Morning journal and courier., 1889-04-08
OUR LITTLEN NAVY.
How the Britlshers Fit Up she Ocean
 Travelers-Al Ready for Use as

OUR LITTLE NAVY.
 How the Britishers Fit Up she ocean Travelers-AH Ready for Use as War Cruisers of the N1ghtyDeep-The British Royal Naval Reserve. I A New Havener just from 8 visit across | the big seas and one whose weather eye is al- \ ways open for whatever is new and interest \ inp about ocean steamers and for the ad- \ vancement of our nations maritime and naval interests, was much impressed by i notable fact which, while abroad, came under his observation, and which is not gen- \ orally known. It is the fact that various of the great ocean passenger steamers and racers \ which to our misfortune are all or nearly all British iron steamers, built and owned in Great Britain, are built so that in very
 short time they can be equipped with heavy \ armament of ferocious guns all ready to ' pounce down upon the ports of an enemy ! and lay them under contribution or destroy them. This makes all their big iron ocean racers so constructed supplemental navy \ for Great Britain all ready for an emergency. | The importance of this to England in case of ' a sudden breaking out of war cannot be es- ' timated. And look, continued the New Ha- | vener, at what a disadvantage America would be placed in case of some crisis which should plunge us into 8 war with Great Britain. Such a calamity, is to be hoped, never can occur again. These two great Eng fish speaking nations are so interwoven and l linked together in financial and social inter-
 ests, in religious interests, in lingual and literary interests and in the bonds of brotherhood and Christianity, that war be- tween these two great nations seems almost out of the question. But the point is made purely for illustration. It is we'll that our nation is waking up to the fact that we need 8 navy, and especially so since the wrecking at Samoa. These ocean passenger steamers are enrolled in the British Royal Naval Re- serve and some of the captains rank as Heu- tenants in the British navy. The steamers, when built, are built with special reference to supporting the weight of heavy ordnance for use in case of war, the same as regular war thus be put on board at short notice, as there is no tearing to pieces or rebuilding to be done, and the steamers are thus ready for war service at sea in
 short order. These steamers are given
 heavy subsidies by the British government,
 with the provision that in moments notice the government can order them equipped
 with guns and put on 8 war footing. "Eter- nal vigilance is the price of liberty" and by eternal vigilance England provides for emer- gencies that may arise, in which her claim
 as ruler of the seas may be disputed. Steam
 
 Star lines are thus subject to call for war
 service from the alleged mistress of the
 seas." The following, reprinted from the
 Liverpool Courier of January 21, 1889, is very pertinent in connection with the above: IN TIME or WAR.
 Addressing the members of the Institute of Naval Architects on 30th March, 1887, upon the Merchant service and the royal navy" Sir N. Barnaby. late director of naval
 instruction, referred to the arrangements
 which had then recently been completed be-
 tween the admiraltysand the White Star and other companies for the retention of their war steamers for war purposes, and pointed out that sthis seed, for which we have to
 thank MT. Ismay, was planted at the admir- alty nine years ago the outcome of proposals made by MT. Ismay as far back as 1878, i" when he urged upon the attention of the admiralty that fast mail or passenger steamer may be as efficient factor in nav- al war as an ordinary war cruiser, and offer cd to make an agreement to hold at the dis posal of the admiralty upon terms then specified certain ships for the purposes of the State in time of war. The matter lay dor
 mant until August, 18Se, when Messrs.
 fsmay, Imrie & Co. revived it by offering on
 behalf of the White Star Line to build two speed and strength superior to any merchant ship aioat, with engines and boilers below
 water, complete subdivision by bulkheads,
 fittings for guns built in during construction, and manned by half crews of naval reserve
 men. An agreement was come to and the
 plans for these ships were submitted to and
 approved by the Admiralty from their very
 inception, and the progress of the work has
 been watched by practical advisers of the
 Admiralty to the present time.
 When complete the Teutonic and Majestic
 will be so arranged that twelve guns can be
 mounted on each ship forty eight hours af
 ter arrival in port, and it is believed that
 with their attributes of twin screws, high speed, and great strength and coal enduI-
 ance, these two steamers will play an impor- tant part in realizing the hope Of many in
 times past of seeing the Royal Navy and the
 merchant service bound together in one com
 mon scheme for the protection of our com
 merce and the defence of the Queens domin
 ions.
 In the above connection it is interesting to
 note that Uncle Sam's naval commission has
 just decided to recommend a suitable site for a navy yard on the Pacific coast north of Cal ifornis. The commission visited Yaquina Bay, Coos Bay, Tillamook Head, Ewing hsr- bor, Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia river, Umrqus Head, Port Townsend, Seat tie and other less important points. The site selected is on Puget Sound in Washington
 territory, just below Seattle. It possesses all
 of the natural advantages for making an ex-
 cellent navy yard and dock. The water
 leading thereto and alongside the wharf will average at least 15 fathoms. Directly oppo- site to the point selected for the navy yard the Bethlehem iron work of Bethlehem, Ps., will erect a large steel plant.
 HI.