Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-02-26
AN ENGLISH OPINION.
Our Progress Toward p New Navy Pro-
nounced Remarkable.

Our Progress Toward New Navy Pro-
nounced Remarkable.
Englishmen can not help being inter-
ested in the remarkable strides which
have been taken on the other side of
the Atlantic, where the rehabilitation
of the navy of the United States is
being pushed ahead with the character
isGic energy of our American cousins.
II, perchance, there are any who have
not taken note of what is there going
on, the imminent advent of four new
and important cruisers in our waters
should direct their attention that way.
1t is not SO much, however, that the
United States have made a very good
beginning toward building up a modern
navy-this is but trife where money
is no object"-but there have also been
developed in the country facilities of
every kind for the creation of that
navy without outside assistance.
This can hardly yet be said
of any other power except France
and Great Britain. In 1885 it was not
only the case that the United States had
no vessel of war which could have kept
the seas for one week as against any
frst-rate naval power, but they were alb
solutely dependent upon our manu-
factories for forgings of guns, for armor,
for machine and rapid-ire guns and the
like. Now, four years later, not only
has much been done in the way of con-
structing vessels, which are as good as
any thing of similar type afloat, but ar
rangements have been made by which
they will be able shortly to create en-
tirely from their own resources every
modern implement Of war, including
steel-cIad battle-ships of the heaviest
tonnage, with their guns and armor.
By the end Of this year the Bethlehem
Iron Company, of Bethlehem. Pa. one
of the largest steel manufactures in the
States has guaranteed to have erected
the plant for the production of armor
and gun forging of the largest kinds.
Other companies have taken in
hand the supply of war materials and
within the last month three or four
firms have rendered bids for the con-
struction of cruisers and similar num-
Der for the provision of steel pr0jectiles.
Moreover, there is now nearly COM
pleted at Washington an ordnance fac
tory for finishing heavy naval ordnance
and all the necessary plant for handling
gun forging up to the quantity required
to make the very largest guns afioat.
Nearly half a million sterling has been
expended, or is in the course Of expend-
iture, on this factory alone. OF devel
OpmentS which we may call by COM
parison minor, there is the opening of a
new dock 40 feet by seventy-nine by
twenty-seven and a half feet, at Mare
Island, San Francisco, and another at
Newport, Pa, within the last fortnight,
which is 600 feet by ninety three feet by
twenty-five feet. The Americans have
quite evidently realized that as they are
obliged to spend money on q navy the
disbursements may rs we'll BE for their
own beneitas not.
1t will be seen that the United Sta ties
are in earnest in the inteR ton of re-
Stunning their position as naval power.
It is, however, somewhat significant that
at present all this construction seems to
.ona in the direction of vessels more
lifted to run away from an antagonist of
real weight than to sustain the glorious
traditions Of the American sea service
With but one or two exceptions, these
ships are better prepared to destroy com
merce than to protect it. There is ne
sign of a feet fitted to cope with Eu-
sropean armor-clads if they crossed the
Atlantic, as they have done before.
After all, though, it is better 10 crawl
kbefore trying to ran, and we may yet see
designed, layed down, and built by ma
tive talent in United States navy
yard, that crux of naval constructions,
sthe ''battleship Of the future London
-Ar2y and Navy Gazette.