Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-27
Uncle Sans Navy.

Uncle Sans Navy.
In the brave days of old the American
sailor asked no sort of odds Of any tar
that plowed the waters blue. In our
merchant marine be could find the port
where the most money awaited enter
prise with an instinct that was simply
unerring. In war he was terror. He
could handle a ship and her guns in
manner that made matters interesting
for the staunchest ship afoat.
The last war we were engaged, in being
of civil nature, did not call for much
fighting on the high seas, but that ter
rife meeting of the Merrimac and
Monitor off Norfolk, the work OF the
fiotilla on the Western rivers and
the gallant battle between the Kearsarge
and the Alabama in the English Channel
we're enough to stamp the modern
American as very expert seaman and
man-of-war's man.
After the close of the war the immense
debts of the Government, coupled with
very deep impression in the public mind
that we had all had enough of fighting
for generation, brought about good
deal of lethargy as to the maintaining OF
the navy. By the time that the middle
year OF the seventies had passed over us,
or ten years after the close Of
the civil war, the American
navy had become byword among
the nations. Up to the opening years
of the eighties, any expenditures made
in the Navy Department were not for the
purpose of giving the Nation war ships,
but were all in the line of enriching the
fellows who had learned to make patriot
ism trade, and vino grew rich out OF
the profession of politics. The Robson
Reach regime will not soon be forgotten
in the United states. For years the
mere mention of the American navy was
regarded in the light of an excellent
joke. That era is about to pass away.
In 1881 the first serious step was taken
towards the rehabilitation of the navy. An
Advisory Board was formed to report on
the needs of the situation. At the as
sembling of Congress at the end of that
year the report of that Board was laid
before Congress. 1t was an excellent re-
port and urged the construction of a
number of war ships of different styles,
of various displacements, rates of speed
and amount of armament. 1t further
recommended that all ships built should
be of the most approved models and
made Of the very best materials in all
respects.
In 1882 a second Board brought for
ward plans for four cruisers which
are now known as the Chicago,
Boston, Atlanta and Dolphin. In March,
1883, contracts for them all were let to
the Reaches of Chester, Pennsylvania.
Thus practically began the rehabilitation
of the navy.
The Atlanta and Boston are twin ships
in all particulars. They are both Of
$3.50 tons, with an unusually heavy ar
mament for their class of men-of-war,
consisting OF one S.inch breech-loading
gun, firing 250-pound projectile,
mounted in barbette just forward of the
superstructure on the port side, and an
other of the same size, also in barbette, aft
on the starboard eide, and six 6-inch guns
inside the superstructure ;also secondary
battery of two 6pounder rapid-fring
guns in broadside ports, two 3.pounder
rapid. firing guns, and two 47-mm. re-
volving cannons in towers, two 1-pound-
ers on top of starboard forward and port
after tower, 37-mm. revolving gun in
each top, and two Gatlings. The ma
chinery consists of three.cylinder COM
pound horizontal back-acting engine.
There are eight horizontal return tubular
boilers, and coal capacity of about 500
tons. A speed of sixteen knots has
been made under favorable circum-
stances. The protective plating over en-
gines and boilers is 1a inches in thick
ness. The vessels are .2S3 feet long, AZ
beam, draw II feet of water, and spread
somewhat over 10000 square feet OF can
vass.
The Chicago, the largest of these four
ships, is still unfinished, but almost
ready for sea. She is of 4,500 tons dis
placement. Her length is 334 feet 4
inches over all, extreme beam, 4S feet
2-5 inches. She is bark-rigged, carrying
nearly 5000 yards of canvass has capac-
ity for $40 tons of coal, and draws but 10
feet of water. Her motive power equip
ment consists of two compound overhead
beam engines, working two four-bladed
screws some l51a feet in diameter. She
has nest of five double ended externally
fred boilers. On her trial trip she de-
veloped 5,0S4 collective horse power, and
a mean speed of 1873 knots, the maxi
mum for one hour being 1863. Running
ten knots it is estimated she can
steam for twenty days and make
about 5000 miles. She is, like
the Dolphin, intended for flag
ship, though her armament is particu-