The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-06
OUR NEW WARSHIPS.
The Extraordinary Departure
of the United States.
SECRETARY rRAcy's OPINIONS.
history OF the Modern American Navy
Reply to Ensiish Critics who Find
Fault with the vessels.

BENJAMIN r. Tracy In North American Review.
The extraordinary departure which the
United States has taken in the naval con-
struction since 1881, when it possessed not
a single modern ship, Is sufficiently re-
markable to those familiar with all the
steps by which 10 has been accomplished /;
and to foreigners unaceustomed to Amer1-
can push and energy it seems hardly COM
prehensible. The lack of interest in naval
development in the fifteen years following
the war permitted the feet to fall into
condition of decrepitude and decay that
left the United States completely out of
the list of naval powers. When the popu-
lar demand for reconstruction OF the
navy began to arise, shortly alter
this period, there seemed TO be no way
b meet &c. Information as TO progress
abroad was scanty, and naval shipbuild-
ing was apparently lost art In this
country. There had been time, many
years before, when our designers and con-
siructors led the world. But that tine
had long since passed, and meanwhile
naval architecture had taken such enoEm-
GUS strides that the expert Of thirty years
before was only half-equipped for the work
of the period.
From this slough the navy was fret ex-
treated by the commencement in 1888 OF
four steel vessels, the Chicago, Boston,
Atlanta and Dolphin. They we're in every
sense experimental--in their design, in
the material of construction and in the
mechanics who were employed on them. 1t
was new work, from the ground up.
That they were carried to complete
success. and that they fairly represented
the progress ofship- baildine of the period,
though not in advance of it, are facts re-
inarkably creditable to all who had hand
in their construction.
The next ships laid down for the navy
were begun in 1887, and comprised the
Newark, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San
Francisco, Yorktown, Concord, Benning-
ton and Petrol At the time these ships
we're commenced naval architecture and
engineering had advanced materially from
the stage represented by the first group,
and the new ships were fully up to the
progress of the period.
The Baltimore and Charleston were built
upon plans procured abroad, and the
Philadelphia and San Francisco were re-
productions, more or less modified. of the
Baltimore's design. The other vessels
were designed by the bureaus of the de-
partment. and in them were introduced,
wherever possible, the best features of the
foreign ships.
Following these came two more ambi-
tious vessels of between 5000 and 1000
tons, both arnaored, one called cruiser
and the other battle-ship-the Maine
and the Texas. The Maine was begun in
1888 and the Texas in 1880 The plan of
the latter was purchased in England.
Both are creditable ships for their size, and
will undoubtedly form valuable part of
our future navy.
Since the Texas the United States has
bought no plans abroad. 1t has relied
upon its own inventive and mechanical
capacity, The number Of ships begun
inclndes five cruisers of the second class,
two ganeoats and practice vessel. In