Evening Star Newspaper, October 25, 1936, Page 58

F—4 T HE SUNDAY STAR, ‘WASHINGTON D. C, OCTOBER 25, 1936—PART FOUR. NATION UPHOLDS KINSHIP OF NAVY AND MERCHANT FLEET NEW SHIPS OFFER STRENGTH Martime Commission Making History With Encouragement for Building Operations to Meet Demands of Our Commerce and Future National Defense. By William A. Millen. AVY DAY, 1936, which will be celebrated on Tuesday, meets an awakened interest in America’s merchant marine. With seven-league boots, the mer- chant marine of the air is spreading its giant wings over the seven seas and bringing back to Old Glory some of the romance and dollars secured by the broad-bosomed American clip- per ships of old. But the surface vessels of the merchant marine are not forgotten, because Uncle Sam has written down in his statute books & renewed policy to build up these commerce carriers so that the Stars and Stripes will be shown again in the trading ports of the globe. A new Maritime Commission, un- der the chairmanship of Rear Ad- miral Henry A. Wiley, U. 8. N, re- tired, has just been set up by Con- gress and the Chief Executive with headquarters in the Department of Commerce here. The threatened strike of shipping workers on the West Coast late this month etches the new commission even sharper in the public consciousness. And so, amid new record-breaking Wights of aircraft, including the Ger- man airship Von Hindenburg and its American connections, with talk of a western terminus at Hybla Val- ley in nearby Virginia or at Balti- more; the ferment of unrest among the merchant sailors and new foreign- flag passenger ships vying for the blue ribbon of the Atlantic, the United States pauses once again to take stock of its merchant marine—on the waves and in the air. For there is a close connection, in- years ago and Marines were rushed to the Orient aboard a large passen= ger vessel. There are hundreds of merchant marine officers who are also reservists in the Navy. Special reserve flags fly from the mastheads of the mer- chantmen, giving visible evidence to the landlubber of the nexus between Navy and commercial craft. Rev. Dr. Edmund A. Walsh, vice president of Georgetown University and regent of its School of Foreign Service, has said: “An adequate, a modernized and & mobile mercant marine is an essen- tial arm of national defense. In the opinion of the present writer, the Navy, including naval aviation, is |our first line, an armed merchant | marine second, the land and domestic j air forces third.” Alfred H. Haag, director of the department of international shipping at Georgetown University, who is a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, holds: “The records of the past offer con- clusive proof that national interest requires the maintenance of an ade- quate merchant marine. We cannot survive as a first-class commercial or naval power without a strong mer- chant fleet.” And again he epitomizes the sad story: “From 1922 to 1928 not a ship was constructed in the United States for service in the transoceanic trade, while millions of tons of vessels were built abroad, notwithstanding the great excess of idle tonnage in the world. The introduction of these modern and faster foreign vessels in competition with our slow and out- S. S. Virginia of the American merchant marine passing through the Panama Canal. deed, between America’s merchant fleet and America’s Navy. At the dawn of the Revolution civilian skip- i pers fought the battles of the new | Republic upon the waters. And ever: since there has been kinship between | the ships that are professional fight- ors and the ships that are carriers of cargo and passengers. 'ONGRESS set down a declaration of policy in the new merchant marine law that became effective only the end of June. It declared: “It is necessary for the national defense and development of its foreign | and domestic commerce that the United States shall have a merchant marine. “(a) Sufficient to carry its domestic | water-borne commerce and a sub- stantial portion of the water-borne export and import foreign commerce | of the United States and to provide | shipping service on all routes essen- | tial for maintaining the flow of such | domestic and foreign wa&er-borne‘ commerce at all times. “(b) Capable of serving as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency. “(c) Owned and operated