Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-05-26


number of vessels.
The requirements of modern naval de.
tense and attack are that each nation must
put ahoat force fitted to its environment
though, wIthal, coast defense is the first
essential; and this, beyond the fogs. be-
yond the windy phrases of specially in
terested corps, is primarily and almost
entirely maratime. For this duty there
must be ready on the outer line. battieship
and scouting cruisers: then rams, torpedo
vessels and gunboats; next heavily arm
oTe6, heavily armamcnted barbor defense
craft, and minor torpedo aud submar ne
boats; and finally land Notifications, sub
merged mines and floating distractions.
But bfsldes this main duty, which nearly
all the great countries entrust entirely to
their navles, other demands are made upon
the service, and there must be other arn-
ored cruisers to fight battles on the high
seas, and protected cruisers to destroy an
enemy s commerce and capture his COM
merce destroyers, to protect the trade high
ways, and to guard coaling and reftting
stations. For all. these auxiliary duties
except the first, where great gun power.
hardness and Availability are specially
requisite, speed is the most important
characteristic, and as these ships cannot
afford to sacrifice their gun weights nor
run the chance of disabiement by insult
clent machinery weights, the two must be
reconclied by putting them afoat in rela-
lively large displaeements.
The two great features of Italy's huge
warshlps are speed and battery power.
The Duiiio and Dandolo have more than
ll,000 tons displacement, witt. eleven
knots speed, carrying % inches of armor
on their sides, and have each a battery OF
tour lotion Armstrong guns Even
larger are the Italia and Lepanto, Of
Ii, 800 and IL, $50 tons RESPECTIVE ELY, with
$4,000 indicated horse power, each fur
nishinR a speed of Is knots. They
carry IS inches of armor On their mas
slve towers, within which are mounted
four lesion Armstrong guns, the heavi-
est ordinance ahoat in any navy.
Altogether, ltaly's navy is remarkably
strong. The Russian Navy consists of two
main fleets, the Black sea and the Baltic.
besides three hotilas the Siberian, Caspian
and Aral. In the Black Sea feet there
are three 16-knot ships: the Catherine II.
Chetma and Sinope, beIted thr uebont
with lSlnch armor, and with ii inch
armor on their towers, and armed each
with six 40 ton guns. The Baltic fleet
contains the Peter. the Great, of g, $40 tons.
with IA knots speed, and four 40 ton guns.
Ten other effective vessels range between
$500 and S,400 tons, and with from z to
10 inches of aymor, and Is to 16 knots
speed. Russia mas also number oS tor
pedo boats. Germany's navy presents four
vessels having Is inch armor-the Baden,
Balern, Sachsen and Wurtem burg.
These are 1880 tons displacement The
largest iron clad in the German Navy is
the Koenig Wilhelm, of $3.50 tons, l434
knots, II inches Of armor and 18 ID ton
guns. Austria has two powerful IRON
clads, the Castoza and the Tegetthoff and
several others. Turkey has the powerful
9OO0-ton armored Mescedyeh and other
iron clads ana torpedo boats. Spain has
the Victoria, an iron clad of II koots, and
great steel turret ship, the Relavo, of
$3.50 tons with 19-inch armor on its
citadel and 1919 on its turrets 1t will
steam 10 knots and carries two 80 ton and
two AZ ton guns, and several others.
For the 70 years succeeding the war the
United States built nothing but wooden
ships, except two small vessels of the
Alert class, and the two gunboats Intrepid
and Alarm. Millions were wasted at tim
keriDg the makeshift guns. 'In March
1855, asserts the then secretary Of the
navy, "the United States had no vessel of
war which would have kept the sea for one
week against any first rate naval power,
and was dependant upon English manu-
factories foe the forging of guns, for ar
NOR, and for secondary batteries But
from 1888 80 congressional legislation pro-
vided by the construction of a number of
lighting ships, which would at least form
tie nucleus of a new navy" In the ar
incurred class are included one steel battle
ship, the Texas, and two others, the Maine
and one other; five iron monitors, the
Puritan, Terror, Miantonoman, Amphri
tite and Monaduock, and one steel coast
defender OF the latest type. In the un-
armored class, all steel, are II protected
cruisers: the Boston, Atlanta, Chicago,
Charleston, Baltimore, Newark, Phila-
oeiphia, San Francisco and three others.
Five cruisers: the Concord, Bennington and
three others; two gunboats, are the York
town and Petrol; one practice cruiser, one
dispatch vessel, the Dolphin one dynamite
cruiser, the Vesuvius, and one first class
torpedo boat.
The Texas is battle ship of $500 tons,
draught OF 81 feet, inches. A belt of
Pinch steel armor extends along the
water line In the wake Of the engines,
boiler, and magazines, and is Joined at
each end by a transverse shaped bulkhead
inches thick. The redoubt, turrets and
coming tower are prote by steel armor
12inches thick. Throughout the ship ex-
tends thick protective deck Of steel. The
main battery consists Of two 12-inch breech-
loading rifles, one in each turret, and of
six inch breech loading rifles. There is
powerful secondary artery of rapid fire
and machine guns, and 4 torpedo launch
ing ubes. Two triple expansion engines
drive twin screws, and are expected to de-
velop with forced draft $500 horse power
and speed of II knots; the total coal ca
pacity, $50 tons. will give a coal endur-
ance Of 592 at 10 knots. The other fam
Gus war vessels are somewhat similar.
The Yorkiona, Concord and Bennington
are each of l 700 tons, and the Concord
six 6-inch breech loading rifles,
four apid fire, and FIVE machine guns
Appended is tabular statement, show
the relative strength of the navies of the
great powers of the world: