The morning call., 1892-02-29
USES FOR TUE NAVY.

The Senate Ulu iCT me increase OF JDe
navy cOutemplates the addition of three new
ships to the squadron Of oattle-ships which
now consists Of The Indiana, Massachusetts
and the Orecon-au building. These are
the vessels Of which Secretary Tracy said
that " their equal as fighting ships does not
exist at the present day" They are to
carry four 15-iuCh, eight S-iuch and four
6-ineh guns, their steel arnOr belt is IS
inches thick, their speed at sea viii be about
is knots, ard their displacement about
10000 tons. Among foreign vessels several
carry heavier guns than they do. The Eng
lsh Iutlexble carries four So-tCn guns,
which have a caiiber Of - inches, and the
French squadron If tie Indomptab.e type
carry 161g-iuch guns; thus, at FIRST glance,
they seem more formidable fighting ships
than cur vessels of the Indiana tyre, but
the main battery Of the Indiana and her
sister ships is supplemented by eight S-inch
and four 6-inCh guns. and il is this auXil-
larry battery which encouraged Secretary
Tracy 20 pronounce them so formidable. Ii
must also lie always borne in mind that it
remains 10 he proved whether vessels armed
with. guns Of over l5-iuch caliber can use
them with safety TO tile ship. Very few
ships are bull; strongly enough 10 stand the
conclusion Cf firing such enormous pieces
Of artillery.
1t appears TO be tie idea Of the Naval
Committee that the defense Of tie harbor
Of San Francisco and Of Puget Sound can
safely be committed TO vessels of smaller
size than the baU.e-shiIs. Vessels Of 4gC0
or $3.50 tons. suitably armed and armured
|. and assisted by fl0Iilas eff torpedo craft and
gguboats, would, it is believed, answer the
purpose quite eHectually. As a matter "
fact, the danger Of aH attack upon San
+ Francisco by hostile fleet is less than is
generally imagined NJ admiral who was
careful Of his fleet would risk It inside the
heads, unless lie were very daring indeed.
When Admiral Courbet dashed his ships
against tie barbados in tile river Min and
destroyed the arsenal and ship-yald at
Fu-clu, be had Cinnamon 10 deal with: if
the river works had been defended by
Americans he would not have ven,ured TO
cross the bar. but would have followed Sir
. Charles Naqer's example az Croustadt
But the expenditure which the British
l. Government Is so ostenlatiously making in
The new works at EsQWmalt. on Vancouver
Island, proves one Ct two tLiugs-either
that the British Government IS Spending
casting a long glance into lie future, and
preparing for a hostile movement upon Port
Townsend, Seattle ard Tacoma at some
convenient season To Americans il ap-
pears that such a movement would be IN
wise, and could not bat end in failure and
in the conquest Of British Columbia by this
country. But this might be found more
difficult than It seems, and during the sirug-
--ar .f--H.~ s.a La
growing interests Of the State Of Washing
ton. It is the part OF prudence TO follow
England's lead. ard 10 prepare for the step
she seems to threaten. In this view one
500 ton coast-defense ship would appear to
be inadequate TO protect the northern arch-
pelago. There should be a number Of such
vessels, and they should be supplemented
with pOwe Tlul land works and fotlllas Of
| torpedo boats. As matter Of fact. the
whole Of the vast cCnseres OF naygable
waters which permeates Washington is En-
tireiy defenseless. 1t runs 10 danger at
! present, but II war broke cut suddenly
there is nothing to prevent the English
squadron al EsQuimalt from sweeping it
from the Straits Of Fuca to Tacoma and
capturing every vessel that is found afi0at
! and every city that is growing on its borders.
There IS nothing on the Atlantic Coast
which deserves Sc much protection and en-
joys so little as tie archipelago Of the
Northwest There is 10 such body Of water
anywhere. 1t might almost be said Of the
State of Washington-as is said of Venice
that every part Of it is accessible by
water. There is such ample water trans
portation for the lumber and the coal and
the grain Of Washington that the railroads
are only needed as accessories to the
streams. There is deep wafer in which
heavily laden ships can ride in almost every
county 10 the State. and sooner or later tie
wonderful system of internal navigation
which must grow up there will make the
most northerly State on the Pacific a seat Of
empire 1t would be sad indeed if in some
| unexpected Vicissitude Of fortune State Of
such promise should pass into the hands Of
an enemy