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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1902)
Jiiittfef PART- FOUR 4 wtm A- 4 VOL. XXL PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 1, 1U02.' NO. 22 THE BATTLESHIP OF THE FUTLTRE w - i; PAGES 25 TO 32 ... it 1 I I 7TTT ' ' i N Mr. Lewis Nixon, -who recentlr r elgned as leader of Tammany Hall, en joy an InternatlonaireputatIon as authority on shipbuilding:, and espe cially In regard to the subject of naval construction. In whlch ho enjoys th foremost position, of any sian In tha Vnlted States. Mr. Nixon was educat ed at Annapolis, the training school for "United States naval officers, and "was afterward eentto England for a post graduate's course at "WIHet's. On re turning to the United States he -was appointed a natal constructor, and It was while occupying this position that he designed the famous battle-ship Ore gon, which attracted the attention of natal authorities eerywhere by her work in the Spanish-American War. Several jears ago. Mr. Nixon resigned from the service to accept a posltloA'as manager of the Cramp Shipbuilding establishment at Philadelphia, where many of the ships of the American Navy have been constructed. More re oently he has become the head of a shipbuilding establishment at Elizabeth port, near New York City, where "he has turned out a number of v cssels for the Goiernmcnt, Including several torpedo-boats and the submarine boat Hol land. Mr. Nixon Is regarded as being a conservative as well as a. brilliant sl.ip constructor, and, therefore his opin ions as to the probable development of the battle-ship In the future are of the greatest i aluo and tsUrest. i00 THERE Is one possibility that makes anj thing like an accurate forecast of the type of -warship of the fu ture very difficult. This Is the chance that there may come at any moment a com plete revolution through the discovery of some agent of propulsion that will do away with coal and the steam engine. At present the stowing of machinery and the carrv ins of coal in a measure controls absolutely the construction l of our ehlps. The room occupied by these two all-Important elements is enormous and dictates arbitrarily construction along; certain lines. Venturing on the future nothing positive can he laid down, because we do not know how long the present svstem of fuel and machinery will endure. The use of compressed or liquefied gae, or gas made on board ship In boilers or vessels. Is a possible development which will save weight and men and simplify boiler ar rangement, even with steam boilers and engines as they are now. The 19th cen tury was the age of invention. The hu man mind today is in a state of intense activity, and developing by its experience during the century Just closed. It is fair to presume that It will bring forth new Inventions at a much more rapid rate. At this time, however, there is not In sight anything that would give us even a clue as to what we may expect in the way of a new driving power. Electricity, liquid air. compressed air, gas or any one of a dozen forces may be developed over night, so to speak, in a manner that will compel the complete romodeling of our enginery both on land and sea. X aturally this wpuld bring a type of war vessel entirely dif ferent from what we have at present. But a nation to he abreast of the times cannot speculate in future developments. It must take advantage of the best existing con ditions and work up to them If it desires to control at sea. So far we have done this admirably in the new American Navy Expert Opinions Differ. For a generation past the creation of a battle-ship has been as conventional as the trimming of a hat. The trimming may bo varied hero and there, and the shape slightly altered, but the frame always remains about the same. The battle-ship has been of slow growth, cud there have been few radical changes. Take the Iron sides and the Monitor. Form, a compo site of the two on steel brought up to the time of the Inflexible in armor and gun, and ou will be surprised to note the Elmilarity. Yet the two types were 20 years apart. The Inflexible, barring mod ern guns, does not differ greatly from the battle-ship of the present. Henco It Is In the factors going to make " tp the battle-ship that w o must look for the probable changes that will be made in the vessels themselves. As to these fac tors naval opinion in America at least Is radically divided. Pick out five of the brightest officers of the service and ask them whether a battle-ship should have a high freeboard or only