The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-24
STRENGTH or our NAVY
Vessels Already Available and Others
Easily Repaired tor Service
Against Chill,
An Unexpectedly Formidable
Showing OF Strength on Tn
Gle Sans Part.

Gle Sans Part
Somewhat Amend OF Chill in all
Other Respects.
NEw York. Jan. 2.3-Chili's best war yes
gel, and the only one which gives the United
States navy any concern, is tho Captain rat,
still under construction at Ioulon. Inc
prat ia an armored steel battle-ship of 6,0O
tons displacement. a little larger, therefore,
than che United States battle-ship Maine,
and was launched Dec. 20. 1896. Is is be-
lieyed that she Is nov complete, with the
exception of rscsiving her battery. Her
nowerful armament includes four nine and
one-half-inch Canet breech-losdinG rifles
mounted in barbette ~turrets; eight four and
three-fourths-inoh Canet rapid-fire guns,
mounted on special carriages, in pairs, IN
c,osed turrets. seven maxim machine guns,
six revolving cannon and eight rapid fire
GUNS of small caliber, together with four
Canet torpedo tubes. Two other new YES
sells arc the Pgesidents Errazuriz and Pres
identS HiNtO. ~ uGEV Ahfo bcSAA
to Chill, md are ready for service. lhey
are protected cruisers of 1850 tons displace-
ment, or Just about that of tho Detroit u
he, sister ship launched recently at bsltl-
more. They have batteries OF rapid hre
guns. but we have plenty OF much moro
powerful vessels to take care Of them.
The Es1neralda is a protected cruiser or
2.S1o tons displacement, and originally car
ried two ten-inch and six six-inch Arm
strong guns. 1t has since been SAID maj
the heavier guns did not work we'll and we're
renlaced by Others. She has. Of course, an
auxiliary battery. The Almirante Coch-
rane, of $3.50 tons, is a battle
shin built at Hull in 1874. She has
new armament consisting of five eight-lnch
fourteen-ton Armstrong brssch-loaders
in the gun-deck essematc, while a sixth
ORIGINALLY belonged to the battery, but
proved defective. She also has a number
Of Hotchkiss rapid-fre guns and revolving
cannon in her secondary battery. she mas
two above-water torpedo tubes FORWARD
and one aft, with q spare tube carried
am;dships. The Huascer is an iron-clad
Of about 1000 tons displacement, captured
from Peru in 1879. She carries two twelve
ton Armstrong; and two forty-pounders, is
slow and altogether not formidable.
The principal other war vessels OF Chill
are her torpedo craft, and in these she
crsatly eroels our navy. Most noticeable
among them are the pair Of torpedo cru's-
ora. the Almirante Lynch and Almlrante
Condall. Besides these Chilli has ten first
class torpedo boats and two second-class
and a goodly supply of Whitehead torpe-
does. 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
Blanco Encalada, which did not
take suitable precautions against a sur
prise, and also was poorly manned when
the Lynoh sank her. The forces that can
be Immediately brought to bear on our
side against Chill comprise, to begin with,
a dozen modern steel vessels OF
the protected cruiser type, mounting more
six-inch and ten-inch caliber. In fact our
only steel cruiser which has not been
made available for this purpose is the
smallest of them, the Petrol, which, with her
four guns, has been sent off to China. Be-
ginning first with the vessels now in the
Pacific, ready to be concentrated along the
Gillian coast, we have the Baltimore, 4,4OO
tons, carrying four eight-inch and six six
inch guns; the Charleston. OF. $3.50 tons,
carving two eight-inch and six slx-lnch
guns the San Francisco, of 4,0S3 tons, car
rying twelve six-inch guns; the Boston, OF
G,ltU bOQY, carrying UWo caRAU-AlSA naA a.
six-inch guns. and the Yorktown, of 1,73C
tons. carrying si1 six-inch guns.
Turning from these vessels OF the Pacific
station to Admiral Walkers squadron now
at Montevideo. ready to proceed to Chill
through the Straits of Magellan. we ind ii
with her splendid battery power Of -four
eight-inch and eight six-inch guns; the At:
lanta. of 5000 tons, with two eight-inch and
six-inch guns; the Bennington, of l.70;
tons, with six gix-lnch guns. The thlro
saugdron is that of Rear Admiral Bancroft
West Indies, ready also to be sent forward
delphia, 1924 tons, nineteen knots
speed and twelve six-inch rifles; til.
Newark, 4.O83 tons, and also carrying twelve
si1-inch riles. now fitting out ut Norfolk tt
Join the squadron; the Concord, 1903 tons
with six sl1-inch guns. To this squadron
also belongs the famous old wooden shiI
Kearsarge, which sent the Alabama to thu
bottom. Besides these vessels VIC have OF
the Pacific coast, the important barbette
turret coast defender Monterey. of 4,O4i
tons. She is the craft largely depended
upon to tackle the Pratt. She has less speed
than the latter, being designed only TO
sixteen knots, but she carries u tremendou
battery of two tWeLye-inch and two ten
inch guns.
On the Atlantic coast we have the Milan.
bOl1O1loA VI poAos LAX AA Iva ~
rets four ten-inch breocb-loading rifles
She has a less effective armor protectio
than the Pratt, her maximum plating
which is on the turrets. being ~ inches
But something Of an Offset is furnishe
by her low free-board. She is frs
of all intended for harbor defense, bu
if the Pratt proceeds from France to Chill
may be found following in that direction
We should also by no means give the Chill
ans a monopoly of torpedo work, since til
Vesuvius, the Cushing and the Alarm nj
being fitted up for that purpose. and til
supply of Howell and Whithend torpedot
hurried forward. OF our wooden vessel
the lroquois, Mohican and Others could ait
if necessary, and the steel Dolphin woul
take part as dispatch vessels. Merohai
vessels would also be fitted out both
transports and as armed cruisers.
A W~arning-Don't Use Zig Words.
In promulgating ~esoteric cogitations
Articulating superficial sentimentaliti
and philosophical or psychological obse
v~ations, beware of platitudlnous pondc