National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-01-24

cept the fact that it is Of republican |
origin. This policy involves the immo- |
date completion of certain vessels that
are in course of construction, and pro-
vision for tho building of certain others
that have been designed.
Now, if this policy must be condemned
because it is OF republican origin, ire
spcctivo OF its merits, then of course there
can be no dispute rs to tho soundness OF
Mr. Randalrs alleged position. But if IL
be the province Of congress to inquire as
10 the merits Of the policy itself, irrespect-
i've of its origin, then facts become inn
purtant and truth valuable. If tho conn.
try needs ships, and IL the ships under
construction or designed by the present
regime are the kind of ships the country
needs, IL would puzzle an ordinary logican
to SEQ good reason why progress should
be interrupted for the space of one year.
The real question to be determined,
then. is whether tho vessels now under
construction, and those designed and
recommended in addition, arc the type
or kind of vessels best adapted to the re-
quiremonts Of the United States. Thus
far, two general classes Of ships only
have been included in the programme.
one class Is composed Of low, froe-board
armored vessels Of the monitor pattern,
dOuble.turreted. OF these five are under
construction; one being nearly completed
1t has been the custom to contrast these
vessels with tho iron-clads OF foreign
powers, aud to draw from such COMPARE
son the conclusion that our vessels are
obsolete. These contrasts are misleading,
because they have been mado without ref
erence to the essential conditions of size,
cost, displacement, and draft of water. For
example, the custom has been to compare
an nrffiah ltt
turreted monitors like the Devastation,
Thunderer or Dreadnaught, aud the
Puritan with such vessels as the Inlex-
ible, Colossus or Edinburg. OF course,
the MantonomOh Is inferior to the
Dreadnought. But her inferiority is a
nero matter of size and cost, not OF de-
sign or workmanship.
Tho Miantonomoh displaces about
1000 tons Of water and floats Oh draught
of about Ia feet.
"a. The Dreadnaught displaces nearly
1l,000 tons Of water aud floats on a
draught of about "a feet.
To MAKE THE COMPARISON FAIR
you would have to expand the one TO tho
dimensions of the other, or vico versa
The Dreadnaught is nearly three times
as large as the Miantonomah, and cost
more than twice as much money. Her
greater displacement affords carrying ca
pacity for thicker srmOr, more powerful
engines, and creator supply of coal,
whereby she naturally realizes the three
cardinal desiderata Of less vulnerabilty,
greater speed, and longer endurance. Ex-
pand the Miantonomah to the displacO-
ment of the DrCadnaught on her own
lines, retaining her proportionately lower
freebOard and superior design of turrets
and she would become the more formida-
BILE ship of tho two. The Mantonomah
expanded on her present lines to the
Dreadnaught's displacement would be
3i2 feet long against the latter's 32O feet,
20 feet beam against the latter's 63 feet 10
inches, and would draw 90 feet of water
against the latter's 27 feet, showing es-
sontiAl differences in model, caused by
the light draught requirements Of our
coasts. Thus il will readily be seen that
while the Miautonomah is adapted to the
uses of the United States the Dread
naught would not be; so that the compar-
ison so frequently drawn between them
is not only unfair in the architectural
sense, but also absurd in the practical
sense.
On the other hand, reduce the Dread
nauEht on her own lines to the displace-
ment of the Miantonomoh, and her length
would he .3l feet. against the latter's 25j
feet; her beam would be I6 feet, against
the latter's 55 ioct, aud her draught Of
water would be l9l feet. against the
.aitor's ii feet In short, the Dread
raught, reduced on her own lines to the
MiautOnomoli's displacement, would still
draw within less than a foot as much
water as the Mhnt5nomoh would draw if
expanded on her own lines to the DIS
placement Of the Drradnaught!
As a matter OI iagt, the Miantonomah Is
to-day the mos. hcaviiy-armored, the most
pOwCrIully.engiued, aud, with her new
l0-inCh guns Oh board, will be the most
lormidably vessel of her draught
and displacement in the world. Upon
which assertion one may safely challenge
THE MOST EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATION,
The navy list Of every nation on the
earth may be ransaCked in vain for
another snip carrying armor, engines, aud
battery equal to those OF the MiantOnomoh
Oh fourteen feet draught and four thousand
tons displacement. OF course what il
true of this vessel applies to the other
three unfinished ships of her class and
rate exactly, and in an enlarged sense to
the Puritan, which is n heavier ship OF
the same type. Thus IL must appear, be-
yond dispute. that no fair or instructive
comparison can be made between these
vessels and the heavier, deeper ships OF
the British or other foreign navies, and
the outcry that has been made against
them in some newspapers and on the
floors Of congress IL at least not discrimi.
mating. 1t must always be borne in mind
that these vessels were designed for har'
Dor and coast defense to meet the peculiar
conditions presented by our own sea.
board, and consequently lghtnes5 o.
draught was in these. as it must forever
be in all ships to be employed oil the
coast of tho United States, an iudispensa
BILE condition. primary aud principa
requisite--to which all other elements o
design had to bo inexorably adapted
subordinated, or sacrificed.
Such being the case the value of thes
ships must be measured by the limita
tions to which their designs were sub
jectsd, and their utility must be deter
mined, not moro by their own propertle
than by the depth of water in which the!
must act. And the physical fact that
Dreadnaught or an Intlexible could no
float in or about the harbors which tn
Miantonomah or the Puritan are desgne,
to defend, ought to end for all time tn
ssnseless aud confusing farce of comparing
tho Que with the other.
IT IS UNIVERSALLY ADMITTED
that the United States needs coast defens
vessels. 1t is we'll known that to be can
able Of freely entering and moving abou
in our harbors to be defended, ves,e
must draw less than twenty feet OF water
Very little actual warlike experience ha
boen had by any nation as to tho perform
ance Of armored ships; but of that littl
we ourselves have had the principa
share, and it has all tended to demonstrat
the utility of the low freeboard monito
with revolving turrets. Other nations, a
the English, the French, and the Italians
may and do multiply experiments, AM
may and do design ships Of other types
broadside, barbette, or what not, base,
upon the hypothesis Of students or tn
periments are Of little value TO u
because, hrst, they have uses for thei
ships which we mover can have, and sec
....l th.L. .l...LI.- \