Enough for sea worthiness; whether she should have tur rets at all or only barbettes; whether speed or armament Is the most Important; and It Is quite possible that one may get five different opinions. This does not mean that battle-chips are inefficient. They are all good and the merits of par ticular factors must be proved in the su preme test of battle. No nation can have tco many battle-ships If It aspires to world power. It has been asserted 'by emlnent'con structors that we are approaching. an era w here armor will bo subordinated entirely; that the battle-ship of the future will dc perd upon speed and quick handling, for d fensive purposes. Personally, I doubt this ery much. I look to see a constant development of armor, an Increased rather than a decreased protection. The ten dency has been right along to protect more ard more and ultimately, I believe, there will be on a battle-ship no exposed parts where men are stationed. Those who sug gested the sacrlflc of armor in the Inter est of speed forgot that the first duty of a battln-shlp is not to insure her own safety but to destroy her opponent. She Is essentially a fighting machine. FlRht to the Death. Battle-ships are like prize-fighters, they go into the ring to fight to a finish, and realize that they must be prepared to take many gobd blows in return for thore that they deal if they want victory. Ar mor being a measure of endurance, the more a ship carries the better she is to take blows and the better able to admin ister punishment at short range the most effective range. . The armor and the gun have so far kept pace with one another -very welL The plate can be made thick enough to resist any gun, but today such p'ate Is too heavy to carry, so the gun is perhaps ahead. From the time that explosive shells first came into use armor became Impera tive. In the days of solid shot It made n- particular difference whether a vessel was pierced or not. unless at the water line. The shot seldom hit anyone inside, i"-,Tir fr . - -t L .yy" "g . T!TWPBBr.. i,r iiSf!i3rBB? &uii -Hil0$' 0!f a "" 5529fl8-BtJHfe J$c StrSKm M -MPR"" " -iir- r"f!P jUgr 1 i ; ' t . i.' 'i. f-- , -, . . . I I L 1 . ....... -----------..,., -----...,, --....... and the wholes made In tho vessel were plugged up with comparative ease. Even chain ehot was not fatal to a sturdy ves sel, nor impaired seriously, her fighting qualities, but a shell carrying a high ex plosive is a different proposition. If one of these pierces a vessel it practically means destruction to all In tho neighbor hood where the shell strikes, as well as danger of fire. Therefore, it is necessary to take protective measures that will ex plode these shells on the outside, and such protective measures are found only in ar mor, and ever increased armor. If there should come a time when there is discov ered a projectile that nothing can resist, or that is so powerful that protection against it would Involve armor of such thickness as to make a battle-ship an in ert mass, then we may expect to .turn from armor and depend upon an over whelming battery, but at present nothing of the kind Is in sight Dancer to the Gnni, However, we are only at the thresh old in the matter of explosives. There is certain to come more rapid develop ment along these lines. Also we may confidently look for a striking advsnae In the matter of propulsive power to reg- ulatetho dischargerf5hgITq- Smnk a! ns ,: powaer nas jnarkdranpmpetan'slci) and is now at a high state of efficiency. It has enabled us Xo reach a point where we have reasonable control over our pro jectiles. We can now tell the powder to do what we .want, and as investigation progresses we will be able to control this force absolutely. In discussing smoke less powder it Js a common error to at tribute its value chiefly to its smokeless quality. This T is merely an- incidental value except for riflemen; the main value is that. in smokeless powder we secure perfect combustion. We are relieved of the necessity of carrving around a great bulk of matter which to a large-extent is useless, serving merely to darken he at mosphere. The smoke seen In common powder Is that part of the substance which remains unconsumed and therefore' useless. The smoke Is made up of parti cles of certain unconsumed ingredients of the powder that float in the air. The idea in powder is to have a substance that shall hav e powerful propulsive effect at a very low degree of heat. It is the heat that plays havoc at pres ent with our guns, so 'that tho life of a gun is perhaps 75 discharges. At the