The morning call., 1893-12-21
n OF the case, and for particulars see the

not the case, and for particulars see the
latter part Of this article.
At this Pacific Union Club banquet
there will of course be speeches, and the
text for one of them will be furnished by
cartoon which appeared in Punch in
1851. II was few weeks after the great
yacht race in which the America won the
challenge cup that has remained on this
side OF the Atlantic ever since that the
cartoon appeared. II is here reproduced,
and one can see how prophetic were the
words that were used over forty years ago
by that London journal.
While speaking of the rapid strides
taken by American shipbuilders it might
not be am IS to compare the peerless Oiym-
pia with vessels of her class in other
navies. Several weeks ago there appeared
in THE SUNDAY CALL a naval contest,
In which boy writers told how they would
fight with the battleship Oregon. The
winner OF the first prize in this contest was
Walter Won Helms, an Oakland lad. He
has contributed an article showing the su-
periority Of the Olympia over other war
ships of her class. 1t reads as follows:
The Olympia is the fastest cruiser of
her class afloat, and TO show what an ex-
cellent vessel the nation has in her a com.
parisOn may not be out OF place. There
will soon arrive in this harbor one OF the
most advanced types of English naval
progress, the protected cruiser Royal Ar
thur This vessel was launched 10 1891 al
Portsmouth, and on her trial trip developed
1900 indicated horsepower and 1915 knots
speed. The Admiralty, however. ordered
several changes in the boilers and engines,
ilc i'm ha urof fQ ha
eccentrics, and as consequence the ves-
sci can not now maintain more than
eighteen knots per hour for any period of
time.
The Olympia on her trial trip main
tanned the speed of 2215 knots per hour,
though when the allowance for current,
etc, is made it Is more than likely that
he figure will be raised. 1t will be seen
from this that the Olympia can easily out
steam the British cruiser. On the Ques-
tion of endurance the Olympia again is
the superior, she carrying 1900 tons of
coal, which enable her to steam for 1900
knots at the rate of ten knots per hour,
while the Royal Arthur carries only $50
tons and can steam only 10000 knots at
the same speed. In the matter of size
there is a radical difference between the
two vessels, the Royal Arthur being of
ZOO tons displacement and the Olympia Of
only $500 tons. but the battery power of
the latter places her on more than an
equality with the former. The British
vessel Is 360 feet long, 60 feet beam and
draws % feet 9 inches Of water. The
American is but $40 feet in length bv 50
feet beam and u feet draught. Both ves-
sells are especially seaworIhy; the ROYAL
Arthur having a high forecaSte deck ex-
tending about 100 feet, and the Olympia
having ample freeboard forward to enable
her to fight her forward 8-inch guns in
any kind of weather.
The battery of the Royal Arthur is COM
posed of one 9.2-ircn, 22-,on breech-load-
ing rife. mounted aft on the upper deck
twelve 6-inch rifles of the Elswick pattern,
capable of firing seven shots a minute four
of which are mounted on the main deck
in casemates, six Of them on the upper
deck, the forward and after pairs firing on
sponsOns. enabling the former 10 fire
straight ahead and the latter straight astern
and TWO mounted on the forecastle deck on
opposite sides. All of these guns are pro-
tectef by thin. machne-guD proof shields.
The auxiliary armament consists of twelve
6-pdr. and five 3-pdr. Holchkiss rapid
fire guns. seven ive-barreled .45-inch Nor
denfeldt machine guns and two light guns
for field service. Her torpedo battery con-
sists of two fixed. submerged tubes, one
forward and the other aft, and two tubes
above water in broadside Ca pable of being
trained over a limited arc, Whitehead tor
pedoes being used.
Inc Olympla VIII carry Tour S-lnch rifed
guns. mounted In pairs 10 armored turrets
4 inches thick on the center line of the
ship, one forward and one aft; also ten
5-inch Dashiell rapid-fring guns, which
can discharge i've rounds in nineteen
seconds. These guns are to be mounted in
the superstructure, which extends between
the two turrets, and will there be pro-
tected by 4-inch shields and also by the
sides of the casemate around them. which
Is 4 inches thick. The secondary arma
meDt inc udes fourteen 6-pounder, six
1-pounder and four machine guns. and is to
be distributed in manner which will
allow them large arcs OF fire and good pro-
lection. Ten of the 6-pounders will be
mounted in broadside in armored sponsors
on the main deck and four on the super
structure, two at each end. the 1-pOunder
and Gatlings are to be divided between the
military tops on the masts and the super
structure. She has six torpedo-tubes, all
above water. one forward, another aft, and
two In each broadside.
The Royal Arthur Is protected BIZ