New-York tribune., 1884-10-05

THE STRENGTH or MODERN Ni|itS.
An alarm has recently ariScl in England con-
cerning the strength of its Navy. American
are constantly reminded that their Navy has no
strength. Ia France the English alarm li, re-
ycaicd the fact that the French Navy Is by no
means what it should be. Aud during the
late autumn manmuvrc, in Germany some
naval cXp,rimcnts were made which suggested
# serious doubt whether the most imposing
and apparently Formidable lighting ships oi the
time may not prove Ineffective when The crucial
test of their powers is made. Since the naval
battle OF lssa between Austria and Italy no
serious combat OF iron-clads has occurred ;
and vet since thdt time the conditions ol naval
warfare have been greatly changed Inc
rivalry between armnr and guns has gone
steadily forward until the probable limit oi the
former has been reached. but not the limit OF
,cnctrntlyc power. Floating batteries ioI har-
Dor defence may still be constructed with
armor capable of turning even swilter ANA
heavier proioctilcs than have been thus lar
devised. but for soa-going lighting ships 1t Is
doubtful if any heavier armor can be carried.
Side by side with this contest between plates
and proiectiles, however, has proceeded an
other line of scientific experiment. which, II
successful. may nulify all the efforts to produce
impenctrable ships and irresistible guns.
The science of torpedoes has been greatly ad-
vanced since the inventions OF Whitehead.
Some Continental Powers have paid more at
tention to it than either England or france
and one of the results Of the development Is
now said to be the perfection of torpedo sys-
TEN by which the greatest iron clad alioat can Dc
destroyed almost infallibly i'll Il few minutes,
and this despite any defensive means within the
reach OF The assaicd vessel. The experience OF
our own war, and later. that OF the Russo
Turkish war, appeared to warrant the con-
clusion that torpedoes were too uncertain III
their action to be relied upon for extensive
onerations. The Russians failed about three
times ont of four in their attempts to blow up
tbe Turkish iron -clads in the Danube. But the
improvement of torpedoes has been sought con-
stantly since that time, aud 1t Is asserted that
to-day there is no iron-clad navy that cannot be
DESTROYED by these machines, and that out
ripged nets. whether above or below water, Will
not fcnd of the new torpedoes. OF course 1t
will not do to accept these statements implicitly.
They NAV or they may not be true. But there
j. nothing doubtful about the fact that the
actual DcuiNlOI Ol DiDuCIH 7''''N' "'N'~- ''N
in a seaway is an unsolycd problem; while 1t Is
obvious that the improvement OF tolpcdoes may
have proceeded as far as is claimed.
The situation, therefore, is one OF uncer-
tainty The real strength of any modern navy
is an unknown quantity. : 1t is possible that a
single shot mi ght sink the strongest ron-clad
now anoat 1t is possible that the recoIl OF
their own guns might strain them fatally. 1t Is
possible that the new torpedocs might prevent
their approach to any harbor or coast. The
modern conditions of naval warfare are 50 en-
urey new that the past affords no help in esti-
mating probabilities. The first combat between
two iron-cad fleets has still to be fought, for at
LISA there was very little fighting, one OF the
combatants selling the earliest opportunity to
run away. In spite, therefore, OF the Immense
sum, which have been expended upon the
nayies of Europe, nobody knows whether any
of them is really mn effective offensive or dcieh-
siye machine This is the only consolation we
can draw from our own naval weakness, ana IL
is not much for the fact remains that, since we
have no system of torpedo defence ana no
heavy guns for coast Notifications. even single