end of that time the interior of the gun barrel is all torn and seamed, and the weapon is useless. A new form of gua In which practically all the energy of the chaTge is Imparted to the projactlle is the ideal after which all inventors are striving. Even in the most advanced types much energy is lost. An increased range in our guns Is made difficult by the fact that we are handicapped by cer tain mechanical difficulties that limit tho length. When a gun is too long it is impossible to prevent it retching under the impact of the exploding charge, there by lessening the effectiveness of the aim. This may be overcome by powerful truss ing so that the gunbarrei will be perfectly supported and held rigid., but even then, there is a chance of a disturbance that will interfere materially with the aim, consequently guns cannot be lengthened indefinitely nor the range indefinitely In creased. Electrical "War Is Xenr. In the matter of explosives a good In dication of what may be expected In the future are the "thunderbolts," as tho Spaniards called them, hurled by the Ve suvius against the Cuban fortifications. So far na great range is possible In dis charging projectiles of this class, the problem of giving a sufficiently strong im pact to Insure long flight without ex ploding the material with which the shell is loaded .not having been perfectly met But progress along that line is rapid, and in the next war we may be reasonably certain that high explosives will be thrown from powerful guns at long range. Along this line various suggestions have been made that noxious gases may be used in the future for some form of shells. Humanity will probably not permit the employment of such forms of offensive warfare, but I certainly believe that some form of gas, which produces insensibility, will be developed as the airship comes into use and perhaps before. I have no donbt that noon electric influences ttUX be projected and that the metal -work of an en emy' snm may he able to transmit shook to those scrrlnic them. The most Important factor we have at present to influence the future Navy is the submarine boat It is a peculiarity 6f this new addition to our fighting force that its influences will be outside Itself. By that 'I mean that, as far as the sub ft 1 marine boat is concerned, it is at the very outset a practically perfect craft. Such chances as v!ll be brought abouc by its enrollment in the Navy will be in the conditions to which it is opposed. I was challenged a few months ago when I paid that the submarine boat was less of an experimental vessel than the battle-ship. This seemed an unreason able proposition to those who had not In vestigated it. in view of the fact that battleships have been afloat for cen turies, while the submarine boat has not vet seen its first engagement. Never theless, this view Is tenable. Dangers In Submarine Boat. We know that the submarine boat is practlcallj a perfect type of its class be cause of the limitations of the field. Tho submarine boat mut be able to go at a fair speed above and below- the water. It mubt dive sucoessfullv and be capable, of going in a straight line at a desired Officers of the & K THE Superior Lodge of the Degreo, of Honor, being the women's depart ment of the fraternity of Ancient Order of United "Workmen, will hold its annual meeting this month in Portland. The sessions will be held in the Selling HlrFch building, on Washington street beginning Tuesday, June 10, and continu ing about a week. The 'business to be transacted will consist of the review of fraternal cases carried up to tho National tribunal, the revision of rules, etc.. and' the annual election of officers. The 21 . , .st - 5"" yi yMBQ M3. , t.1.t"V,CrKflflMBHfc r MBDM '"VH. T-V" in- .n - i- ii mm -vjaww-SBMBHH l . HnvB -jrr- pwi i it u n. .. i iniisBRaiBMH ' -i . AsaMaaiB b mgaanaiw. vjm 1 1 1 1 v j i i wSB-w 'WAHi wOmikrlh'' w i fBr dHV& BhiHB If 1 flHBr jh - ssMmsmM V 'C WwMnBL fE&Ek - JWS yaffil 7NM V f SB . r- I WmWK9BBfiiaiX f ViVSHHBwy cJ xmW t -wm. . w-j v ib- r r-ii .tii ii vu.. nn.