The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-27
Commute Z. 9
THE NEW AMERICAN NAVY.
Paper Read Before Students by q f2-
Year-Old Boy.

Paper Read Before Students by q f2-
Year-O1d Boy.
Recently, at a class meeting of the pu-
pills at the Misses Cochrane's school, pa
per was read by Clayton Crawford. son of
Mr.. and Mrs. Samuel L. Crawford. He is
only IL years old. hut the paper shows
very intelligent mastery Of the subject.
The literary skill is far beyond the aver
age. and the figures are handled in most
interesting way. Throughout. a patriotic
spirit Is manifested, which it is among the
best objects OF school training to develop.
The paper is as follows:
Inasmuch as the contract has been let for the
construction of a government dry dock at Port
Orchard, just across the Sound and almost in
sight of Seattle. have taken for my su beet TO-
day "The New American Navy"
This dry dock, when completed, will be used
for the docking. cleaning ard repairing OF such
vessels in our navv may be stationed on the
Pacific coast. And understand that a training
ship will also be kept at Port Orchard, where
boys who wish to follow the in the service
of their country will be educated and trained in
all the work pertaining to the handling and
navigating of vessels
Within three years the American navy will be
second to that of no other nation in its squad
rons of cruisers, battleships, monitors and tor
pedo boats.
The navy now planned will consist of six
double-turreted monitors, three large armored
cruisers, one harbor defense ram, five arrnore4
battleships, thirteen protected cruisers, three
smaller protected cruisers, six gunboats, two
dynamite cruisers, one practice cruiser for the
use OF the naval cadets, the Dolphin, three tor.
pedo boats and q torpedo cruiser. total OF
forty-fve yesses. equipped with SCI large
breech-loading rifles of the highest power and
destructibility. Nearly all the vessels are fitted
with torpedo tubes or torpedo guns.
Though built of steel, the vessels now CON-
pleted and in actual service, save alone the
monitor Miantonomoh are unarmored cruisers,
smaller in size and distinguished by an en-
tirely different plan OF construction from what
are styled "battleships." The cruiser may
either light or run away, as seems most expedi-
ent: the battleship must accept battle where
ever and by whatever foe offered
The protected cruiser Olympia, now being
constructed at the Union Iron Works, San
Francisco, will be the largest cruiser ever built
Oh the Pacific coast. Her cost will be 81. $4,000
The Olympia was launched November s. she
was nsmed for the capital city OF our own state
OF Washington, at the request of Senator Sauite,
Of Settle.
To give you an idea of the size OF the Olympia
will compare her with the Charleston, which
vessel re emily visited our harbor.
The displacement of the Olympia, or the
amount of water she will displace, will be $500
TONS, OF l,fIU tOIS greater tndu lilat OF the
Charleston. Her length IL to be $40 feet or
forty feet longer than the Charleston.
The Oiynpia's speed on her trial trip is to be
twenty knots per hour, but her maximum speed
will undoubtedly be much greater. Her engines
are - develop $50 horse power more than those
OF the Baltimore, and she will have twice as
many horse power as the Charleston. With
coal capacity of l,S50 tons, the Olympia will be
able to steam halfway around the world at
speed OF ten knots an hour without recoaling.
The cruiser will be fitted with twin screws las
are nearly all the ships of the new navy, a
s,eei protective deck, and her main battery will
consist of four s-inch rifles and ten 5-inch
rap.d-tire breech-loading rifles.
The Olympia is the latest specimen of naval
architecture and viii undoubtedly prove very
formidable in her class.
The unexpected appearance of that odd-look-
ing little craft, the Monitor. in Hampton Roads