The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-03-12
SHIPS WHICH MIGHT FIGHT FOR US.
The Old Wooden Cruisers and Their
AntIquated Armament.
New Vessels In Readiness or Await.
Ing Finishing Touches.
Merchant Steamers and Yachts
as Commerce Destroyers.

WASHINGTON. March 1.-THE Nipsic
which carries six smooth bore guns and two
rifles, has by this time been reinforced on
the Samoan station,if she has not been sunk,
by the Trenton, which carries eleven eight
inch rifles, and the Vandalia, which carries
seven smooth bore guns and one rifle, and
the Monongahela, which serves as store
ship. The other vessels Of the Pacific sta
tion are the Dolphin, now at Chemulpo,
Corea, which carries one six-inch modern
steel rifle, two six-pound rapid-fring guns,
and four forty-seven-m revolving
cannon, the Alert, with four old smooth
bores, at Honolulu, and the Pinta, mere
tug, of no possible use, at Sitka. The Tren-
ton is the largest. most powerful, and best
armed of the ships in the old navy, but her
eleven rifles are altered over from ten-inch
cast iron smooth bores belonging to the pc
riod of the civil war. OF the ships of the
Asiatic station, the only moderately large
ship is the Brooklyn, which is ON her way
home, under sail, with broken screw. The
Essex of six guns is somewhere in the Allan
tic Ocean on her way home.
The Marion, with seven smooth bores and
one rife; the Omaha, with IL smooth bores,
and the little Palos, with half dozen howit-
zers. were in Chinese waters at last accounts
and the M0nocacy, with four smooth bores
and two rifles, was at Yokohama, unsea-
worthy, and awaiting condemnation and
sale. The Mohican, with seven smooth
bores and one rifle, is at Panama. This Is
the entire United States naval force in the
Pacific Ocean.
OF the ships that might reach Samoa in
course of time, the Enterprise, Lancaster and
Quinnebaug, with only "a guns altogether,
are. in the Mediterranean. The Alliance,
Kichmond, Swatara and Tallapoosa. with "a
guns altogether, were. at last accounts, at or
near Montevideo. The Atlanta, with two
S-inch and six 6inch breechloading steel
rifles and good assortment of rapid firing
guns and revolving cannon, Is at Aspinwall
old rifle, is at San Francisco undergoing re-
pairs. which, without special efforts, would
not be completed before June.
Of the new ships, the only four in commits
sion are the, Chicago. Boston, Atlanta, and
Dolphin, and the two former are at New
York, the first with four S-inch, eight 6-inch,
and two 5-inch breech-loading rifles,
and the second with two S-inch and six G.
inch breech-loading rifles, and both having a
good supply OF machine guns. The York
town. which is to have six 6-inch breech-
loading steel rifles. is completed at Philadel-
phia; The Charleston at San Francisco is
nearly completed, and could probably be fin
ished and armed with two 8-inch and six
inch breech-loading steel rifles inside of
month. Mr.. Cramp of Philadelphia says he
can finish the Baltimore, which will have
four S-inch and six 6-inch breech-loading
rifles. in three months, and the Philadelphia,
which will carry twelve 6-inch rifles, in six
months The Vesuvius, which is very fast
and armed with dynamite gun, is at Phila-
delphia ready for use.
New Y ork and few other ports are pro-
tected by torpedo mines, and the small moni-
tors in the James river would be better than
nothing for coast defense. The five large
monitors, of which four are ON the Atlantic
coast and one at San Francisco, could not be
completed under several months. For the
destruction Of German commerce our fleet
could be recruited rapidly. The Navy De-
partment has for five or six years been coll
lecting detailed information about the mer-
chant steamers and steam yachts that might
be armed In an emergency. There is a large
number of these vessels in what Is called the
auxiliary navy, and the department knows
In the case of each exactly what her speed
and steam endurance are, what guns she
could carry, and how many men she would
require. But in the matter of guns the gov
erment is weak, and there are no private sup
plies as in the case of ships to fall back on