The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-04-04

land, then France and Italy. Nearly all
OF Italy's war ships were built by Eng
lish ship builders, and as their vessels
are considered by all nations as the most
formidable, II ID hut fair to presume thai
they have built the Italian ships on plans
and designs approved by the English
authorities.
These Italian ships have the finest
armaunents in the world. They have the
best English and German heavy guns
and have taken their choice in the mat
ter Of armor and smaller aRd rapid firing
guns from all the leading ship and ord
nance builders Of the world. +.
Tue LIST OF BATTLE SHIPS
Italy's list Of battle ships includes the
Formidable, the Maria Pia, the oppon-
datore, the sicillia, the DSndolo, the Sar.
diean, the Venezia, the Palestro, the
Terrible, the Roma, the Duilto, the Le-
panto, the Italia, the Piemont, the Lau.
ria, the Audreadoria, the Re Umberto
No. !, the Re Umberto No. 2, and sew.
eral less powerful and prominent. These
are all immense vessels and are, any one
OF them, very superior to anything in
the American Navy, and possibly much
stronger than anything that could be
built by the United States inside OF five
or six years, that time being necessary
for the preparation Of plants for rolling
the armor and building the guns. Those
vessels are used, ordinarily, forguardinR
the Italian coast.
Aside from Gibraltar there are prac.
ticalIy no land defenses along the south
ern European coast, and Italy keeps
these immense floating batteries, pro.
tected by armaments that far outrival
granite forts, lying along the coast at
convenient points to defend her cities
and ports from any possible intrusion.
To give some idea OF the power OF
these immense floating forts the follow.
ing figures taken from the Navy Depart.
ment's secret service documents will
prove interesting. The Re Umberto No.
has four 1876 inch guns, weighing Gs
tons each, all breech.loaders, and
mounted in pairs, barbettes on midship
line. She has eight 6 inch guns OF the
Armstrong type, sixteen 472l lCO inch
Armstrong guns, eight on q side, eight
81 millimetsr HotChkiss rapid firing
guns and eighteen torpedo tubes above
water. Steam Is furnished by eighteen
boilers, and her speed Is registered at
eighteen knots an hour. She is armored
with Armstrong plating, 1871 inches
thick, and has three separate bottomP,
making Il necessary 10 blow her up
three times with t0rpedoes before she
would eiak.- She is built entirely otsteel,
and has full ram bow. She carries
twenty.one officers and G54 men, and
cost, approximately, S., ,l07, 900.
The Re Umberto No. 9 Is the same az
the No. l, barring few minor differences
made with view OF improving her, the
two being considered sister ships IN the
Italian navy.
The RuRglero Di Lauria is a first.
class battle ship OF 1l,000 tons and was
built as a sister ship 10 the Andreadorie.
Her armament consists OF four Is 03
inch 1O5 ton Armstrong breech.loadlng
guns. TWO 6 inch steel and iron breech.
loaders, ten 81 millimetre and aix AZ
milllmetre rapid firing gunP, Tour Maxim
guns, three torpedo tubes above water
and two under water In the bow. her
speed 10 sixteen knots an hoIr and she
has the capacity for carrying this rate For
forty.five days.
THE WORST IN THE WORLD.
The Plemont is a ram, built with
steel protected decks with sloping sides
from stem TO stern. She carries six g.
Inch rapid firing guns, ak 72'tnch rapid
firing guns. ten Gpounder u hotehEtss
guns, six l-pound rapid firing guns, aud
three torpedo tubes. Her speed Is
twenty. one knots an hour.
Concerning this vessel Lord Arm
strong, OF the English navy says: "She
will be discharging against an adversary
| in a given time twice the weight OF shot
and shell that could be fred by the larg.
est war vessel now ahoat, not excluding
battlpships i've or six times her siz',
Which could ill-withstand the torrent OF
shell which the PiemoDt could pouI!
/! iato the large EpeTmored portions ot
their atrucllEe. She carries enough
coai In mai"tain cruising speed Of tsn
Knots an hour for atty.lys days. during L,g
which time she Couis: cover 49.0VV
miles.
All the vessels named in the list above
are on the same general plan as the
Re Umbettos, ,!modernizsd monitors, and
all carry guns Of IS tons and upwards.
They are the battle ships fleet that is
expected to do the work OF defending
the Italian coast or demolishing cities
ON other coasts. Italy has many more
vessels, however, that RANK above aay-
thing in the American Navy.
The Fieramosca is o protected cruiser
that could Withstand the fre of anything
but an immense battle ship. The
Curtatone 10 steel cruiser intended for
foreign cruising, and has speed ot
eighteen knobs an hour, and carries an
armor, that, with her speed, makes her
safe anywhere. The Lepanto and Italia
arc sister ships, both twenty.knot yes.
sells OF l5 $50 tons, armed with 6S,ton
guns and built and Armored with steel
throughout. There are q number Of
other vessels, equally formidable to
some OF these, but rather old. They are,
however, sufficient to protect 4taiys
i, coast while the more seaworthy ships
! are out in battle. .gt..
Besides these Italy has sixty torpedo
boats already built and in use. These
! have q maximum speed OF twenty 'hve
. knots an hour and carry coal sufficient
: TO steam 1000 miles at ten knot rate. :,
In addition to the vessels mentioned
Italy Is now building three new battle
ships, aiming to attain the greatest speed
, with moderate weight otarmor and guns.
They are building three protected cruis-
|, ers to supply these vessels, eight twenty:
four knot topedo bsats, one protected
cruiser with $500 tons displacement,
and speed OF seventeen and half knots
an hour, and one unprotected cruiser
With speed Of fifteen knota.
HOW THEY ARS COMMANDED.
The Italian commanding method is aa
. follows. One Dag officer to tsur vessels
one commanding officer TO each vessel
I and surplus Of sixteen to draw from
lllentenant commander, lieutenants and
! Sub.lleutenants, six 70 every Shipi two
: mechanical engineers, one surgeon and
three psymasters and clerks.
: Italian officers are first class seamen
and are graduates from the Government
Il saSdemy, They maintain the strictes
dIseipIEne, the logRing system still beini
sAA-,sst mi. nA man ara nIFn0l