Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-26
ENGINES OF DEATH.
The Destructive Power of the New
Dynamite Boat is Terrific.
AsHELL ENOUGH FOR AN IRONCLAD
Captain Steele Says Americans Can Make
First-Class Ships.
BUILDING ROADS In WEST VIRGINIA

The genial and original Captain Joseph
Steele, of Cramp & Sons, the Philadelphia
ship builders, arrived in the city last even
| ing to s0journ here for awhile. He was as.
signed to his old room at the Anderson
Hotel, and, was found as usual by the re-
porters, leaning against the hotel counter,
entertaining a crowd of drummers with
quaint and curious remarks about things in
general. But his favorite subject is ship
building and Government vessels, and when
he talks about either, what he says is au-
thoritative. 1t was the Captain who tested
the new dynamite boat, the Vesuvius, a
few weeks ago, on the Delaware river. In
talking of the event and the results, he said:
"The boat is q perfect success. Such an en-
gine of warfare with such destructive powers
is simply terrific. One of the shells has
man-of-war aioat, and the beauty of it is that
you are not liable to be blown up yourselves. az
so frequently happens in torpedo boats, if a
Snag is struck.
BIG AS A HOUSE.
when the five and half second fuse was
fired Off and it struck the water a mile and a
half ahead of us, it threw into the air pile of
mud and water as big as the Anderson Hotel.
1t was grand sight, and no heavy vessel could
hit ship every man on board would have
been killed. The two and half fuse
raised up column OF water 300 feet
high and 20 feet wide. The other she'll that ex-
ploded as soon as it struck the water made a
report that could be heard for Is miles. Besides
in firing the fuse, it didn't vary five feet from
the mark. These dynamite boats are small.
not more than 20 feet wide, and the claim is
made that good shot from a man-of-war
would sink them, but suppose you have ten Of
them instead of one playing ON vessel like so
being fatal, and where would the big ship be
smashed into smithereens. 1t is great boat, a
great success, and with line of these little
fellows along the coast any naval attack, no
matter how powerful, could easily be warded
of.
"The Government needs fast war ships,
vessels that can fight and run away. The Balti-
more. for example, could go over to England
now and lay five coast cities under contribu-
tion. do any amount of damage, and before the
English iron-clads with their slow speed could
get whack at her the Baltimore could be out
of sight.
PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE.
"We expect to have the Philadelphia finished
by May l, and the Newark will be ready by Au-
gust. C. P. Huntington the other day gave
Camp & Sons a contract to build the Elsol, a
5,0O0-ton vessel, to run to New Orleans. The
Americans can make ships with the English
any day in the week, but even if we had them
we couldn't use them. We don't pretend
to turn out vessels like the English
tramps that traverse the seas look
ing for freight everywhere. The American in
spection laws are stricter than England's, and
such boats made by US wouldn't pass. They
are not seaworthy, but in building frst-class
ships that depend on the best material and
skilled workmanship there is not foreign
country that can beat us. The trouble with
the American marine is the cost of labor. We
pay our sailors S3S per month; the English pay
s14. Suppose the American had the vessel.
could he compete with the Englishman? The
answer is apparent.
"The present administration is slow with its
appropriations. We are still engaged on the
work that was laid out for US: by ex-Secretary
Whitney. We have had no new orders from
Uncle Sam"