Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-11-17
AMERICAN MEN-OF-WAR.
The Present and Future OF the
United States Navy.
Now the Weakest in the Matter OF ships
and Armament. 1t Will Four Years
Hence Occupy seventh Place
New Fighting Machines.
Washington Lctter.1

Washington Lctter.1
Chief Constructor Wilson e.timates
the active life OF the wooden war
ships of our present navy as fol-
lows: The Tennessee, the only one
classed as first-rats, six months; the Tren-
ton, Omaha ani Vandalia, second rates,
and the Mohican, third rates, ten years;
the Lancaster and Brooklyn. second rates,
and the Adams, Alliance, Essex, Enter
prise, Nipsic, Taliapoosa and Yantlc,
third rates. SIX years; the Hartford Rich
mond and Pensacola, second rates, and the
Juniata, Ossippe, Quinnebaug, Swatara.
Galena, Marion, Iroquois and Kearsarge,
third rates. five years These, together
with the iron ships Monocacy, Alert and
Ranger, third rates. aud the Michigan.
Palos aud Pin'a, fourth rates. constitute
the available q fshting force Of the present
navy.
Tie most powerful Of their weapons are
the converted guns, having a range of
perhaps two miles-excellent arms for op-
eras!ons against wooden ships aud fort:f-
cations or for shelling towns, but inefii-
cent agains. the modern armor
The lit of iroa-clads comprises more
than dozen monitors, but none Of them
are in condition for service at this time
placed by her own au horities at the foot
OF the list of naval powers in the essential
matter of ships and guns there being three
South American, two AsIatic and fifteen
or sixteen European powers that 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 ag-
Gregate of som ,thing inors than $2aOJ0,-
Coz, and the list of which, barring accident
on the failure OF appropriations, is expect
ell TO be sfout four years hence. They are
required to be built entirely of metal aud
no device known aud approved at the date
of their p.anning to secure efficiency as
lighting machines has been, or is to be-
omitted in their construction. Their arm
emen5 throughout WILL bo of tho naoIsrn.
high-powered guns, the largest weapons at
present contemplated beiug tie twelve
inch breech-loading rife, carrying a
missile which weighs more than
eight hundred pounds and re-
curing more than four hundred pounds
OF powder for each discharge. The theoret.
fcal range CT such weapons IS about twelve
miles, but d diificulties in the matter of ele-
vation aud otherwise servo to reduce this
somewhat in practice Seven of these
shil,s are to be armorel. tho heaviest prob
ably carrying sixteen inches of steel as a
protection. Three will DO protected
cruiser" is, vessels whose thick
lower decks of ste i dip their edges below
tho water line and Scrve as a protection TO
the machinery, magazines aal other vital
parts OF the vessels. The others will bs
four steel cruisers, two gun.boats, one
6rst-clasS torpsdo-boat and one dynamite
gun cruiser. OF the steel cruisers, the
Doll hin, 500 tons displacement, is already
completed, and receiving her armament
The Atlanta, 400 tons. is on her tr. al
TRIP and her armament is being tested,
while the Boston, 800 tons, and the Chi
cago, 4,5O0, are well advanced la construc-
ton. Five of the aT,nos cd vessels are of
double turret monitor class, each designed
20 carry four heavy, high-powered guns,
throwing five huadr 81 pound shells with q
Toss. be Sc OF ten miles Thess ships
were planned ten years ayo. Doubtless il
planned to-day, some change would be
made, but they are nevertheless spok IN Of
by Commodore Wilson in his last annual
, report as the best type Of coast and harbor
defens, vessels In existcncs. Though not
designed for cruising, they can in emer-
having been well testsd in the past Con-
gross has now supplied the means for fur
nishiug these ships, and the work is pro-
crossing rapidly. Tbs Miaaton jmah, s SI5
tons, will be ready for service this year;
the Puritan. 5000 tons, has her engines
In place, and is nearly ready for her Gr-
NOR, Wills the Terror, Amph trite and
Uonadnock-3,S15 tons each-are now re-
ceiving their machinery. Toe othsr two
armored ships have not yet entered upon
their first stage of existenca their con-
struction having only been authorized by
Congress at the end of its last Sc sion
They arc to be of 6,0)1 tons displacemsnt
20 have double bottoms, engines designed
| to drive them ut speed of sixteen knots
an hour and compless torpedo outfits and
| armaments of the most eff Dctive kiad, and
are to cost not more tlan S25J0, 100 each
In the mere matter Of displacement these
ships W II exec vi by nearly one fourth the
best and largest Of our present naval vss-
scls, while in iced and effectiveness they
are intended to compare favorably with
sbe better c ass of European cruisers.
| The dynami e sun cruiser will b, a nov
city comparable probably 20 nothing now
: In existence. Tae Secretary of the Navy
Is authorized to mako a contract with its
inventors for its construction, and the
department will have little or nothing to
do with the work beyond passing judgment
upon the plans in advance, aud the result
at its completion. The conditions imposed
| by the act of Congress contemplate the
construction Of vessel one hundred and
thirty feet long, proportionate:y very mar
row and Of very light draft with exceed
ingly powerful engines, guaranteed to be
capable of producing a speed Of twenty
knote. In brief ths plans of this craft are
understood to look to the placing Of the
machinery and other ordinary appliance
| of the ship toward the bow or stern, leav-
ing the region amidships for the magazine
and pneumatic guns, the latter being fixed
In position and having a high elevation.
The dynamite missiles viii be thrown like
bombs from an ordinary mortar.
With all these vessels afoat. the United
States as anaval power will outrank Brazil,
Chill, the Argentine Republic, China. ia
pan, Greece, Norway, Portugal and Swe-
den, and viii be abreast of Turk ",
Spain, Holland and Denmark. She will
be outranked by England, France, Ger
many, Austria, Italy and Russia