-N.x?B -r- jvx nx-ssJ .. - ta v nw .ti yy ?v Dtv vKir-v-jis , depth, and when it fires Its torpedo unCer water must not lose its longitudinal sta bility. This is Jill that has been asked i of It. Thp tjpe of submarine boat which we have the "Holland" does all these things. Therefore, we are perfectly safe In saving that, unlike battle-ships, the oi portunltles for extension or development are more limited' and hence less likely to be made. The problem we are confronting now Is to find something that will give us pro tection against the submarine. At pres ent we have nothing. The only measure that an enemy menaced by one of these boats can take Is flight, and battle-ships are not built to run away. Therefore some of the greatest minds of the day are wrestling with the problem of finding bomethlng with which to combat this new form of offense that has been sprung on the worid. It has been suggested in some quarters that the bottom of war Degree of Honor SUPERIOR LODGE WILL. NEXT WEEK. t . NL'2 (: mm hit kBmTlgTT "ffmiilnWrliiy r l. mmiJm I ..iLxn mmtemc,MMXTmmmme mt . j z vli. . r '-. iwr m - -- i r r . NHHr bsntismi- Mi -zrn s ri' ,t yy cv vo j VStiSi. I ,Rl slijcn1- - iDL'v.iir i -.in. grand lodges within the National Juris diction will be represented by about 73 delegates and officers. There will also be many fraternal visitors from all parts' of the country. The head officer of this order. Is Supe rior Chief of Honor, and this pfnee is held by Mrs. Ella H.-Mantor, of "Wllmar, Minn. The Supreme Lady of Honor ranks next Mrs. Louise. Bush, of the state of Washington, holdlng-the position. She Is likely to be advanced to the head ofthe order when the election takes place. The vessels be heavily armored as a protec tive measure, but this proposition has met with no favor. It would mean an additional loading down of our shins. which are already carrying as much ar- mor as weight can be spared for. Ex perts are not wont to view favorably any device that will retard the speed or fur ther cumber our fighting machines. But whatever the Influence of the sub marine I doubt that It will change ma terially the general type of the battle ship. There may be deeper; double bot toms, more bulkheads ind a general, In crease of honeycomb structure, but tho exterior shape will after all remain about the same. It has been so In the past and undoubtedly will be so In the future. The Cost Considered. One thing is certain and that is that as naval equipment advances there will be a concurrent advance In the relative cost. This Is shown very conclusively by MEET IN PORTLAND ,, . k 'w v-ls.?" iSSv1 Wnrfr 6T) Superior Chief ' of Ceremonies is Mrs. Irne Bdlkes; of Buffalo, N. 'T. Mrs. Elizabeth Allburn. of Sioux City, la., Is Superior Recorder, and Mrs. Emma Blck ford, of Manchester, N. H., Superior Re ceiver. 3frs. Mamie W. Brlggs. of The Dalles, Or., Is, the, Superior Watchman. Mrs. Margaret E.tHerrin, of Portland, who hns for some nonths been engaged with her husband In lodge work in Ohio, is Deputy Superior Chief of Honor, and Is on the ground assisting in the arrange ments for the meeting of the superior body. -!- V experience In the past. The expense of firing 100 rounds from the 13-lnch guns of the battle-ship Massachusetts In am munition alone would xceed the entire cost of the old Constitution battery in 1S12, with ammunition enough thrown. In to fight all her batteries. Each one of the 13-Inch turrets of the Massachusetts, with Its two guns and all its actuating gear, cost more money, so far as5 con struction Is concerned, than the cost of the old Constitution entire, from the time ' A FIREROOM WOOING.' HOW A MUCH-COVETED PHOTOGRAPH FIGURED IN A SEA ROMANCE. This charmtnff story was written for tha San Kranclsco Argonaut by John Fleming Wil son, a regular contributor t5 that publication. He Is the son of Dr John R. Wilson, princi pal of thb Portland Academy. j OHN FORBES, chief fireman of the u steamsmp Emperor, had a reputa tion on the Pacific for making a n n .! I , "-v- 3TSVi ton of-coaj go almost as far asT oWjafttsJ demand that a ion" should. With thisfrebuket a nfnt j. he was pryinff into reputation oack of him. he took frequent i the secrets of a modest girl. But this occasion to talk confidentially to his lire- i notion fled when the answer came with room crews bn stoking as an art. In one futile poverty of suggestllon: "Why. I of these lectures hi mjst unexpectedly i suppose all women do. They do It tha descended from principles to example. "I tell vou," he was saving, "so long as we arein an American line, and they don't oave in wages to Chinamen what they lose In extra coal from unskUUu! handling, it pays to have a head on your shoulaers. Wnen the Emperors watches wear pig tails and answer to numbers Instead of names, then leave the headwork to tne engineers. But In my private opinion and I've handled a shovel for 20 j ears a man like Lyle U money to owners at four times a heathen's wage." Edward Lyle looked gratefully at his chlei, and t the, soot of slow Hush mounted undr his cheeks. It was very