The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-13
NAVAL WARFARE.

At the juncture of a hostile collision with
another power, the unpleasant fact is devel-
oped that England's great iron-clads are prac-
tically useless in any extended cruise. The
Pail Mall Gazette, one of the most conserva-
tive of British newspapers, asserts that not
one of England's most formidable men of-war
has coal capacity to carry it across the At
lantic. They are so very large, and their
plating is so thick, that vast amount of coal
is required to propel them and sufficient
space cannot be spared to provide coal
for more than few days. This would
seem to offer solution of one of the most
perplexing problems of modern naval warfare.
For years past the builders of these floating
fortresses have steadily increased the thick
ness and weight of their sheathing, the object
being to turn the shot of any gun that might
be brought to bear upon them. From ribs Of
teak and oak these monsters of the seas have
slipped into armors of steel, and the latter,
from thickness of few inches, has grown to
feet, all but overcoming the floating resistance
of the water in which they were intended to
navigate. And with each increasing inch Of
thickness has come more formidable gun
and more nearly irresistible shot. No armor
that seryiceable vessel could float has yet
been devised that has not been pierced by the
conical steel balls from Essen and Woolwich,
and still the contest goes on. But now it
looks as if the experiment had reached its
limit Already it is apparent that these
floating batteries cannot be relied on in a
stormy sea- as several of them have foundered,
with disastrous results in the way Of
loss of life If so be an armor
the impact of any missile that might be
hurled against it, yet the dead weight of such
vessel is so great as to incapacitate it for
anything like an extended voyage or aggres-
sive action. The problem Of the irresistible
meeting the immovable is therefore solved by
a third consideration that seems to put astop to
this line of enterprise. True, other and un-
almored vessels might accompany one of these
marine monsters, and supply coal whenever
needed, but this would be dangerous ex-
pertinent, and not much reliance could be
placed in it.
There is considerable comfort in this to a
nation inclined to peace, as is the American.
If the "Thunderer," the '1nvincible," and
the Terror cannot cross the Atlantic, they
cannot hope to edge their way up New York
bay, nor knock the shape out Of other Ameri-
can seaports And if at last the limit of
naval resistance be reached, by the several
reasons above presented, the belief comes that
land fortresses can be so constructed that
with the aid of local floating batteries, it will
be practically impossible for a hostile
feet to get within gunshot of our cities. For
while a vessel may not be too heavily plated
because of the danger of sinking land bat
terry could be casemated in steel to an indef-
mite thickness, and be made practically shot
proof The advantage is altogether with the
defense III such contests, and it is well, since
it is desperate thing to submit q city to
the shell and shot of an enemy's feet