The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-22
THE ARMY AND NAVY or chill.
Continued from page ~

OF five S-inch 14-ton Armstrong breech
leaders in thA gun-deck cas- emtnt, while
sixth originally belonged to the bat
terry but proved defective.
She also has q number OF Hotchlxiss
rapid-fre guns and revolving cannon in
her secondary battery. She has two
above-water torpedo tubes forward and
one aft, with spare tube crrried amid
ships. 1t was reported some time age
that the Blanco Encalada was to be
raised if possible, but it remains to be
seen whether Chilli will attempt to use
her again, AT all events, her mate, the
Cochrane, is an effective ship, with her
good battery and her 9.inch armor at
the water line; but she is too slow, her
engines developing only 1900 horse
power, and giving her speed of about
twelve knots.
The Huasoar is an ironclad of about
1000 tons displacement, captured from
Peru in 1879. She was built in 1855 and
has 4]a-inch armor at the water line,
with So and 8 inches on the turret.
She carries two 12-ton Armstrong; and
two 4o-pounders, is slow and altogether
not formidable.
The principal other war vessels OF
Chilli are her torpedo craft, and in these
she greatly excels our navy. Most no
ticeable among them are the pair of tor
pedo cruisers, the Almirante Lynch and
Almirante Condell.
Besides these two vessels Chilli has
ten irst-class torpedo boats and two
second class, and goodly supply of
Whitehead torpedoes, which she has
lately augmented. There is no doubt
whatever that she is better equipped
than our forces in this particular, but
our ships would profit by the experience
of the B]anco Encalada, which did not
take suitable precautions against sur
prise and also was poorly manned.
The O'Higgins, wooden corvette of
LOO tons, built in 1867, was damaged
in an engagement with the Valparaiso
forts last year. The Magellanes, q
composite gunboat of $50 tons, built in
1874, and carrying a finch rifle and
some rapid-fre guns, was damaged at
Chanaral last April in an engagement
with the Lynch, the Condell and the
Sariento Aldea, but drove them all off,
The Aldea, a 70-ton torpedo boat, was
nearly blown to pieces in this fight
The Chacabuco, of l, 100 tons, and the
| Abtoa, of about the same displacement,
an unarmored corvette, carrying small
batteries, and with them may be put
| the Pilcamayo of 600 tons.
Perhaps a word should be given to
the armed transports. The Imperiale,
of 2,700 tons and 5000 horse power
with speed said to be Ii knots, was
built at Birkenhead, in 1889, for the
Campania Sud Americana de Vapores
She was seized by Balmaceda and sup
piled with twelve guns, three of then
| rapid firing.
The same company owned the Bio Bio
of 7l3 tons displacement, built at Glas
gov in 1855, and also our old acquain
lance, the Itata, of 1,766 tons, built a
Liverpool in 1873. A third vessel O
this company, the Maipo, built at Glas
gov in 1882, Of 2,295 tons, was captured
by the congress party from Balmaced;
under the guns OF the Valparaiso forts
Two other vessels, used as armed trans
ports last year, and belonging to tn,
Pacific Steam Navigation Com pany, wer,
the iron steamer .Chiloe, of 1900 tons
and the Aconcagua, OF 4,1O6 tons.
UNCLE SANS NAVY.
The forces that can be immediatel,
brought to bear on our side against Chill
comprise. to begin with, a dozen modern
steel unarmored vessels of the protected
cruiser type, mounting more than 1O
high-power, breech-loading rifles of tn,
6-inch and S-inch calibre. In fact, ou
only steel cruiser which has not beer
|
smallest OF them, the Petrol. which
with her four guns, has been sent off I,
Chilli.
beginning first with the vessels nov
in the Pacific, ready to be concentrated
along the Gillian coast. we have tn,
Baltimore, of 4,400 tons, carrying fou
S-inch and six 6-inch guns; the Charles
ton, of $3.50 tons, carrying two S-incl
and six 6-inch guns; the San Francisco
of 4, 083 tons, carrying twelve 6-incl
guns; the Boston, of 3. 100 tons, carryin,
two 6-inch and six 6-inch guns; tn
Yorktown, of 1,703 tons. carrying si1
6inch guns. All these vessels are wei
supplied with rapid fire and machine
guns in their secondary batteries, ant
all have good speed, the Charleston be
ing classed as an 1s.knot ship and tn,
San Francisco and Baltimore as 19.kno
ships.
Turning from these vessels on tn
Pacific station to Admiral Walker
squadron now at Montevideo. ready /,
proceed to Chilli through the Straits O
Magellan, we find it including the flag
ships Chicago, 1850 tons, with he
splendid battery power of four s.incl
and eight 6-inch guns; the Atlanta, o
3,l00 tons, with two S-inch and six 6
inch guns; the Benning ton, of 1,7O
tons, with six 6inch guns. All thes,
are modern steel vessels. and we neet
not reckon the wooden craft on that sta
tion-the Essex, 1875 tons, and tn,
Yantic, 900 tons.
The third squadron is that OF Rea
Admiral Bancroft Gherardi, which il
now stationed at the West Indies, read,
also to be sent forward If needed. /
includes the Philadelphia, 4, 1924 tons, /!
knots speed, and twelve 6-inch rifles
the Newark, 4,083 tons, and also carry
ing twelve 6-inch rifles, now fitting on