under | the United States flag by citizens of the United States in so far as may | be practicable, and “(d) Composed of the best-equipped, safest and most suitable types of ves- sels, constructed in the United States and manned with a trained and effi- cient citizen personnel. “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States to foster the development and encourage the maintenance of such a merchant marine.” Further emphasizing the close tie- up between Navy and merchant ma- rine, there is provision for the build- ers of merchant craft to submit their plans to the Navy Department for approval when applying for a sub- sidy in conjunction with ship con- struction. This is to see to it that the national defense aspects of the problem shall have fulfillment. Under certain circumstances mer- chant ships may be constructed in navy yards if the cost of building them in private yards be excessive. The new Maritime Commission is pic~ tured as bearing the same relation- ship to the merchant marine as does the Interstate Commerce Commission to the railroads. THE American merchant marine is - the strong right arm of the Navy afloat, as well is in the air. For in times of stress, such as the United States experienced in the dark days of the World War, the merchant ves- sels proved invaluable not only for conversion into men of war, as car- riers of supplies and troops to far- distant bases, as commerce-raiding ships, but as & gold mine of person- nel replacement for the Navy. qu: of moded war-acquired fleet made our problem increasingly difficult.” Citing the Manhattan and Washing- ton, as well as the Lurline, Mari- posa and the Monterey, the last men- tioned plying from San Francisco to Australasian ports, as outstanding in the American merchant marine, Father Walsh laments: “But there is no American Rex, no Monte di Sa- voia, no Europa, no Bremen, no Ile de France, no Normandie, no Queen Mary”—the largest and latest of the foreign-flag trans-Atlantic craft that crash the American headlines regu- larly. These are the glories of Italy, Germany, France and England. AN‘D today, with America prepared celebrate the exploits of the Nnvy, as she stands on the thresh- | hold of what true patriots hope will be a revitalized day for the merchant marine, thoughtful persons realize that only one-third of United States commerce is being carried in ships that fly the Star and Stripes. During the past 12 years, Haag points out, “31 per cent of the cargoes between the United States and for- eign countries were carried in Ameri- can ships, while vessels under the British flag in this trade carried sub- stantially the same amount.” “In the passenger traffic between the United States and foreign countries American ships carried about 28 per cent, while British ships transported 44 per cent of the total,” he added. And what § the United States ex- porting and importing these days to the benefit of foreign bottoms and the discouragement of merchant ships of our own making? The Bureau of Foreign and Do- mestic Commerce of the Department of Commerce supplies the answer: The main exports of United States merchandise comprise unmanufac- tured cotton, petroleum and related products, macinery, automobiles and accessories, unmanufactured tobacco, chemicals and related products, iron and steel mill products, fruits and nuts, packing-house products, coal and coke, copper ore and manufactured products - from it, cotton manufac- tures, sawmill products, iron and steel advanced manufactures, wheat, including flour; rubber and manu- factures, furs and manufactures, pa= per and manufactures, leather and photographic and projection goods. And the imports? Coffee, cane sugar, crude ruber, paper and manu= factures, raw silk, paper-base stocks, chemicals and related products, wine and spirits, fruits and nuts, tin, furs and manufactures, petroleum and its products, hides and skins, vegetable olls, cotton manufactures, copper, in- cluding ore and its manufactures; burlaps, unmanufactured tobacco, oil seeds and flax, hemp and ramie manufactures. Hmhmmlmlnrln just where we are headed and what will be the practical results on the short and long pull. Operators of | ships under the protecting wing of the Government have no alternative than to go along with the new set-up as gracefully as possible. Few of these operators want to build