The Portland daily press., 1890-07-14
Main battery., ...5,ooo pounds 4,4o0 pOonds
Auxiliary battery. 1000 4" 1000
Secondary battery. 120 102

Secondary battery 10 S ioS
Totals..........e,12o 6,102
The plans for the American ship will very
likely be modified so as to have four instead
of six of the 6-inch rifles in the main battery,
in which case the total all around fire would
be reduced to 5,902 pounds and the fire on
one side to 5,15l, instead of 5,251. But this
change does not make any material differ
ence in the comparison OF the armament Of
this 9,000.tOn American fighting ship with
the $4,000 ton giant of the British navy. By
having to carry less coal the American yes
sci can carry heavier guns and heavier armor
plates. No English vessels outside of the
Royal Sovereign class carry any such bat
teries as the Boutelle cruisers are to have.
The great ships Nile and Trafalgar can
throw an all-around weight Of fire Of only
5,297 pounds to 1902 which battleship No.
will throw although the Nile and Trafalgar
are each Of 1900 tons displacement. The
great Benbow, of 10000 tons. has an all
around fire of but 1860 pounds; the Victoria,
Of 10, 470 tons, throws an all around fire of
but $500 pounds; and the COLOSSUS and Col
lingwood, of 9,150 tons each, throw an all
around fire of but 3, ,406 pounds each.
1t will thus be seen that the three naval
vessels planned for heavy fighting and au-
thoriZed by this Congress Will be the peers
of any vessels which England might send
against them, so far as armament and armor
are concerned. They can not carry so much
coal, because the object of the United States
is 10 u6ltUu ibS OWu pOSS6SSlOnS WHEN aSSall-
ed rather than to go roaming over the earth
in search Of a quarrel. With coal enough to
move anywhere along our coast, or even to
Central America, the battle ships will be as
well and even better than the huge steaming
iron forts which England has to defend her
antipOdal realms.
The coming week will probably see some
thing done upon two measures Of great pub
lie Importance, the bankruptcy bill and the
bill relating to the transportation of liquors
in the original packages. The bankruptcy
bill would have been settled long ago had it
not been for a series of remarkable hindran-
ces. just as the silver bill came from the
Senate the House was preparing to consider
| the bankruptcy bill. No one could foresee
| anything to prevent But the unexpected al
lance of seven silver Republicans with the
House Democrats, and the subsequent three
| DAYS Democratic raid crowded bankruptcy
| ont entirely. But it will come up soon now,
unless the flibustering tactics OF the Demo
| Gratis shall be kept up next week as they
| hove haen this week. just what the pros
| Meets of the bankruptcy bill are 1t is imp0s-
/ sihle 10 saw. 1t may pass the House and it
NAV not. II seems about as safe to predict
| that It will not pass as ito prophesy that
II will. There are a large number of repre-
sentatiyes who think the present bankruptcy
arrangements are well enough
As to the bill relating to Original pack
ages" it seems to be the general impression
that 1t will become law. There seems to
be no doubt, however, that certain brewing
interests, with what seems to be great fylly,
will do all they can to obstruct. Another
difficulty may be found in the fact that the
House committee on judiciary has gone far
beyond the scope of the bill passed by the
Senate. The Senate bill was drawn to ena-
BILE the states to prevent the sale Of "original
packages" Of liquors alone The House
committee have drawn bill to enable the
states to prevent the sale Of all substances
which the states may consider deleterous
While this Is logical thereiSIsome feeling that
such a law might be USED, on one pretext OF
another, by the variou states to discriminate
against products from neighboring states
For instance, it is urged that Chicago beef
might be shut out on demand Of Eastern far
mers on the plea that 1t would be deleterious
to health, or upon some other pretexf
Probably the bill will be debated at consid
cradle length
The second caucus Of the Republican Sen
ators on the federal election bill did not take