Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-05-28

OLD AND new NAVIES
Points of Similarity in Ancient and
Modern Nayies, and Their
Difference.
The Ram of To-day Used for Same
Purpose as That of 0lden
Times.
EXECUTIONS and Revolutions in the
Art of Naval Warfare Have
Taken Place.

/ anCes so curious as to tempt one into the
I dangerous generalization that naval archi-
lecture, like history, repeats itself. Those
who knew the existing type to be an
/ evolutionary result and not an inheritance
recognize that ia form, at least, it appears
to be a survival, or a return to the begin
ing, Of naval war construction. Queery
enough the identities are not altogether
pictorial because, Notwithstanding the
| enormous differences In design, material.
motive power, armament and equip
ment, they extend to the theories of
attack and defense. OF course, no evil
( dences of descent can really be detected,
for battle-ships, even in the same decade,
| dlverged so widely as to have produced
such variant examples as the 100. gun
! threedeck ship, and that low free boarded
monitor which made valueless for ever all
/ trippletired, wood.borne ordnance. In
section, wal galleys we're shaped like the
letter V expanded at the TOP, and were
: Juilt with keels, ribs, beams and stern
posts. They had one or more masts. and
| spread square sails upon yards. At or
near the water-line the sharp brows
curved into rams; and within, deck. beast
works and towers; and in barbetted
structures aloft military engines which
! threw prOjectiles TO a considerable dis
! lance were mounted. Burchett, in his
/ Most remarkable Transactions at Sea, :"
| describes a galley which carried eight
wooden towers -four amidships, two for
ward and two aft. From these projected
breastworks filled with loop holes, whence
an enemy might be annoyed. On the upper
| deck was raised machine (which
would fling to the distance of l20 PAGES
stones weighing 300 pounds and darts 18
| feet in length. Each OF the three masts
was furnished with engines for throwing
stones and large iron hooks; around the
bulwarks an iron paisade prevented
boarding and from the masts and spars
hung graphing irons The r0undtopg
were brass, and in them constant watch
was kept by soldiers, to whom stones could
/ be conveyed in baskets cited with tackles
This ship was fully equipped, and was ac-
CompanIed by smaller galleys and supply
/ vessels The English battle ship Irafal
| gar, type of the modern battle-ship, was
| completed In 1889 He mild steel bull ia
built on the lougitudiai system, and tie
/ cast Steel stem Is fortified with "a RAM COM
posed of 5.ineh steel plates. The mill.
! tary mast carries two tops rs vantage
/ positions for riiisman and machine guns.
/ The armOr protection is distributed in
three layers; ll) a water line belt, ~ a
citadel at the middle of this belt inelos.
/ ing the bases of the currents. and CD an
! octagonal upper structure 10 feer in
| length, containing the br0adsida battery.
/ From Within three armoreu coming tow
/ ers IN deck the ship is steered and fought;
/ four l3.5-inch breechioad ny rifles are
| pair mounted IN two tuuets, disposed at
/ either end of the lower citadel; and eight
/ 3InCh bIeech-loadlng gunS are carried in
/ the upper structure. The secondary bat
| terry includes eight 6pounder aud eleven
I 3ponnder rapid firing guns, and eight
/ torpedo tubes. In every modern battle,
| ship tie latest theories prescribe as neces-
| sltles a dependent group of tenders, such
4 Us cruisers, gunboats, torpedo catChers,
/ torpedo boats and coal supply vessels
Twenty centuries separate modern bat
1 tle-shlps aud the galleys OF Dlo11lu. Sic
/ uius, and yet between the new and the
( ole many analogles exist. The ancient
4 method OF warfare consisted, ia great part.
! IN the driving of baaked vessels against
/ each other; and therefore skill nd certy
I u maneuverlng, SO as to strike the enemy
/ TO Its greatest advantage, were Of the ut
most importance The victory thus usual
/ ly remained with the pest sailor. THIS
mode of conflict has been attempted to be
revived Mt the present time, aud vessels
| called 'steam-rams" are specially con
/ struCled fer this species of conflict. The
\ earliest powers having Efficient fleets APP
1 pear to have been rLe Pneniclans, Egypt.
laus, Pgrsians. Garthageuiaus and
Greeks; the Greeks bad fleets as
early as the beginning Of the Seventh
CenUry b. C.-tbe first sea.fghf on
record being that between the Cor
/ ntnl9ns ard their COonists of Corcyra.
in the year 664 B. C. The earliest great
battle IN which tactics appear to have dis
tlnCty been opposed to superior force. and
with success, was that of SaIamis $50 B.
e. where Ihemistoces, takin. advantage
Of the narrows, forced the Persian feet of
Aerxes to combat in such manner that
their line of battle but little exceeded in
length the line of the much inferior Athe-
Mar feet. Toe Peopouuesian war, where
Greek met Greek tended much to de-
velCp the art of naval warfare. But the
destruction Of the AthenIan marine power
in the Syracusian expedition of ia b.
z. left Carthage mistress OF the Mediter
ranean The Roman power, however,
gradually ASNtIktd leelI, ana dIleF Two
centuries became omuip9tent by the de-
struction of Carthage The breakup
of the empire, however, was an era
of piracy, when every nation which had
more to win than lose by freebooting sent
out its cruisers Foremost Tor daring
and seamenship were the Norsmen. who
penetrated in every direction from the
Bosporus 10 Newfoundland. Combination
being the only security against these
marauders. medieval navies gradually
sprang mp; the most conspicuous being in
the Mediterranean. those OF Venice, Genoa,
Pisa, Arragon; on the Atlantic seaboard
England and France IN the Meditey.
ranean Venice, after a long struggle with
the Geuoese, and subsequently with the
Turks became the great naval power The
Arr a 2ohese feet gradually developed into
the Spanish navy, which, by the epoch of
Columbus mad a rival in that OF Portugal.
Dating the modern nayies of the world
from the sixteenth century We and the
British national and merchant marine ris.