside fire of only 16 guns of fully as much as that of other profesNoted city specialists often sions caliber 16 guns of caliber and 24 guns of get in a single fee from a wealthy pacaliber The former division would tient an amount equal to five years' have 21 knots tnai speed and the income of some country doctors There are as many kinds of throw— easy ers as there are graceful awkward strong deliberate throwers long swing throw- ers— but whatever may be the styles' of different inflelders in the profes- sional ranks they one and all have the same purpose in view to get the ball to the base ahead of the runner There’B Bill Dahlen for instance He lets He is not a pretty thrower and rather ungaingo with a side-arly motion but he is one of the most reliable throwers in the big leagues Dahlen is an excellent judge ot distance and times his throws with wonderful exactness When it comes to a thrower whose method is a treat to the eye for its grace speed and unerring airline flight Harry Steinfeldt the third is an of the world’s champions accomplished actor He has a powerful arm and while he makes his share of wild throws there Is beautiful harof lift and speed to his monizing thrower He is the prettiest flings from the third corner we have seen since Billie Nash’s time There is no more beautiful thrower Mike in either league than Capt Doolan of the Phillies Doolan is one of the hardest throwers in the game and one of the truest His ability to ihrow from any position is his strong point however and his skill in locating first base without straightening up to make the throw or apparently looking where he is throwing has stamped him as a marvel Another attractive thrower was Jimmie Collins His throws do not go with the whizzing flight of Steinfeldt’s but he is easier and more graceful Nobody ever was Collins’ equal in natural grace From the moment he goes after a ball — up in the air or scoopof ' Collins’ ing a difficult bunt— all muscles and movements were in per ' feet harmony A thrower of the Dahlen type is George Davis of the White Sox Davis’ style is more useful than ornamental He too is a He suggests the lumbering rather than the nimble but makes no false movements Hal Chase the brilliant baseman of the Yankees has a marked mannerism in his throwing It is a peculiar lift of the ball to a polnf Just over and close to the left shoulder There is an almost imperceptible hitch or break in the movement of the arm just before the ball is thrown then the hand shoots forward just past the ear The great Lajoie throws as he does everything else on the ball field in an indifferent careless manner He is the personification of careless supThere Is rather a wide pie grace sweep of the arm but with the movement so well attuned to the requirements of the occasion that it has the ease of everything else Lajoie does viKid Elberfeld is a determined cious thrower who whips them across on a line and uses his arm for all there is in it Bill Bradley the tall and rangy third baseman of the Cleveland club makes a lariat of his arm throws with a motion and has such a swinging reach that be seems to be handing the ball to the first baseman Joe Tinker is another who might be described as an enthusiastic thrower He conveys the impression that he would rather throw than eat Every bit of him is mixed up in the throwing motion some way or other and he goes at the job with the gusto of a hungry man tackling a hot meal There is plenty of action in the throwing of Bobby Wallace of the St Louis Browns who however appears to have more control over his movements more finish than Tinker The arm part of Wallace's throw is of attractive proportion in its swing and elevation Arthur Devlin third baseman of the New York Giants a very accurate and reliable thrower gets the ball away without a great deal of exertion He skips it across with a side arm movement the arm remaining for a second U like the eye were in the air as if the flight of the ball following of the Frank Chance manager Cubs is another who takes Champion it easy when he throws the play of the shoulder with the arm being comparatively gentle but sd nicely balanced as to make the ball travel fast Fred Tenney ot the Giants throws with more of a push the hand being on a level with the top or the head and the forearm and upper arm at right angler ’ tv |
