New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-02
NETWORK DAILY TRIBUNE, SATURDAY JULY 2 1881.

the rebellion was provisional and temporary.
Many of the new vessels were mere transports
purchased from the merchant service others
were hastily built light-draft gunbOats for pa
trolling rivers and supporting land expeditions.
All these were long ago sold as of nc further
use. A vast amount of money was spent upon
monitors under the stimulus of the success of
the first experimental vessel of that description
in her encounter with the Mcrrimac The
monitors were only safe in a smooth sea, their
fighting powers were very limited, and they
were so deficient in buOyancy that they became
death-traps when struck by torpedo. Most of
them have been broken up, and the few that
remain are only valuable to a limited extent for
barbor defence. For cruising and general SER
vice we have few large wooden ships con-
structed before the war and kept ahoat at great
cost for repairs, and few small slOOps which
Congress authorized about ten years ago in Il
brief interval of intelligent interest in the wei
fare of the navy. The last naval register
enumerates only thirty eight vessels actually
in service and many of these arc third and
fourth rates of very small value for actual war
fare. For offensive purposes our navy is
simply contemplate in its weakness OF course
any comparison with the navies of England,
Russia, France or Germany is out of the ques-
sccond-rate Powers. Italy has eighty eight
steamers, of which eighteen are sea- going iron
clads; Spain, whose interests often clash with
ours, has seventy three steamers, including ten
powerful ronclads; poor, beaten aud impov-
crshcd Turkey keeps ailoat fifteen large armored
ships, eighteen smaller ironclads, and forty five
other steamers Austria, possessing only two
naval ports, has fourteen ironclads and thirty
seven other steamers. Indeed we hardly rank
with countries like Sweden, Denmark and Hol-
land.
The Administration, may assume from
its recent action, understands the weak
ness of our position upon the ocean and be-
leves the people will sustain it in an effort to
improve ii. The report of the new advisory
board will no doubt be followed by strong re-
commentator to Congress for IN appropra-
ton to construct new ships. What sort of ships
shall they be This is for the board to say
Its advice will probably determine the action
of Congress. Thus much can be predicted in
advance-thc board will not recommend the
building of any huge ironclads such the Ital-
ianS and the English have recently constructed
at enormous expense, nor will it attempt To re-
peat the monitor folly. The first need of the
country il Il number of large, fast-sailing,
iron frame steamers, with magazines and en-
gncs well protected but with no heavy arinor
to weigh them down. For their armament we
must either make or buy powerful long-range
ritlcd cannon, such as the navy does not now
POSSESS, and has no means of constructing
Such ships are urgently needle as a sea police
to sustain our prestige and protect our com
mcrce all over the world. When we get them
we can next take up the question of ironclads--
question, by the way, upon which the best
naval authorities do not agree. The present
tendency is toward vessels with numerous
water-ught compartments, not armored, or
armored only for DETECTING and not for resist
ing shot. The recent progress in the construc-
ton Of torpedo boats makes it doubtful whether
the strongest ironclad in the British navy would
be able to destroy little craft like the Alarm
now lying in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, before
receiving fatal shock from the torpedo thrust
against her side by tie long steel arm of her
antagonist.