, 1873-11-15

s...e+.............ns.-....-sss. .
THE UNITED STATES NAVY.
Tho possibility Of serious complications bo-
twcon this country md Spain, owing to tho
rocont brutalities In Cuba, haB drawn public
attention to tho condition Of our navy. Whilo
war at this titno would bo groat misfortune.
and while it iu probablo TINT no resort to aru,s
will 10 necessary, 1t is we'll to know what our
strength would he in cnao war was forced upon
III. A briof investigation Into the number and
character Of our ships-of-wur will givo clear
idoa OF tho snateriel of our navy.
On tho 1st dny Of January last, tho war-ships
Of tho United States consisted Of tho following
stoamors-Firet-rates =, carrying 1sG guns
uccond-ratcH, 80, carrying 5Ga guns thsrd.ratoa,
81, carrying 1A7 guhs fourth-ratos, e. earring 10
howitzcrs; aaling-vcascls, 80, carrying GAG gunB;
iron-clads. I'll, carrying 1877 guns and ~ tug
boatB. There aro thus totals Of IL iron-clad
steamers. CT wooden steamers, 80 saling-yos-
selH, and 81 tugs milking quito an imposing aggre-
gato-on papor-of 175 vossola belonging to our
navy. The tugs md Ha1ng-ships may bo
dropped out Of tho calculation to start with. bo-
ing utterly usoleas as ships4or-war. A trst-c!ass
bonfire would bo tho most judicious uso for
1nost of them, and largo expense could bo
thus saved. Let us now examine the wooden
and ro1,-clad Btcamors
OF tho i've flrst-rates, tho "Niagara," II guns,
ia 30 hopeleasly rotten that nothing short Of
complete rebuilding would over mako her tit for
service. Tho othor four, with d total Of III
guns, can be prepared for 500 in from QUO to
tnrco months.
OF the second-ratcs, five aro still on tho atochB
AaviuC romasnod tlero until toorotten to launch,
two havo bcon sold this yoar. two arc old stylo
paddo-whcol steamers, unfit for action. and tho
"Florida and "nlinots," though 1aunched, are
like tho hvo first mentioned too rotten to take
aboard their machinery and guns. This 1oavoa
twenty-five OF tho acoondrates, carrying s56 guns,
which can bo made ready for service probably
inside Of six months.
Tho third-ratcs arc mere guu-boata, oarrying
generally to guna cach, except six Of tho
smallest, which carry only guns each. They
could only bo useful in attacking small ports mud
vosHcls. Tho fourth-rates aro mere paddlc-whoel
dispatcl.-boats.
The iron-c1ads aro MI monitors except ono, not
yet launched, nor likely to DO. They are laid
up" at League Island. Now Orleans, Mound
City, Washington, and Boston, and three Of thom
are on tho stocks. The "Ajax," 2 guus; " Die.
tutor" 2; "Mahopac," 2; "Manhattan," 2;
Miautonomah," 4; "Roanoko," 6; "saugus"
2, and "Terror,"4 are about the only ones that
cnn ever bo made at for soa, aud they are 80 it,
tic suitable for general service that no Admiral
In his aenaes would over attempt to make uae Of
them exoopt along q coast whero he could at
tempt shelter at short notice. Without enter-
ing into detailed account Of their deficiencies,
it is sufficient to say that all naval oicersrog
them az admirable for coast aeryice-and for
nothing o!se.
We have thus twenty-six wooden steamers, car-
rying $50 guns, for effective uBo in tho event Of
foreign war. It is well known that not ovor
thrco-fourths Of q navy can DO kept in commits
sion constantly. ropairs and remuuitioning
keeping tho remainder out Of service. We
should thus haro about twonty ships, many OF
which aro old-faslioned and slow, to oppose the
best iron-cad frigatcs a1oat.
Spain possesses eloven frigatea Of the hrst
claeB, including such Bhips as the Numnncia," !"
"Ville do Madrid, and ''Aragonia, y all OF which
arc superior III every respect to any vessel in
our navy. Without doubt, she could maintain
OIL tho high sens larger fleet Of iron-clad ahips-
of-war than we could put a1oat Of wooden ahips.
Spain was not purity to the Treaty OF Paris,
nor waa the United States, and she could thus
issue letters Of mnrque without limit. It hap
pons, however, that no have worry littlo COM
noreo for her lottors Of marquo to WACO war
upon. ...