Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-12-18
Our New Navy.
\ summary Of Facts from Secretary
Tracy's Annual Report.


The official information regarding the
creation and needs of a new navy contain
ed in Secretary Tracy's annual report is of
interest to every patriotic American. The
report shows highly encouraging condi-
tion Of affairs in respect to naval improve
ment. The increase in the navy has been
rapid Since March 4, 1889. During that
period the naval force of the United States
has been strengthened by the addition of
Is new vessels Among these are the fast
little torpedo boat, Cushing the dynamite
cruiser, Vesuvius. and the reconstructed
double turreted monitor, Miantonomoh.
At present, aside from a few old style
wooden vessels whose term of usefulness
is nearly over and of which the historic
Kearsarge, now in the West Indies, is
the most powerful, the effective fighting
force of the American navy today consists
of 13 modern steel cruisers, and the Man
tonomoh, whose low freebOard, heavy arm
or and battery of four 10-inch rifles, hurl-
ing 500-pound projectles, would make her
a formidable antagonist for European bat
tleships.
No less than IL armored ships of differ
ent sorts and 10 cruisers, besides the Am
men harbor defence ram, are in various
| stages of construction. The last of these
vessels to be completed will be the three
battleships, Indiana, Massachusetts and
Oregon. 1t is believed that these will he
ready for service in 1894 at the furthest.
The completion of all the vessels now un-
| derway, in addition to those now in COM
| mic rtri1 friy fp ha Init n
| fleet of II armorclads carrying heavy mod
ern guns and % cruisers. OF the armor-
clads three will be battleships of the first
class. the equals in all-around offensive and
defensive powers of the best fighting ships
ahoat Hardly inferior to the Massachu-
setts, Oregon and Indiana will be the pow
erful coast defender, Monterey, already
launched at San Francisco and carrying
two 10-inch and two 12-inch rifles. The
five double turreted monitors. Miantono-
moh, Puritan, Terror, Amphitrite and Mo-
nadnock, will constitute highly efficient
fleet of harbor defenders. The Texas is a
second class battleship that will be ready
for launching next spring. The Maine, a
fine armOred cruiser, to carry four 10-inch
and six 6-inch rifles with protective steel
belt II inches in thickness, is now being
finished at the Brooklyn navy yard. The
New York, the magnificent twenty-knot
armored cruiser Just launched at Philadel-
phia last week, completes the list of armOr-
clads.
First among the unarmored cruisers of
the new navy will be Nos. II and Is, the
great twin commerce destrOyers of 1900
tons each, in whose capacity Secretary
Tracy takes so just pride. In their speed
of R2 knots, powerful armament and great
coal endurance these vessels have no equal
in the world. In case of war they could
together sweep an enemys commerce from
the sea. The unarmored fleet will include
No. 6, a 5500-ton cruiser building at San
Francisco and five valuable cruisers now
in commission, the Chicago, Philadelphia,
Newark, Baltimore and San Francisco
These are first rates of more than 1000 tons
with high speed, heavy main armaments
of and S-inch high power breech-loadine
rifles and large compliments of seameT
and marines. Next in order to thesC
comes five protected cruisers OF the second
class of over 5000 tons, the Charleston
; Boston and Atlanta, now in service, ant
the Cincinnati and Raleigh, building. Tht
new navy will have 10 smaller cruisers
The Yorktown, Concord and Bennington
t of 100 tons and six G-inch rifles each, tn
} little Petrol of $40 tons and four 6-incl
rifles. and the Dolphin of 1855 tons, arr
p now in commission. The Montgomery
, the 2000-ton cruiser launched at BaltmOr
p last week, her two sister ships and the tw,
! 1050-ton gunboats now building at Bath
Me-, round out the number.
Secretary Tracy is fully impressed will
d, the importance of making the ships of tn
y new navy the best in existence.
! Taken as a whole, Secretary Tracy's re
port is a record of skilled achievement il
naval design and construction of which tn
j, country has right to be proud The nee
: of an efficient navy is one which every in
telligent American must recognize. Th
Il golden era of universal arbitration is yt
5 far in the distance. We must have ship
v and guns powerful enough to protect on
y coasts and defend our national hOnor if W
y are to command the respect of other nj
tions or rest in security at home. A card
IS nal principle in the Republican policy
l. the creation or a navy that shall b
6 worthy of the flag that waved over Dec
r. tur, Perry, Hull, Stewart, FOOte, Porte
5. and David Glasgow Farragut, and worth
'r of the greatest and richest nation undt
the sun. 1t is a principle that cOmmanC
p tho SllOnOrt Of every DatriOtiC citizen