ships. But they will have to do so if they intend to participate in future subveniions. If they fail to goose-step to the music played on the political piccolo, they can’t run their ships and remain sol- vent. By accepting the situation as gracefully as possible they may sal- vage their jobs and retain their places as governmental satraps. A half loaf is better than no bread.” ‘The punitive provisions of the new The S. S. Manhattan of the United States Lines, sister ship of the S. S. Washington. statute have many guessing. Boosters for the legislation foresee the laying down of numerous keels of merchant ships all over the maritime sections of the Nation. Obsolete craft must be scrapped, if Uncle Sam 1s to keep pace with the international race for trade, say the wiseacres. Unrest among seamen is expected to be lessened through the new legis- lation, which requires that each have a continuous discharge book. This will contain the man’s photograph, as well as a summary of his nautical work. Undesirables are expected to be rooted out under this program and “beached.” Duplicates of these books will be kept here in Washington. Construction of both cargo and com- bination passenger and freight ships is contemplated under the new legis- lation. In this forward-looking program the | Navy will have its assigned part. . For | the Navy aids the merchant marine | in nautical equipment. The Hydro- graphic Office supplies valued infor-' By William S. Odlin. ECURRENCE of Navy day next | Tuesday will come in the midst of world-wide appre- The first type of gun used by the American Navy, a far UK from the stoutly armored steel.turrets which house the 16-inc rifles of today. The gun is a 24-pounder of the historic U. S. S. Constitution. mation about safe navigation. The Naval Observatory gives correct time service to aid in computing positions at sea, as well as affording other val- uable adjuncts. AND the new merchant marine of the air the Navy has assisted ma- terially. Experimental hulls of flying boats were tested out here in the model testing basin at the Washington Navy Yard. Out of these lessons came the present-day clipper ships, with | their excellent performance of trans- Pacific flying. 2ir-cooled aviation en- gines the Navy contributed to the in- dustry. Propellers, instruments, safety devices—these the Navy perfected over the years. ‘The Navy blazed the trail across the Atlantic, shortly after the close of the war, with its famous Navy- Curtis planes. In the Pacific, too, the Navy did pioneer work, for Lieut. Comdr. Knefler McGinnis, former ex- ecutive officer and commanding offi- cer at the Naval Air Station at Ana- costia, now aboard the aircraft car- rier U. 8. 5. Baratoga, commanded a group of patrol planes that flew from San PFranisco non-stop to Hono- lulu. Later, in war games, the Navy flew to Midway Island, far out in the Pacific. McGinnis had previ- ously flown non-stop from Norfolk, Va., to Coco Solo in the Canal Zone, and thence in another epoch-making hop to San Prancisco. The fires of national defense fuse the Navy and the merchant marine on “the wandering fields of barren foam” and In the air, — Should Know the Story. SEVENTEEN years ago Douglas Mac- Lean became an overnight sensa- tion when he starred in Mary Rob- erts Rinehart's story, “Twenty-three | and One-Half Hours’' Leave,” which was made at the present R-K-O-Pathe | Studios. hension of another great war, albeit disagreement on just where the battle lines will be drawn, and de- termination of the United States to build its Navy up to treaty strength. These new ships of war for Uncle Sam will carry the last word in mod- ern armament, great guns which are able to wreak destruction upon the enemy at unbelievable distances, and it is enlightening to trace the develop- ment of these fearful weapons back through the years. In all the changes 1& centurv and a half have brought to had fitted out armed privateers and | provincial cruisers with English guns | to assist the mother country in her colonial wars. Other guns were seized | from royal naval stores and, sels constituted a further source of supply. Our own foundries also be- came proficient in gun casting until, by 1776, a foundry at Reading, Pa., was able to cast a gun a day. When France came to America’s frigates in the ports of that nation and, of course, French guns were | mounted on