New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-05-19
NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.

Two years ago the United States could
hardly be considered as possessing Navy; for
a. that time all the craft which sho could
count were not more than four.score, while
her first aud second-class propellers-the only
species OF men.of-war which are now c0nsid.
cred available for actDn-could almost be
numbered ON the fingers Of the hands. Within
these two years, we have created for ourselves
an immense naval armament aud tho waters
of our shores, our inlets, and our rivers, are
covered with hundreds of national vessels,
where not many months ago scarcely ship-o.-
war was to be seen.
! OF course, it could not DO expected in the
creation OF this vast naval force that perfec-
ton. or even a semblance OF 1t, could IN every
Gaze be gained; aud we have had no lack Of
grumLlers who carp at every failure aud gloat
over every naval discontinue, attributing 10
Secretary Weies nul the officers OF his De
par,ment blame for having dispatched TO sea
yessrls that were untitled for tie duties they
were called on TO perform. They tell US that
there has been n system OF naval bungiing
practiccd in this country which - unparalleled
m the history OF the world. Tboy will not
take into consideration tho many and serious
difficulties which have naturally stood IN the
WAY Of creating so vast a fleet ou SO short a
notice, but persistcnty point to the perform
ances Of other Powers which they tell US,
have invariably avoided the errors into which
wo have iAilsu.
A few facts taken from tho history of naval
architecture will inform our readers how far
these fault.hndors aro correct In their asser-
tons.
OF oil people IN the world no one boasts 50
much Of the nagnihccnce Of his ship. ind the
ptepondcrance Of his naval power, as does tho
truo-born Bnion; but in tho attainment Of this
greatness John Bull has been tho victim OF a
greater amount Of bubglng IN the building aud
fitting out of bis feet than has been expert
epced IN all the rest Of the nayies of tue world.
During tho time Of tho Nnpoeonic wars, 1t u'cd
20 be the boas, Of Euglshmen that France
built ships for them 10 take; and It cannot be
denied that some Of the finest models which
we're then 10 be- found in the British Navy
were constructed in the Gallo dockyards.
rhe crafty French Emperor Of the present day,
determined that his ships shall be a. iautlcss
as possible, quietly watches the experiments OF
hi. neighbors, takes advantage of their many
mi,hap,, and waits until they have arrived at
some degree Of perfection, when he cooly APP
propriates to bis own purposes the new design
or the new invention giving to IL that improve
ment which French ingenuity is enabled to
produce.
| The reckless expenditure Of the British Ad-
mlralty in experimenting is something extraor-
dlnary. Every discovery however problenatic,
if it only promise any great advantage in that
department, is seized upon with ayidity, aud
ia put into operation without any consideration
either Of tsne, trouble, or expense; nor do the
doubtful nature of the results, any more than
the weight of public opinion, operate in any
way as n restraint. 1t is true that this mode
Of procedure sometimes produces very won
derful results. But, at the same time, if we
take into consideration the general condition
OF the fleet, it ia manifest that the effects are
not commensurate with the prodigious dsburso
mcnts il occasions. Thus, we cannot hear
without the greatest as,onishment, Of the enor-
nous sums sunk in experiments which have
turned out complete failures; for the mattriel
alone of tho British navy during the forty
years. peace prior 10 the Crimcan War amount
ed to the enormous sum Of four hundred and
fifty millions Of dollars-the entire naval OK
pcndlturo during this period having been eight
hundred millions of dollars
OF the manner in which the public money il
squandered tho following illustrations are
placed on record: First, we find on one oc.
casion Admiral Napier calling the attention of
the Fret Lord of the Admiralty to the fact
that since 1915, - three. deckers, IA two
deckers, 81 frst.class irigatcs, l55 second
class, and 80 ilr.l-cass vessels, beside 33i of
inferior denomination Gin all ~ craft) had ut
terly disappeared And on another occasion,
Dir. Hume declared from his place in the
House of Commons, and without contradiction,
that Of 800 ships Of war, built between 1923
and 1913, one.third were unfit for service.
Startling, however, though such assertions are,
they arc perhaps surpassed by tho extravagant
proceedings connected with tho building OF
war steamers. Though it was Us far back as
the year 1922 that England FIRST ut
tempted to construct paddle.whee steam
ships for purposes Of war, ID was no.
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