The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-07-22
THE NEW NAVY.

discharge in an efficient manner all the
duties of navy. Our work in foreign
surveys is limited to that of one small
vessel on the west coast Of North Amer
lea; our deep-sea soundings are few and
far between, dotted along the tracks
pursued by our ships while going to
and returning from distant stations; our
commerce is protected; but we are una
BILE to support any positive policy that
the Government might decide to declare
in reference to, for example, the Mon
roe doctrine. To say nothing of Euro.
pean naval ornaments, it is only nee.
essary to point to some of the smaller
powers in our own hemisphere that
possesses ships of war with which we
have nothing fit to cope.
Our people can not desire to assume
position in the society of naval pow
ers without supporting the position with
dignity; they can not wish their navy
to be cited as a standard of inefficiency;
they can not wish to force their repre-
sentatives (the officers of the navy into
position of humiliation and mortifica-
ton such as is imposed by being called
on to deprecate criticism by labored
explanations. Better abolish the navy
and lower our pretensions. >
Possessed as we are now of navy
such az has been indicated. the change
that is about to be instituted in
wolves most violent transition. In re-
viewing our work of construction for
the past thirty years we see no new
type of cruiser. The only types OF
ships that we have are those that date
before the war; since which we have
but reproduced the same in classes of
differing dimensions From the sailing
ship with auxiliary steam-power we
have passed to the steamer with auxil-
| iary sail-power; but we have no full.
| powered steamers, with or without sails.
As long as it is considered necessary to
spread as much canvas as is now used.
| the space assigned to boilers and
| engines is limited, and we fail to achieve
full power; reduction to the minimum
of sail-power must be accepted before
we can present type of full-powered
steamer.
With the exception of two vessels OF
the Alert class built of iron, we have
nothing but wooden hulls. We have
continued to build in perishable ma
terial, requiring large sums to be spent
in repairs, and ignoring the manu-.
| features of the country which could
have been aided in their development
by the contrary course. We have
permitted the age of steel to reach its
zenith without indicating that we were
aware of its presence.
With the exception of a few Pallisel
converted rifles of vIII-inch caliber,
our ornaments consist of smooth-bore
cast-iron guns which have composed
our batteries for thirty years. These
are now to be discarded and their
places to be filled with modern steel
cannon.
Torpedees, movable torpedoes, Of
which we know nothing practically,
are to be brought to the front, and are
to form part of our equipment. Tor
pedo-boats are to be brought into use.
and details innumerable are now to be
studied and worked ont.
| Conceive, then, high-powereo
steamer with minimum of canvas,
built of steel, armed with modern stee
artillery and secondary battery o.
Hotchkiss guns, fitted for launching
movable torpedoes, with protective
deck over boilers and engines, divided
into MANY water-tight compartments
giving protection to buoyancy, an6
compare such ship with the type O.
the United States cruiser which we now
possess, and an idea may be formed o.
the violence of the transition through
which we are to pass. And there il
nothing intermediate to break the sud
denness of this change; there is nd
connecting link. The structure of to
day is placed in direct contrast will
that of twenty-five years ago. This il
the position in which we stand, and WI
can but accept the situation. from
which there is no escape.
From all appearances, the navy /:
now to be given an opportunity of as
serting itself, and the steps alread,
taken to remedy the existing state o
things can be stated in few words.
The origin of the effort dates from
June, 1881, when the first Advisor,
Board was appointed to consider anG
to report on the need of appropriate
vessels for the navy. This board, il
its report of November z, 1881, decide,
that the United States navy shout,
consist of seventy unarmored cruiser
of steel; it reported that there wer
thirty-two vessels in the navy fit TO
service as cruisers, and it indicated tn
character of the new vessels to be built
This board confined itself to the con
sideration of unarmored vessels, as i
did not consider that the orders unde
which it acted required that it shout
discuss the subject of armored ships
though it expressed the opinion tina
such vessels were indispensable in tim
. of war.
Some time elapsed before any prac
teal results followed from the actio
of this board, but in an act of Congress
approved March 8, 1888, the construc
ton of three steam-cruisers and dis
patch-boat was authorized. These yes
sells are the Chicago, Boston, Atlant
and Dolphin, and they are approachin
completion, the Dolphin being alread
in commission.
, In an act of Congress approve
, March 8, 1885, four additional vessel