them. One of these craft was the immortal Bonhomme | Richard, with which John Paul Jones | | won his epic encounter with the Sera- | | pis. The Bonhomme Richard had as heavy guns as any vessel in the American Navy in the Revolution, ex- cept the South Carolina, built at the United States Navy there has been nothing more striking than ad- vances by the reason of being of all warcraft—the guns, ‘The tale starts with the ancient | muzzle-loading, cast iron smoothbore of John Paul Jones' frigate, capable of throwing comparative pebbles—the | 18-pound solid shot—and runs to the forged steel, breech-loading rifles of 36-pounders, Y 1794, when the historic Constitu- tion was laid down, our own gun | foundries were pretty well established. Old Ironsides mounted thirty 24- pounders and 12s and 9s on her fore- castles and quarter deck. Later, in the War of 1812, these lighter “long guns” were replaced by carronades, which were first introduced into the Navy in 1800, when 10 of them—24- pounders—were mounted on the Con- stitution. The carronade was a radical depar- ture in naval ordnance. It was a short, light gun of comparatively large the dreadnaughts of the West Vir-| ginia class, projecting an elongated | 1-ton explosive shell and dropping devastation on a target 20 miles | away. | Strictly speaking, the total of really | ‘ American naval guns in the early dly.! of the Revolutionary War was almost | nil, for the facilities for heavy | foundry work in the colonies |erex pitifully meager. But guns of E:nzu;h manufacture were not lacking, | | cause nearly every merchant vessel| | of those days carried at least a light armament as protection against pirate craft. Furthermore, the colonies often Photoplays in Washington Theaters This Week — s, Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Shirley Temple in “The Poor Little Rich 8th and G sts. s (Gl Harey arey | Gi aw."|in Shirley Temple 1n “The Poor Little Rich| " Harry Carey “The Last Outl: Garden Murder Case. ’ nna Neagle 1o Edmund Lowe inThe| Edmund Lowe in ~“The | Garden Murder Case.” | “Three Cvod!llhtn ™ Neagle in ell_Gwy: lld s George and Ariine Judge in “Valiant Is lhe Word, for Carri Ambassador 18th and Columbia Rd.| Olld{l George and rline Judge in | “Valiant 1s lh! Word “Valiant Xx thf Word| (or Cart for. 2 Gladys Georse and | Joan Crawford and | Arline Judge n | Joan Crawford and Robert, Taylor Robert, Taslor _“Gorgeous Hussy.” Chester_Morris in_ | Chester_Morris 1 “Three Godfathe Onslow Stevens Jahn Wayne in King of the Pecos.” Jack Holt in sh Donovan.” Warner Oland in “Charlie Chan at the Joan Crawford and Robert Tayior n “Gorgeous Hussy."” Joan cu-tord and bert Taylor in Gorgeous. Hussy. Apollo 624 H St. NE. Wil Rogers and | Janet Gaynor Vill Roy Janet Gaynor in in “State Fair' “State Fair" ck Tra _Our_Gang comedy. Irvin 8. Cobb Pepper, art in “The Crims Dr. Forbes. Patsy Kelly in in “Kelly the Sec- Adolphe Menjou and| ice Faye in e ‘Sing, Baby, 8Sing."" “March _of Time.” Arcade Hyattsville. Md. Cart. Novelty. Ne'l Bing Crosby and Bob Burns in John Howard in ‘Border Flight hree Cheers hr Love.” Serial. Bing e Bob Burns in hythm on Range. art._Novelty. News, Ashton Clarendon, Va. Avalon 5612 Connecticut Ave. Dark. Fredric_March_and | Fr Ollvllcde Havilland “Anthony Adverse." Shirley Deane and Jonnny Downs Saire Trevor in uman Cargo.” Fredric_March and Olivia dcfi Havilland n “Anthony Adverse.” dric_March and Oifviaad Havinand n “Anthony_Adverse." Henry Fonda and n Pat Paterson “I Stand Cone in demned.” “Spendthrift.” Wallace Beery and Wallace Beery and | John Mack Brown, in Fredric_March and Olivia de Havilland n “Anthony Adverse.” Francis Lederer and Ann 1 Kelly_in Fragcis Lederer aud n Soth the Bece ern in My American Wite.” Mickey Mouse. Popeye. Simone Simon Avenue Grand in “Girls' Dormi= tory.” 645 Pa. Ave. S8E. Robert Montgomery and llldu vans "Plctldlll! Jim.” Simone_ Simon n “Girls'’ Dormi« tory.” Cameo Mount Rainier, Md. Binnie Cart. Novelty. New. Barnes in Randolph_Scott and| Randolph_Scott and Binnie Barnes in et ot Monica Randolph_Scott and| Binnie Barnes in “Last of Mohicans.” Cart. Novelty. News Robert Taylor and Janet Gaynor “Small To'n Gil Carolina 11th and N.C.Ave.8.E. Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans ".Edward Arnold in “Meet Nero Wolfe. James Dunn in “Tw “Bengal Tiger.” |Fisted Gent." Marc Connelly's “Green Pastures.” Marc Connelly’s | Ross_Alexands Robert Taylor and Janet Gaynor “Small Town Girl Iryin S Cobb, “Eve body’s Old Man. arion Davies i Hearts Divided. jonel Barrymore e of Bugle Ann. Lionel Barrymore & Sybil Ja: oice of Bugle Ann.”"| “Littie Big_Shot. June Travis, Barton llchlnillnleIr- “Bengal _Tiger.” Central 425 9th Bt. N.W. Fredric March and Olivia de‘ Havilland n Anthony Adver: |June Travis, Barton MacLane and War- Ten Hull in “Bengal_Tiger. Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland n “Anthony_A c_March and Ginger Rogers and de Havilland Fred in Astaire “Swing_Time." Warner Oland _and Helen Wood in *Cl lie Chan st the Race Track.” Com. News. Circle 2105 Pa. Ave. N.W. | Warner Ollnd and| | Helen h Scot! d | Wdl. e R | Binnie Barnes in *“Th: Jlle Chan a Llu of the Mohicans. ce % Silly Symphony. | Randolp BinnieBarnes i Last of the Mohican: Com._Silly Symphony. “Fredric Mai Warner Baxter in “The Road to Glory." 4 Randolph Scott Frances Drake in “'And Sudden Deuth Popeye. Com. New: Fredric March and Olivia de Havillana “Anthony_Adverse. Colony Ga. Ave. and Parragut rmmc March and | Olivia de HIH nthony Adveue Pro M Ol\evdi;‘cde| ‘Havilland in “Anthony_Adverse.” “Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland Pr.ntls nd Ann sulhrm ln “My American Wife."" Mickey Mouse. Patsy Kelly “Kelly the Second.” Our Gang comedy. Popeye. Franch nd ‘Anp Sotnern in “My American Wife. Mickey Mouse Warren anc Wini Shaw in_‘The Case of the Velvet Claw.” _News. Com. Dumbarton 1343 Wis. Ave. N.W. W William, and | Wint “Bhaw. inThe vy Boland and | Ch-rlle Rulrzles in 1 Oase ul the VHVH “Early to Bed.” Claw.”_News. Com. Fredric Olivia de Havilland “Anthony Adverse News. March and| in| Olivia de Havilland in| Fredric_March _and| Margaret Callahan “Anthony Adverse." a 0. Alice Faye and Adolphe Meniou “8ing, Blb!. 8ing.” Fairlawn Anacostis, D. ©. Alice h{‘ and Adolpht [enjou | _'Sing, Blby. Sing.” Janet G aynor “State_Falr. mmg Cantor and | 1 Merman in e Me i Cart. Novelty. New: Hippodrome K near 8th TEddie Cantor and Ethel Merman 1 “gtrike Me Pink. Cart. Novelty. News. Will Rogers and Janet Gaynor in “State_Fair.” George Raft in *“Yours for Askin: R!ndolnh 1 Scott n “And Sudden Death. B in| " James Stewart in I('lfllm ‘Hopkins) n Wh ‘Barbary Coast| Bk ‘Monte & Burns in Ruvinm o Ranee.” e Bume Monte Catio-| “March of Times Fredric March and Olivia dzmflnvl.lllnd “Anthony Adverse.” Home 13th and C Sts. N.E. Fredric March_an Olivia de' Hlvlfllm‘l n “Anthony _Advers Fredric_March and Ollvllcd! ‘Havilland Predric_March and | Warren Wlllllm and| Olivia de Havilland | Claire Dodd in in “The CIM, of the n Velve ery Bollnd lllfl Donal Woods ‘Will Rogers and Ilntt Glinm' Jn air. Jesse 1Sthnr.R. I Ave. N.E. n “Anthony_ Adverse. rs Will Rogers and Will Rogers and Janet Gaynor in “State Pair.” Comedy. “Anthony Adverse.” “‘Anthony Adver: nd 8:30.| Peatures. 6 and 8: atures. 6 an OlIVll de Hlvllllnd ln 4| Eleanore Whitney [in Helen W Lion lie Chan o the n Tracl Set Love.’ Inspector.” Lee Falls Church, Va, Dark. P:fnch Ellis "Dc' the Stretch.” Janet Gaynor and Henry Fonda in Tal kes |“Winds of The Waste- land.” John len: June Travis in “Jallbreak.” Claudette Colbert n Little 9th between P and G Claudette Colbert ““Th G“ded f 15, Chuflelu Colbert “The 'Gnded Lily.” u.&mm 3:§m|'i‘dm | S | Eleanore Whiine Robert Cymmin “Th) ‘Come: . |Cart. Novelty. News. “Claudette Co]ben “The Gilded L. Victori oper rian Aherne in e ‘Ct Nymph. Victoria Hooper and Brian Aherne in “Thy ant Warner Oland__and Helen Wood in “Chan/ at Race Track.” in lnn Bollnd :nd Woods s Home.” L Warner . Jack Oakie in B enivood tn Ch “Florida Special.” at Race Track. Cartoon. Band. News.|Fu Pat O'Brien and Palm Boverley Robnu ln | Bev l n and Pll O'Br ’bem = Cartoon. Band. News. Simone Stmon and erbert Marshall in "O\rll Dormitory.” Comedy. _Cartoon. Simone Simon and Herbert Marshall in “Girls’ Dogmlol’y. Randolph Scott in Comedy. ZAnd !udden Death.” Del Ray, Va. Penn . in 650 Pa. Ave, S.E. “Swingtime."” z B0 Ginger Rogers and | C Fred Astaire 't Gi Rof Ered Avatre S - in “gwingtime.” “Swingtime.” d”| Fred MacMurray and Jack Oaxie in “The Texas Rangers.”