Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-31
Our Warships.

The Cniiaa episode is the chief topic in
p.ya. circles. While the possibility of war
t. perhaps. remote. ii Is argued that before
. ina. settlement Of the Valparaiso affair
tn American feet in Chilian waters will be
Materially strengthened and brush with
Tue big cruisers oi that power is not an i'm
IalBanIe contingency. \ well-infOrmed Of
frrui The navy, i'll discussing the matter.
5 Us: Unless Chill can find some country
I aseis, hrr III Immediately increasing her
r4ga. establishments the United States
vuld Ll no occasion TO hesitate in max
i1.- naval d. mUuStration, even with our
pr,-anl feet If cruising vessels. In her
iteSert crippled condition. as a result of
tine 81. rlit revolution. Chill IS in no condi-
ton to cope with the naval forces we could
send there within the next ninety days.
With proper suterpris Sc on the part of the
I3Miuis' ration there would be nothing to
I-rgcu. "a concentration of fleet of at least
duD'u modern cruisers and gunbOatS in
the Sug-. Pacific not to mention transport
aHd other merchant vessels that Yankee in
genuIty could promptly muster into serv-
Ice
The Philadelphia, Kearsarge and Concord,
Cgmurlsli." Rear Admiral Gherardi's squad
ron the Chicago, Atlanta and Bennington
u Admiral Walkers squadron; the
Ncwlrb. fitting ont al Boston for the South
Atlantic the Petrol, 1T New York, could
al, l. the emergency demanded, be sent
from 'he home station to Valparaiso within
ninety days, These with the Baltimore,
already nj Valparaiso, the san Francisco at
Ja-.80, ne Boston and YORKTOWN en- route
u Valparaiso. The Nantic en- route 10 Mon
tcviael and the 1'hetis. Ranger and AIohican
q, san Francisco would give feet Of six
teen 'rrTlcedb!e ships. All of the number
age modern except the last four, and the
majority OF these are superior to the best
S.'oS In the Gillian navy, with the eXcep-
ton ~ the tSmeralda, which compares
ilvorab.y with the Baltimore.
In uur respect, however, the CHILEAN navy
Is strong where are weak. and that is in tor
p-doas md torpedo boats. Besides the AL
u-.raule Coadell and Almirante Lynch, the
I'VE sier. torpedo gunboats of 80 tons each,
t@.I has eleven iirSt-ClaSs torpedo boats
similar 20 our little Gushing. 1t is there
our cruisers would have the greatest cause
l. '..g for, being without topedo nets,
lHe} tlEcuo protection against these deadly
weapons. except rapid fire guns that must
O. 'ler work well TO prevent serious dam
&C. FROM this source.
% addition to the torpedo vessels, the
Gillian navy comprises three armored and
seven Uuarmored vessels. OF the former
c@sN the Almirante CoChrane is an iron
$50. ui 1900 ions, built in 1915. She has
1rla0r betting of nine inches and battery
p.gisc' on Of eight inches. She carries four
i.e-larh and two seven-inch Armstrong
oFtgta-.oadung rifles and eleven rapid firing
GINS The most formidable armored vessel
O. 'de Chiiian ship list is the Capt. Pratt,
a s,ee.-sheathed and copper vessel of $500
t.ns now in process of construction in
France. This craft IS of similar type TO the
cruiser Maine, building at New York, and
Tlel completed will be the most powerful
TsSsu they have. She is heavily armored
I'D aries her four ten-inch guns in bar
lHies She is designed for ! speed of nine
Teen erots. The Huascar, an 1S00-ton ar
, yrrd cruiser, carries two ten-inch muzzle-
loading guns and some obsolete weapons of
smaller caliber.