Evening journal., 1889-08-22
n,odetn War ships.

The great review OF the English navy,
made to impress a royal visitor with the
strength of Britain'a crown. taught the
important lesson that modern ironelads
lack much Of having acquired thorough,
serviceable qualities. The management
of heavy metal-armored war ships is an
art yet to be learned, and until it shall
have been attained the present great
navies Of the European Powers will be
less effective for navy purposes than the
old wooden seventy fours or fOrty-niners,
inferior in the open sea because of their
cumbrous build to the Victory or the
Constitution.
Our navy has long been just target
for any who chose to exercise their wit
upon IL, and not until the administration
of President Cleveland was any effort
made TO secure a better war feet. Our
/ finest ironclads have had reprehensible
habit OF running aground, bursting their
/ boilers, smashing their bottoms. and be-
having in manner that would indicate
! greater danger TO those manning them
/ than to an enemy. But as our navy
was known 20 be the worst possessed by
any civilized nation, and Englands was
Acknowledged to be the best. It was
| Thought that the review 10 Spithead
would exhibit marvels In the manage
ment Of heavy ironclads
! But the manWuvres OF the English
vessels were almost as clumsy as those
(which have distinguished the American.
Three of their finest ironclads, costing
the tax payers millions Of pounds sterling
were disabled. and have been laid up for
extensive repairs. A half dozen others
were less seriously damaged Every
/ lad f.tF Cd l,rf
an experienced man, and nearly every
one Of these captains has confessed that
he was in the greatest fear lest that at
any moment his ship should 60 to the
bottom with all on board They rolled
heavily before waves over which little
wooden schooner would dance, without
shipping a cupful of water.
The Spithead review proved that the
modern heavily armored iron clads are
unseaworthy While increasing their
offensive and defensive qualities,
all other necessary qualities have been
forgotten, and the just proportion OF
power has not been observed. These
great ships dare not venture out of sight
of land, for the first puff of wind may
send them to the bottom Of the sea
They may do well enough for coast war
fare but that is only supposition, fol-
they have not yet had a sufficient test
They did good service at the lombard
ment of Alexandria but the smaller yes
sells like the CONDOR. bore the brunt o
the FIRE Two fleets Of heavy iron cladl
in battle would be unmanageable, anC
crash into each other without regard Z,
friendship or enmity.
When the monitor checked the Merri
mac, IL was announced that naval war
fare was revolutionized Shortly after
that famous encounter the Monito
J undertook a sea voyage and she sank in
D storm which had no effect upon the ordi
q nary steamers accompanying her.
was acknowledged that the Monitor wa
unseaworthy, but 1t is said that tn
defect in the irohclads would soon b
( remedied, but such vessels are TO da
= little safer in a heavy sea than the Moni
K tor was. If peaceful ,review Of tn
n English navy could not be made withou
r half of the vessels running into eac
d other, how will they ever maneuver
y battle2
English naval authorities have lon
boasted Of the ease with which their iror
clads in case of war with us. could com
D. over here and blow up New York, Boston
ar Baltimore, Charleston, and other SCI
Il board cities, and they have met no denia
he But, in view Of recent disclosures, IL
be very doubtful whether the British ship
could cross the Atlantic. IL is an eve
wager that they would sink before reacl
ing the American coast Not one OF Il
III greater ironclads has yet crossed ii
an ocean, and the governments owning the
in are very chary about sending them
long voyages. In fact, it is best for the
vessels not to go to sea at all--Loui
Vile Courier Journal