| Our Gang_comedy. Fred MacMurray and| Jack Oakle “The Texas Nnnn Our_Gang_comed Francis Lederer and Ann My Ameflfl:: Wife:"” B tanwyck 1o e ods Walks| The, ‘Hunter| ‘News. Princess 1110 B 8 NE Richmond M Va. Savoy 3030 14th 8t. N.W, Ou He i parcle. Dark. Claire Treyo: Arline Jut “Star_for a Night.” !nhlrl !nn'ytl In Henrfi Hllntel' Jn fane i ~Drake the Pirate.” ¢ s Family 1 Matheson Lang ‘Drake the Pirate. ucating Father George Brent in “Give Me Your Heart.” Cartoon. Kay Francis and | Francis lgdsnl' lnd cis Lede: rexmd o ADD Sothern M American Wite " News,| Cart. Novell News, | Cal Nllh! -mfi.:w "" tarrett. “Th ‘Father. ummou Ainger land Oland A en foed in “chan Eeltn wm i chan ‘rack.’ Track. Raceelts News. | catt, ‘Novelts News. ire Trevor and | Hen: e fime Judse Fai M‘r'u'“ n “Star for 8 Night.” "mflhrflt" velty. Henry rond- in Boland Pat Paterso: ‘l;::’lld W‘:od“?nd “A Son es ___Hom in | _“Spendthrift.” John Wayne Warner T and Myrna Loy in “To Mary With Love.’ Seco Stiver Spring. Md. Tine Hepburn reh in nth-rlm fl'g‘““ Klthl"rl‘m flegm}m E *‘Ma 4 | g S ‘Robert_Young in Clenda Paeral s “High Tension.” | [ Robert Young in se Gu: jaire Trevor in uman Cargo.” alter Abel 1, Ross Alexander in “Hot Money."” Stanton 6th and C Sts. N.E. Shirley Temple “The Poor Little Rich Girl.” Tra n:l:ho‘t Tone 1| usive vor Ta "ncm 10 hr'ld.\u hofi Tom n:‘xnccunn Story. Pryor in Roger, | ~Ticket to Paradise.” In | and. Katharine Hej “‘Mary of ‘Comedy. New: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers avm Stu "35 Holln to Kul » iting Mn Y. . Cartoon. T Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Georse Tore Iaours Tor| lore = 8 the Eay Francis “Give Me Your vfil‘ln." Kay Francis in “Give Me Your Hea! arry- ore in "YO““ for| £he Asking. " Serial. - side from big guns which are in as the | war progressed, captured enemy ves- | aid several ships were fitted out as | Amsterdam and armed with Swedish | bore, named for the little town of | Carron, Scotland, celebrated for its | GREAT GUNS FOR WAR CRAFT American Armament Sets Example to World After Progress From Tiny Weapons Which Were Employed in Days When Colonies Fought for Independence. | wheels. When the gun was to be | loaded this truck was wheeled in ‘ from the ship's side until the muzzle was accessible to the loader and ram- mer. When loaded it was run. out until the muzzle projected well be- | yond the gun port and the truck was | swung sidewise until the gun pointed toward the enemy. The gun wWee | fired by lighting the loose powder at the primer vent. | The War Between the States | brought into use the first rifie cannon in this country. The Navy placed | in service during the conflict a con- siderable number of turret guns named for their designer and cone | structor, Capt. Parrott of the Army. | These pieces showed two marked im- | provements over all previous naval | ordnance, for in addition to being | rifled they were constructed on the “built-up principle.” The Parrott guns was muzzle-load= | ers. Breech-loading guns had been built abroad at this time, but no- where were in common use, and in the American Navy there was still rather a strong sentiment against them. The year 1886 saw the establish- ment of the present naval gun fac- tory in the Navy Yard at Washing- ton, which has been developed into one of the largest and best-equipped ordnance plants in the world. As the vessels of the “new Navy” came along continuous improvements were made in all branches of ord- nance design and construction, and by 1898 we find the famous Oregon, | after her memorable dash aro | Cape Horn, going into action at Sa tiago Bay with four 13-inch ar A modern battleship of the United States Navy fires a broad- sharp contrast to the little can- non in the photo at the top of the page. foundries. This weapon threw a much heavier shot than the “long pieces” which it supplanted, but, of course, it had a range even shorter than its predecessors. As the upper deck battery of a frigate, designed to inflict heavy punishment at a point-blank range, carronades served their purpose admirably. Between the War of 1812 and the War Between the States the explosive shell was introduced into naval war- fare. Conscientious scruples were finally overcome, and we find the shell guns firmly established in our Navy in 1852. Theretofore guns had been designated solely by the weight of the projectile, but the size of the shell gun now became expressed by the caliber, or diameter of bore, which unit of measurement is used today. creased to 64-pounders. Thus the