[No. 9.]

THE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS, Thursday, January 15, 1914. The committee this day met, Hon. Lemuel P. Padgett (chairman) presiding.

STATEMENT OF CAPT. J. H. GIBBONS, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY.

The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen, we have with us this morning Capt. Gibbons, superintendent of the Naval Academy.

On page 84, "One professor as head of the department of physics, $3,600" has been eliminated.

Capt. GIBBONS. That department has been combined with electrical engineering, Prof. Terry, who held that position, was paid from the Naval Academy appropriation. He has been made a professor of mathematics in the Navy.

The CHAIRMAN. Paid under "Pay of the Navy"?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. The others are the same as last year?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir; there has been no change.

The CHAIRMAN. And the salaries are fixed by law?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir. There are no new items in this bill, and all of the estimates have been reduced by the department.

The CHAIRMAN. On page 89 you have reduced "Current and Miscellaneous Expenses, Naval Academy, $10,000," from $38,500 to $28,500?

Capt. GIBBONS. That was done by the department. The Navy Department, following out its general policy of reducing appropriations at shore stations, made these two reductions in our estimates. The CHAIRMAN. What was the occasion of this reduction?

Capt. GIBBONS. They just give us this general lump sum and say that we must cut our cloth to fit it.

The CHAIRMAN. It is just a lump sum appropriation?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir.

Mr. BUCHANAN. What will be the result?

The CHAIRMAN. It is a kind of contingent fund for various little items.

Mr. BUCHANAN. Will it impair the efficiency of the academy? Capt. GIBBONS. We think that we can go on with the maintenance and general keep up, but it will cut out any general improvements, etc. The estimates that we submitted to the department were based on our experience of the year before. The purpose is now to be rigidly economical.

Mr. BUCHANAN. I believe in being economical myself, unless it impairs the efficiency of the work that is to be done.

The CHAIRMAN. "Maintenance and repairs, Naval Academy," is reduced from $350,000 to $275,000. There is a reduction of $75,000.

Please tell us about that, Captain.

Capt. GIBBONS. That reduction was also made by the Navy Department on our general estimates. You will notice that that is for repairs of buildings, improvements, etc.

The CHAIRMAN. We have been making pretty liberal appropriations for repairs there for some time. Was it on account of the expenditures already made in that line?

Capt. GIBBONS. Mostly along the line of improvements. We have built a great many new walks and new walls, and then from time to time the work on the terraces has taken quite a lot of money. We have had the sinking of some of the steam lines. Other contingencies may come up.

The CHAIRMAN. They have been cared for heretofore?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir. If things go along normally we can get along with this reduced amount. This does not provide for emergencies.

The CHAIRMAN. In the past we have been appropriating to take care and accomplish those things, and having done that, you do not need so much money now?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir. We think we can get on this year as a trial. The department cut it down to the lowest possible figure. The CHAIRMAN. The language is the same?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir; exactly the same.

The CHAIRMAN. Under the appropriations heretofore made you have already built a great many of the walks and walls?

Capt. GIBBONS. All roads, walks, sewers, and similar works are built and maintained by our own labor. For repairs to buildings, etc., we keep a number of masons, carpenters, painters, and other workmen. The CHAIRMAN. I believe that disposes of the appropriations for the academy.

I will ask you, Captain, to tell the committee of the condition and status of the work there, what you have to say with reference to the general situation of the school, what its signs of promise are, the work, etc.?

Capt. GIBBONS. The buildings at the academy are in as good a condition as could be expected considering that a lot of the contract work was not particularly well done, and some of the buildings were begun 10 years ago, and the last ones 5 or 6 years ago. We have great trouble in keeping the terraces of Bancroft Hall water-tight. Bancroft Hall was designed for 500 midshipmen, and after its construction was begun Congress doubled the number of midshipmen, so that the room originally designed for a mess room could not be used. We are now using a room under the terrace and are having some trouble in keeping it water-tight. The roofing of most of the buildings, on account of the contraction and expansion, has given a good deal of trouble. The gymnasium, armory, and chapel require constant attention. Cracks have developed in some of the buildings, which we are watching, but at present do not consider dangerous. I might explain to the committee that many of the buildings are on made ground that has settled somewhat. The greatest need of the academy at the present time is a sea wall around the power house. think the members of the committee who have been there are probably

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familiar with that. The power house was the first building authorized and the last completed, because the foundations were very poor. It has now been completed and has been in operation about two years. The contractor who attempted to build the sea wall gave it up. I think there is a suit pending now. The plan is to complete it at an estimated cost of $50,000, but it can go on another year. The department cut that item out.

Mr. TALBOTT. The board of visitors recommended it.

The CHAIRMAN. The suit is not yet determined?

Capt. GIBBONS. I do not think it is.

The CHAIRMAN. And, pending the decision of the suit as to the failure of the contractor, you will not suffer for this wall for the present?

Capt. GIBBONS. I consider it the most urgent work to be done if you are ever going to expend anything except for maintenance. I consider that necessary for the protection of the water front. The rest of it is all well walled, as you know, from the Chesapeake side. They have completed putting the wires underground, and the bridge authorized two years ago is practically completed.

The CHAIRMAN. Has anything been done as to the acoustics of the chapel?

Capt. GIBBONS. No. I might explain to the committee that the chapel was constructed at a cost of about $400,000. We found out after occupying it that the acoustic properties were very bad. We remedied that somewhat by screening off the dome and draping the upper part of the structure. But this made the interior unsightly They have all been taken down now, and it is as originally planned, but the acoustic properties are bad. Several people have plans for improving the condition, and I think one inventor has been before the department or the committee with a scheme for which, if not satisfactory, there would be no cost.

