Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-01
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
QUEEN VICTORIA SENDS A MES.
SAGE OF COSDOLENCE.
Death of Major Reno-The Berlin
Conference-Coast Patronage
The New Navy-Etc.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES 10 THE sEooRD-uN,os.l
ESPECIAL DIspArcHrs 10 rzK BpoonD-uNlos.,
UNCLE SANS NAVY.
List of the War Vessels Nearing Conn
pletioR.

List of the War Vessels Nearing Com
pletioR.
WASHINGTON, March 3lst.-The Balti-
more, 4,413 tons, with four eight-inch
and six six-inch guns, and the Petree, 500
tons, with four six-lnch guns; the York
town, LOO tons, with six six-inch guns,
are virtually accepted, and the Vesuvius, a
dynamite cruiser, with three fifteen-inch
dynamite guns, is also part of the Navy.
There are under way, the Newark, 4,S03
tons; the Philadelphia, 1924 tons, and the
San Francisco, 4,083 tons, all TO be armed
with twelve six-inch guns. and the Con-
cord and Bennington, smaller vessels of
LOO tons each, with six six-inch guns,
carrying eight torpedoes. is building. and
there have also been authorized cruiser of
800 tons.
The Newark, Philadelphla and San
Francisco are protected cruisers. and the
Yorktown, Concord and Bennington are
gunboats. Nearly all of these vessels are
to have speed of from Is to 20 knots an
hour. Their main batteries, given above
in details, are to be supplemented in each
instance with secondary battery of rapid
firing guns, ranging from to 33-pounders,
revolving cannon, and a full complement
of gatlings. In the case of the Maine
and the Texas their secondary batteries
run as high as twenty guns, aud an aver
age is about ten. The equipment of the
main batteries call for one 16-inch gun
Up to this time there have been COM
pleted at the Washington Gun Shops be-
tween thirty and forty of the six-inch guns
quired for the new navy Quite large
number of these having gone 10 the York
tIwn and Chicago. The first appropria-
ION for the new armament of the navy
was not available until the fiscal year, be-
e ming on the Both CT June, 1887 IN that
year Congress appropriated $2,12S.3 1862. In
tue following year S., SOC, 900 was author
lied to be expended, and for the year which
begins with the first of next July Congress
has set apart 81 100000. Within three
years, therefore, nearly 100000 have
been placed at the disposal of the Ord
nance Bureau, exclusively for the arm
ament.
Captain Folger says that he expects to
have everything running at the end of
twelve months. The Washington gun
factory will have no counterpart in this
c7untr7, and will compare favorably with
that Of any in the world. This, of course
relates exclusively to what is known as the
assembling Of guns. In Krupp's famous
works, steel is made on the same ground
where the guns are manufactured.
A vessel of 7 800 tons, which is to cost
$500 600, has not yet been commenced
In addition to these last, Congress author
lied an armored steel cruising monitor, to
cost 81 100000. exclusive of the armament ;
two steel cruisers, or gunboats, to cost not
more than 100000, also exclusive of arma-
ments, and one ram for harbor defense
These latter vessels, of course, are at pres
ent literally on paper. The unarmored
vessels are in better shape. There has
been launched, and is rapidly approaching
completion. the Charleston, 1000 tons, with
two S-inch and six 6-inch guns.
OF the armored vessels, the Maine, 6,64S
tons, with two ten-inch and six six-inch
breech-loading rifled guns, are building at
the navy yard at New York. The Texas
$500 tons, with two twelve-inch and six
slx-inch guns, has its frame partially laid
A coast defense vessel, 1000 tons, heavily
armed, with one sixteen-inch lis ton gun,
one twelve inch As ton gun and one fifteen
inch dynamite gun, is not yet contracted
for. The Puritan. 6, o60 tons, with four ten
inch guns, is awaiting completion at the
Norfolk Navy Yard. The Terror, 3.S15
tons, with the same armament, is under
going alterations at the New York Navy
Yard. The Miantonomah, another turret
monitor, of the same tonnage and arma-
ment, is nearly completed while the other
monitors, the Monadnock and the Amphi-
trite, similar to the Puritan and Miantono-
NAH. have their bulls completed, one at
Wilmington, Delaware, and the other at the
Mare Island Navy Yard, armored cruisers