porjectiles had assumed formidable proportions. Both shell and solid shot still retained the time-honored spherical shape, however, and, of course, all guns were still smooth bores. Ranges had not increased century. UNT!L the War Between the States | standard mounting for carriage made of wood and set on Jekyl-Hyde. BARTON MacLANE u going through all the torments of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde existence. Hg's work- ing in two films at the same time, and the.roles are sharply antithetical. His assignment in Walter Wanger's “You Only Live Once,” starring Syl- via Sidney and Henry Fonda, call for the sympathetic role of public de- fender. Simultaneously, he is play- ing a hard-boiled criminal in “San Quentin” for Warners. —_— Capra Busy. ETWEEN the cutting job he is doing on “Lost Horizon,” starring Ronald Colman, and keeping an eye on his two directorial proteges, Frank Capra of Columbia Studios is Holly- wood’s busiest director these days. Capra’s ace scenarist, Robert Riskin, is co-directing Grace Moore in “In- terlude” as his first picture, and Capra’s former assistant director, C. C. “Buddy” Coleman, is directing “Dodge City Trail,” a musical West- tern starring Charles Starrett. The Columbia top flight director is a fre- quent visitor on both sets. Clive in “History.” LIN CLIVE, star of the stage and screen, has been signed by Walter Wagner for an important role in “History Is Made at Night,” the Gene Towne-Graham Baker story, co-starring Charles Boyer and Jean Arthur, “History Is Made at Night” will go before the cameras shortly, under the direction The guns firing solid shot had in- | materially over those of the previous | bmd.slde guns was the naval truck | eight 8-inch breech-loading rifle , guns, all with hydraulic recoil mech- anisms, mounted in turrets operated by steam engines, the guns elevated by hydraulic power and the ammu- nition hoists and rammers operated electrically. Since the Spanish-American War improvement in American naval ord- nance has tended toward longer guns of greater caliber and higher muzzle velocity, with greatly increased ranges. American naval ordnance reached approximately its present power dur- ing the World War, except for the introduction of the 16-inch gun. This monster was planned for two battle cruisers and the battleships Colorado, Maryland and West Virginia. Be- cause of the treaty which came out of the Limitation of Armaments Confer- ence at Washington in 1921 the bat- tle cruisers never were built, but con- struction of the three battleships con- tinued, and today they each carry eight of these biggest naval guns— none more powerful anywhere on earth. | The 16-inch is indeed a striking contrast with the little cast-iron weapons the founders of the Navy had to depend upon. It is almost 67 feet long, or 15 per cent longer | than the 14-inich, of which each of the other 12 battleships now in com- | mission carries from 10 to 12. Glenda’s Series. THE first rough cut of “No Hard Feelings,” the recently completed comedy-drama featuring Glenda Far- rell, has so impressed Warner Bros.- Pirst National executives that they have decided to follow it up with a’ series of pictures in which Miss Farrell will continue the adventures of the hard-boiled, clever newspaper girl, “Torchy” Blane. So her next appear- ance will be in “Torchy Blane’s Love Derby,” a subject suggested by the ‘round-the-world race of metropolitan newspaper reporters now in progress. Roy Chanslor has already written the" story and is now at work on the screen treatment. “No Hard Feelings,” which intro- duces Torchy Blane to the public, is based on a novel by Frederic Nibel, adapted by Don Ryan and Kenneth Gamet. Appearing in the film with Miss Farrell are Barton MacLane, Winifred Shaw, Craig Reynolds, Jane Wyman and numerous other well known film folk. Frank McDonald directed. “Angel” for Dietrich. NGEL,” an original by Melchior Lengyel, upon which Paramount for some time has held an option pending development of treatment, has been purchased for Marlene Dietrich’s next starring picture. ‘The deal was completed in New York, where Ernst Lubitsch, who will produce and direct, is completing the screen play with Samson Raphaelson. Miss Dietrich is expected to return to~ Hollywood some time in December, and Lubitsch will start production of “Angel” shortly after the first the