sweet to be held up as an example by her father, he even (somewhat self-consciously) felt that Ann Forbes was a little closer, that she had approved of him. To tell the truth, the joung man had never seen Ann Forbe3 in the flesh. Months ago when he had joined the Emperor in San Francisco, the cWef en gineer had tried his strength, his en durance, and his tempei; approved them, and afterward taken the clean-mouthed vouth Into his confidence. That confi dence consisted in unpublished opinions on every engineer in the "Line"; in forci ble deductions about life as exposed in the writings of Bulwer "The Caxtonsv was his favorite and lastly, in talking about his daughter Ann. Many a night the burly Forbes and his heavy-limbed subordinate leaned over the bars around the forehatch, and spoke to caqh other of Her. If. the elder were sat- ls'fled with the youngster's attitude, he took him, quietly tq his little cabin and let him , look. . at the picture of Her on tho bulkhead. These were the moments, unforgettable and ut terly delightful to Lyle. Ho dimly felt, as he gazed on that picture stand ing out so purely and cleanly amid the .murk of the room, that In some way she -was drawing him. nearer to .herself. The- sordid means of his livelihood grew more honorable in his own eyes In that It was also" a way, indirectly, to Her. In these moments, he was even jealous of her father s speech That hoarse words I should play with her name or describe "her life seemed inharmonious, and the very 'fact that they were proud and lov-i ing words offended him. In a most timid and reverent fashion he attempted to show himself worthy or Her. He worked steadily: he saved every cent of his wages; and, when in port -he took a delight in letting the chief fireman know where he spent his time. Tohls disappointment Forbes took every. thing In amatter-of-fact way. He praised I nis work sparingly nodded his head f out mis time ne seemed to be unjust kindly when he displaced his savings, , a gin never before Imputed to this chief and simply took it for granted that he behaved himself ashore. Then, very gradually, it dawned on Lyle that tne father never gave him any share In this sentiment about his daughter apart from that of a mere listener. He saw. Indis tinctly,. In his somewhat clumsy mind, that "Forbes had never Incorporated into his conversation about Her any of his youthful suggestions, and he also felt that his own conception was a little finer and more truthful than the father's.Why, otherwise, did John Forbes say that Ann was mighty chilly to young men that she was too steady to ever fancy a man that wasn't grown up and sensible? Lyle knew that this was perverse, and Its pain ful inadequacy as a generalization of Her wounded him. How- sure he was that those veiled eyes could burn into utter expression! And he felt that the fire to kindle them must lie in the heart of a young man. These feelings developed lntq strong emotion at times, and the more rapidly when he tried to bring his fancy down her keel was laid until she bombarded the Bashaw's Castle at Tripoli. The cost of tho whole battery of the Massichusetts. lnclud.ng the armor used as gun protec tion, would have built, armed 4tnd equipped ready for battle two 120-gun three-deckers like the old Pennsylvania; the ccst of the side armor alone of tho Massachusetts would have built and put in motion the Hornet and the Wasp of our little Navy of 1S12. and the cost of tha Massachusetts' machinery would have provided sailing power for our whole naval force at that time. But while the first cost of the fighting ship Is large it represents a very low rate of National Insurance. By a vigorous stand wars are prevented. It is almost Impossible to estimate what a war costs In the fdss of life, in the destruction o' public structures, closing up of channels, cutting of cables, diversions of trade and other losses. Of course, the Idea that the cost of the thing to be desired Is not to be counted is all wrong, as nothing should b bought unlets it is clearly worth what Is paid for it. England with the most powerful navy In the world. Is adding to It constantly, and while we need no such establishment as England, when we sea almost every maritime nation adding ar mored vessels to Its navy a nation as rich as the United States cannot say that It fs not able to do likewise. It is an Insur ance agiinst material loss, as well as against loss of national prestige. The development of our new colonial policy will greatly Influence the Navy of the United States, both In regard to num bers and