New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-22
CHILTS LOVE OF UARSHIPS.
CONSTANTLY BUILDING NEW VESSELS TO TERRlFy
PERU.

| CONSTANTLY BUILDING NEW VESSELS TO TERRFY
PERU.
The reports from Chill, by way of London the other
day that the Junta has ordered the ships of the
Gillian Navy to be made ready for service and the
forts defending Valparaiso Harbor TO be strengthened
might have caused moments alarm to some readers,
but upon second thought, especially by those who are
familiar with the history OF the South American Re-
publics since Pzaro the adventnrer. went 10 Peru.
| the alarm must have been dspeled The fact is that
Chill has for years kept such ships and forts she
possessed in condition for service and has had to
make them whenever they out of condition,
| especially since Peru has been aggravatng
| nelghbor Chill few fast cruisers and sew
eral powerful vessels Some Of the vessels as, for
instance, the Captain Pratt are not yet completed, and
in of actual II is not probable that France
would permit the Pratt 10 leave La Seyne. where she
now is. The following notes concerning Gillian war
| ships will show what additions have been recently
TO the feet well as some changes in the Older
| vessels.
The Captain Pratt Is Of 600O tons displacement
and was launched at La Seyne December 20, 1890.
Her armament consists Of four 1onch Canet breechr
loading rifles. mounted in barbette turrets, for
ward one aft aud one on each side amdships. These
turres equipped with Cane central loading tubes,
so that the guns may be loaded in any position and
while the turrets can be worked by hand In case of
necessity, electricity has been employed instead OF
hydraulic power as n motor. Eight 34-inch Canet
rapid-ring guns are mounted carriages of special
type, which be either worked by hand or by elec-
tricty they placed In pairs in closed turres, Two
on each side of the ship. The auxiliary armament con
sists of four 81 -mmetre and four 47mmetre rapid
firing guns, six 37-mllmetre revolving cannon. seven
| machine guns, and four torpedo tubes This Is
| powerful and we'll protected battery.
The Presidente Pinto and PrcSdente Errazurz are
protected cruisers of 1850 tons displacement and were
ri tlN ho1I hy le
French Government pending a decision by the courts
| respecting their delivery to the Char Government.
but were afterward released. Their batteries consist
entirely OF rapdfring guns. which, like those OF the
Captain Prat, worked by electricity The ErrazurH,
at her steam trials under forced draft made speed
of 1874 knots. The Pinto made about the same speed
At present Chiis only arinored ship Is the
| Almirante Cochrane a sister ship TO the Blaneo
Encaada, which was sunk In The harbor Of Cadera In
April BY torpedo fred by the torpedo vessel Aimirdne
| Lynch. 1t is said that all attempt is TO be made 10
| raise her. The Almirante Cocrane is n casemated
| battleshkp OF $3.50 tons displacement. The battery
consists of six Snch fourteenton> Armstrong brcech-
loading rifles in the gun-deck casemate. and number
| of Hotchkiss 57.mImetre rapid firing guns and 81
milllmetre revolving cannon. There is one torpedo
| tube on each bow and one in tie stern. all above
water and a spare tube IS carried on the main deck
amdships. But, formidable as is this vessel. there
| is no Navy officer who is acquainted with the posi-
turreed monitor Mlautonomoh would soon disable her.
The Husscer which vessel has become famous be-
cause Of having fought the first modern
| battle with a modern ironclad, Is Incorrectly
| credited to Chill as armored ship. as She
| has only four and one-hah inches OF wrought IRON
plating armor, which is a very inefhcient pro-
lection. She Is single screw vessel OF 1,soo tons
displacement, with speed not greater than eleven
| knots an hour, and built In 1865. Even the
! cruiser Boston could readily take care OF her. she
has battery of two 10inch notwithstanding Armstrong
| rifles and two 4Opounder Armstrong;.
Tie finest cruiser In the Gillian Navy Is the
Esmerada whose connection with the ltata case made
| her famous all over The world She has a length oil
! o7o feet and a displacement of 5000 tons. 1t VIII
be seen that she is of nearly the same tonnage as the
Boston, but she ouclasses the latter III othef spee9'
Her speed on her tria! was eighteen ana onluar'er
| knots Her battery consists OF two 1Oinch Dreech-
loading Armstrong rifles, six 6inch two Iapid-hrlne
and six machine guns. She also has three torpedo
| tubes for launching Whitehead torpedOes. BY com
pairing the Baltimore with the Esmeralda, the former
! seems TO be superior in nearly every respect
| II accounts from Chill do not exaGGeIate their
qualities the torpedo cruisers Amrante Lynch and the
Almirante Conden by far the most remarkable
war vessels that the Chans now possess. me
former has record for speed of 81 ID knots, and the
latter speed of 203 knots. Ard this speed was maze
In weather that could not be called favorable They are
Of the sharpshooterype and were built in England
| r.ar 400 They are $40 feet in length and have q
draucht ~ nine 10 ten feet. Each carries battery Of
three Hotchkss 14pounder rapid-fr1ng guns Tour j.
,o,ndcr revolving cannon. and torpedo tube in the
| Tow and two on each brOadside. BOth vessels were
| soncyuat damaged in recent engagements. The at
tot an the Blanco Encalada and the cruiser Magelanes
he thesa vessels practically illustrated these points
Tho untrusworihness Of the torpedo as TO accuracy
in acht the effect of sxtysiX bounds of wet gii-co
ton when exploded in contact with the double potion
., vessel the great value of a fortunate hit, and the
necessity for having number OF torpecoeS IN an a'
TACK as from uncertainty in flight, single shot can
| rot always be depended upon
The Imperale which is classed as a war vessel
was built IL 1886 for the Compa1ia Sud Americana de
Vapores and remained in that service until she was
seized bv Balmaceda in January. she mas gallery oi
l twelve guns, three OF which are rapid fiTing
,rbe Aconcagua of 1OG tons, wa also built for the
merchant service, and used as an armco trans
| port - ,oa
| Another OF the merchant vessels which was chSnseu
| 70 p cruiser and an armed transport Is tie ohic'
| of . 800 tons displacement.
Another vessel Of this class is the Maipo whch was
first seized By The Government party Duo ai'er""ru
| fell into the hands OF The Oppositioniss.
| The Bio Bio is another vessel of the same class.
| bu;It at Glasgow I'm 1888. for the C0mpahla suu
n,ntcana dc Vapores and of 7I3 tons displacement
The q Higgins is old type screw corvcue, pun,
In 1867 and the recent engagen,ent WIZ, tle i1ls
M VALPARAISO shot passed compcueis ,mp"sn s'
avd another struck gun on the qnaflericch' etFIhS
m the deck disabling the piefe ana kils hi.c nel.
PThc Magellanes Is d composite Vcssei Vi ''o 'oHs
sfhe saTiente Adca i torpedo boat OF seventy
| .ons diepIacement and nearly blown to pieces
| en- her action with the Magellanes on April IL