The CHAIRMAN. He never came before the committee; but he came to see me. His plan was to cover the whole dome with very fine highstrung silk threads to break the vibrations and to control them so as to destroy the echo; but he wanted a number of thousand dollars for it. I do not remember how much. That matter has never been acted upon or referred to the committee by the department. He also was in conference with the officials at the department. I believe you had at one time hung up there some cloth or something like that?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir; it was very unsightly. We had a lot of khaki, and we made these banners and hung them up. This dome, until last month, has been entirely screened off by a cloth screen which was very unsightly. The principal feature of the building is the dome.

The CHAIRMAN. Did any of those things improve the acoustics? Capt. GIBBONS. Slightly. I find before taking them down that the improvement was perceptible, but not very great.

Mr. BUCHANAN. As to the sea wall that you spoke of, what is the importance of that sea wall?

Capt. GIBBONS. It is to prevent the erosion of the land by the Severn River.

Mr. BUCHANAN. What will be the result of the delay in completing it? Will there be any damage?

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Capt. GIBBONS. There is a liability of damage, but it is not immi nent. It will have to be undertaken some time.

Mr. BUCHANAN. It would not cost any more to complete it now than at some later date?

Capt. GIBBONS. No, sir.

Mr. BUCHANAN. Is it important that it should be completed?

Capt. GIBBONS. I consider it the most important in the way of public works there.

Mr. BUCHANAN. What can be the ground for the delay, if it has to be done and if the money has to be expended some time? Why delay now-because of this suit which is pending?

Capt. GIBBONS. No, sir. I think it is delayed because the Navy Department wishes to undertake nothing but absolutely necessary work this year. I would not say that this was absolutely necessary at this time, but it is work that will have to be done some time. It can be postponed without damage a year or two.

Mr. BUCHANAN. Can it be postponed without doing any harm to the property there?

Capt. GIBBONS. I should say that it could be postponed without imminent danger.

Mr. BROWNING. You spoke of the roofs contracting and expanding. What are the roofs made of?

Capt. GIBBONS. Copper.

Mr. BROWNING. And there is contraction and expansion?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir.

Mr. BROWNING. I thought it was generally accepted that you did not have much contraction or expansion with copper roofs.

Capt. GIBBONS. We find by practical experience that we do. We have to make repairs to keep the roofs water-tight.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. Captain, there was pretty general dissatisfaction expressed on the floor of the House in debate in the last Congress on this proposition: They say that the Members of the House appoint young men to Annapolis and that they are so rigidly examined that they can not get into the academy. That is very disappointing to a Congressman who selects a nice-looking young man, who belongs to a family of great political influence in his district. They do not like it. I would like to have your views on the question as to whether or not the examinations are too rigid.

Capt. GIBBONS. My opinion is that the examinations are not too rigid; but I would like to say that I think no examination could be prepared that a certain number of applicants would not find too hard, from a lack of preparation. I have always said that I think any young man who has has the advantage of a public-school education up to one year or two years in a high school ought to have no trouble in passing the examination. In order to ascertain whether these examinations were too hard, the Navy Department sent out inquiries to all the public schools, and I understand the consensus of opinion to have been that they are not.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. That is, the public schools?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir. I myself have always been opposed to any idea of the preparatory school. I claim that if a young man has the right material in him and will work, there is no trouble about his getting into the academy. The examination, as you all know,

covers simply the common school branches, in addition to algebra and geometry.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. You have been making it easier?

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes; we left out one of the studies-universal history.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. Why did you do that, if you think it is not too rigid?

Capt. GIBBONS. In compliance with the demand for making it

easier.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. Do you not think that demand should be disregarded, if it is wrong?

Capt. GIBBONS. Personally, I do.
Mr. WITHERSPOON. I do, too.

it is to the interest of the service.

What I want to find out is whether

Capt. GIBBONS. It is to the interest of the service to maintain a high standard at the academy.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. How many young men who are admitted under these examinations are able to take the course and pass all the examinations in the course and graduate? What percentage of them fail? Capt. GIBBONS. Between 65 and 70 per cent are graduated.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. That would be about 35 per cent who fail? Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. If 35 per cent of those who stand this examination and who are admitted fail to maintain themselves in the course, does not that rather show that the examination is not rigid enough? Capt. GIBBONS. I should hardly say so, sir. We have had a large increase in the number and we have been working under pressure for the last 10 years because of the demand for graduates. When the Navy was increased, Congress doubled the number of midshipmen. With this greatly increased number and with fewer officers available for instructors, it was difficult to keep the standard up. Formerly there were about 300 midshipmen, and we were able to give more individual attention to them, but with eight or nine hundred it has been necessary to alter the standard in order to supply this greatly increased number demanded.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. Of this 35 per cent that fail, do you think that any of them fail because they do not have sufficient preparation when they enter the academy?

Capt. GIBBONS. Of the 35 per cent?

Mr. WITHERSPOON. Any part of them.

Capt. GIBBONS. Yes, sir. They are not well grounded in the fundamentals and they have not taken advantage of the education that the States offer them. There is enough money spent in the States to give them all sufficient education. I went so far as to look into the money spent in the various States for public education, and I found that the State of Washington spends more money than any other State for public instruction; but in looking over the list I found that just as many of them were successful that came from States in the South or in the West or in New England. There is nothing regional about educational failures. The fault is entirely with the individual; and when the individual fails he promptly thinks that the fault is with the system.

Mr. WITHERSPOON. If the boy has the brains and industry he will get through.