types. In this swift-moving ago subjugation and even assimilation of new Ideas of government can he accomplished in years Instead of decades and genera tions as formerly, hence our colonial pol icy Is sure to be of much quicker growth than has been Jhat of other nations, where the government being not so re sponsive to the wishes of the people, can carry on abuses or mistakes In a way that our people will not tolerate. We have entered into active competition for the world's markets, and we have to face a severe commercial rivalry with other nations. This condition enormously increases the chances of war. Its bear ing with be direct and specific In develop ing both the type and character of tho Navy. The ocean is for us now no longer a mere geographical division, but a con necting highway, the control of which means world-wide power and boundless wealth. The navies of the 20th century will write Its history. (Copj right. 1902) to concrete details. "What sort of a hat does she wear?" he asked Forbes one evening. "flat! I reckon a cap's most llkel her headgear. Maj'be she does wear a hat." "How does she do her hair?" Lvle went on with some diffidence. B'erboe -leoKud at him blankly. To-the ,,--. . c , imn)ip,i same way." And so their conversation ran, the cider harping on his proud memories of father hood, the impatient lover trying to build up for himself a shrine In which to wor ship his first lov e. Naturally, It was only here and there that their thoughts met; and Just when tho lover caught a fair glimpse of Her, the clumsy words of an un-understandlng. generalized paternity blotted out the Image. Little prone as Lvle was to mental or emotional activity, he steadily pro gressed to a state where certainty was the one cry of his? heart. To look at the i picture on the" bulkhead was good. To i have that pit ture above his o-vn bunk. was lnnniieiy preieraDie. 10 near aoouc Her was a delight. But to speak wltn knowledge and the full sense of posses sion was heavenly. So, one night, after a long, uneasily meditative communion with the moon and the dark sea, Edward Lle sought tho chief fireman. '-Mr. Forbes," he com menced, awkwardly, "ye know what what an Interest I take In Her." The fnther nodded kindly, and he went on: "Well, sir, I'm getting pretty well fixed youHe said yourelf I was a good fireman and I want to marry." Forbes looked at him with a glint of understanding ln his eves, but made no response. The young man took off his greasy cap and crushed it in his hands. "What' I want, sir," he s?iid, quietly, "is to marry her." I There was no anrwer. and he added, N as though It might be taken for granted: j MI love I101"-" He waited for a long time, but Forbes made no reply, even by a gesture. Around them were all the rough sounds of the main deck, the stamping of cattle for ward, the rattle of the cook's pots and pans, the perversive tones of careless men. From the next cabin came a harsh laugh and an oath. Lvle dared not look, at the protograph for fear he should make Her conscious of the' unworthy surroundings. So he went out, unan swered. The next few davs the two men, did not talk beyond what was ordinary and necesBary Yet Lyle frequently felt tho elder man's gaze measuring him. and he squared himself to hi work for her sak, Whether "he was wretched or not. it did not occur to him to ask. All he wa3 distinctly conscious of was a vast, un satisfied love, a love so sure of Itself and so limitless that It Included in itself a return. Thev neared San "FranfJvn nnrf "KYirhoo I insistence upon economy in coal became I almost unbearable. It was always so vvhen they drew near to their home port. ureman. tiowevcr, amid all his cross words and angry scoldings, he said nothing to Lvle, who. Indeed, labored as he had never done before. One evening fthey expected to reach San Francisco the next dav) Edward Lvle went wearily to hit? bunk in the. starboard alley-way. Usually he droDDed around I to see Forbes, but he did not feel equal to it now, though he was hungry to talk, of Her. His bunk was dark, and he fumbled, under the mattress for matches. When he found the box he struck a light and lit the little bracket lamp on the bulk head. As it burned up his eye caught a new thing. He looked again, long and earnestly. Then he blew out the lamp and pressed his face blindly against the bulkhead. On hljj searching lips he felt two flaming, loving, quivering woman a lips, and the young fireman gave and took his first kiss. But It was simply a photograph awk wardly pinned there by John Forbes. JOHN FLEMING WILSON.
