St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-27
TO CARRY GREAT GUNS.
The Public Given an Inkling Of What the
Secretary Of the Navy In
tends to Do.
Some of the Terrible Monsters Aboard
Which His Officers Will Sail
the Ocean Blue.
Hint Given to Foreigners That They
Must Fight Now or Forever
Hold Their Peace.
Only England, France, Germany,
Austria, Italy and Russia VIII
Uutrank Us.
Our Reiuvenated Navy.

Our Rejuvenated Navy.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26.-Chief Con-
structor w ilson estimates the active life Of
the wooden ships of our present navy as
fellows: The Tennessee (the only one
clasSed as iirst-rate) six months; the Tren
ton, Omaha and Vandalia, secondrates,
and the Michigan, third-rate, ten years;
the Lancaster and Brooklyn, secondrates,
and the Adams, Alliance. Essex, Enter
prise, Nipsie, Tallapoosa and Yantic, third
rate, six years; the Hartford, Richmond
and Pensacola. SecOnd-rateS, and the
Junlata, OSsippe, Quinnebaug. Swatara,
Galena. Maroon, Iroquois and Kearsarge,
third rate, five years. These, together with
the iron ships MonOcacy. Alert and Ranger,
third-rates. and the Michigan, PalOS and
Pinta, fOurti-rateS, constitute the available
lighting force of the present navy The
most powerful of their weapons are the
converted guns, having range of perhaps
two miles, excellent arms for operations
against wooden ships and ancient
Notifications or for Smelling towns,
but inefficient against the modern
armor. The very best Of these
ships is held by our naval authorities to be
far behind the times, as reliance for Of
Tense or defense in actual warfare. The
list of ironcladS comprises more than a
dozen monitors, but none of them are in
condition for service at this time. With
this showing the United States is placed by
her own authorities at
THE FOOT OF THE LIST
of naval powers in the essential matter Of
ships and guns, there being three South
,,. osxr
teen European powers which outrank US.
That portion of our prospective new
navy" whose construction has already been
sanctioned by congress, numbers eighteen
ships of all classes, to cost an aggregate Of
something more than $40, 900, 600, and bar
ring accident OR the failure of appropria
tiOns, is expected to be atloat four years
hence They are required to be built en-
tirely of metal, and no device known and
approved at the date of their planning, to
secure efficiency as fighting machines. has
been or is to be omitted in their construc-
ton. Their armament throughout will be
Of the modern high-powered guns, the
largest weapons at present contemplated
being the twelve-inct. breech-loading rifle,
carrying missile which weighs more than
800 pounds and requiring more than 400
pounds of powder for each discharge. The
theoretical range of such weapons is about
twelve miles. but difficulties in the maLter
of elevation and otherwise serve to reduce
this somewhat in practice. Seven of these
ships are to be armored, the heaviest proba-
bly, carrying sixteen inches Of steel as a
protection. Three will be protected
cruisers"-that is, vessels whose thick, low
decks of steel dip their edges below the
water line and serve as protection to the
machinery, magazines and other vital parts
of the vessels. The others will be
FOUR STEEL CRUISERS.
two gun boats, one tirst-clasS torpedo boat
and one dynamite gun cruiser. Of the
steel cruisers, the Dolphin, 500 tons dis
placement, is already completed and re-
ceiving her armament. The Atlanta, 5000
tons, is on her trial trip, and her armament
is being tested, while the Boston, 5000 tons,
and the Chicago, 4, 500, are well advanced
in construction. Five of the armored
vessels are of the double-turret monitor
class, each designed to carry four heavy,
high-powered guns, throwing 500-pound
shells, with possible range of ten miles.
These ships were planned ten years ago.
Doubtless if planned to-day some change
would be made, but they are, nevertheless,
spoken of by Commodore Wilson in his
last annual report as the best type Of coast
and harbOr-defenSe vessels in existence.
Though not designed for cruising, they can,
in emergencies, be sent abroad, their sea-
worthinesS having been well tested in the
past. Congress has now supplied the
means for furnishing these ships, and the
work is progressing rapidly. The Mian-
tonomah, 8, S15 tons, will be ready for SER
vice this year; the Puritan, 5000 tons, has
her engines in place, and is nearly ready
for her armor, while the Terror, Amphirite
and Manadnock, 3,S15 tons each, are now
receiving their machinery. The other two
armored ships have not yet entered upon
their first stage of existence. their cOnStruc-
ton having only been authorized by con-
gress at the end of its last session. They
are to be of 5000 tons displacement, to
have double bows. engines designed to
drive them at speed of sixteen knots an
hour, and complete torpedo outfits and
armament of the most effective kind, and
are to cost not more than So. 500, 900 EACH
In the mere matter of displacement these
ships will exceed by nearly one-fourth
THE BEST AND LARGEST
of our present naval vessels, while in speed
and effectiveness they are intended to COM
pare favorably with the better class of Eu-
rOpean cruisers and warships. The dynam-
lite gun cruiser will be novelty comparable
probably to nothing now in existence. The
secretary of the navy is authorized to make
a contract with its inventor for its con-
struction, and the department will have
little or nothing to do with the work be-
yond passing judgment upon the plans in
advance and the result at its completion.
The conditions imposed by the act of con-
gress contemplate the construction of YES
sci 100 feet long, proportionately very mar
row and of very light draft, with exceed
ingly powerful engines, guaranteed to be
capable of producing a speed of twenty
knots. In brief, the plans of.this craft are
understood to look to the placing of the
machinery and other ordinary appliances of
the ship towards the bow or stern. leaving
the region amidships for the magazines and
pneumatic guns, the latter being fixed in
position and having high elevation. The
dynamite missiles will be thrown like
bombs from an ordinary mortar. With all
these vessels afoat, the United States as
naval power will Outrank Brazil, Chill, the
Argentine Republic, China, Japan, Greece,
Norway Portugal and Sweden. and will be
abreast of Turkey, Spain, Holland and
Denmark. She will be outranked by En-
gland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and
Russia.
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