The morning call., 1893-03-30
A LESSON EoR SAILORS.

- -------C OAN D<AA-OENOs
"4yal constructors and navy men can
learn something by studying the log of the
Fearless steamer which arrived here on
Tuesday evening. The Fearless is 156 feet
long by 26 feet beam her displacement is
400 tons. She started from this point on
February 27, to look for derelIct, and
steamed nearly COCO miles between IS deg
and the equator. When she set out she
had $50 tons of coal on board, aud when she
returned she had enough left to pursue her
voyage for several days. The fact consti-
tutes au object lesson that Is worth study.
The efficiency of modern steamer de-
ponds upon her coal supply. So long as she
has coal In her bunkeTs abe possesses use
fulness; when her coal is exhausted, she is
as worthless as a painted ship upon
painted ocean. Few of the modern steamers
carry sail enough TO propel them through the
water. When the shaft of the Teutonic
broke the other day her sail barely ayailed
to keep her head to the wind. The latest
built ships Of war have no masts: their
place ia taken by poles which mercy serve
as rests for crows nests. Coal is as ndis-
pensable 10 the steamer of modern nayies as
a rudder. Hence the range of small steamers
is limited to a voyage from one eosling
depot to another Great Britain, being the
leading maritime nation of the world, has
girdled the globe with ample well-fortified
coaling stations. There is no spot on the
navigable seas whence a British ship cam o.
strike coal supply within ten days. We
have no such resources. On the Pacific
there has been talk of establishing coal
depots on the Hawaiian and the Samoan
Islands; but, as yet. 1t is mere talk. II war
should break out suddenly, we might find
both spots occupied in force by a foreign
nation. In that case. the range of the
American navy would be limited to our own
coasts.
In building the new ships Of the navy
the chief problem has been to combine
speed with coal-carrying capacity. The
rule is that a ship of the type OF the Indi-
ana can steam ten nautical miles or ten
knots an hour with consumption of one
ton of coal; thus multiply the ships coal
carrying capacity by ten and we have the
area Of her action. The Oregon. for in
stance, can carry coal enough to steam
5000 miles at ten knots an hour, while the
range of the Monterey is only 1900 miles.
But it is evident that in actual warfare
ships of war would be expected to steam
much over ten knots. II they could not
they would be outsailed aud outfought. The
OAC5Oh 20 CAPFShSh W hiAhc SiAlccu hHOLS
on pinch, and so is the Monterey. how
much coal they would burn to steam at
that rate and how many days their supply
would last are the chief factors In the prob
lem Of their usefulness. To send battle
ship to sea In chase Of an enemy. with the
prospect that she would have to return home
to coal in the course of a week. would not
seem profitable enterprise.
here is little craft which seems to have
steamed COCO miles with an expenditure of
800 tons of COAL Every ton of coal pro-
PEELED her twenty miles through the water.
A slight enlargement of her coal bubkers
and some increase OF her deck load wouId
probably enable her to carry 500 tons of
coal, which would imply range of action
equal to 10000 miles, or as far as from here
to China and back. She would not be a
battle-ship in the modern sense of the word
But she could carry one 13-inch gun, which
is as large as the heaviest effective marine
artillery. Singly she could not effect much
against a squadron: but feet of twenty
such craft, presenting a minute target for
the enemy 10 aim at. would be form liable.
Even the Indiana would be bothered IL she
were simultaneously attacked on all sides
by half doZen.such craft. 1t must always
be remembered that in future naval battles,
no vessel Will survive the first shot which
strikes her. No ship-of-Bar will want more
than one shell exploding half a ton of dyna-
mite on board.
In the matter of marine rchitecture we
have reached some fnalities The limit of
side armor has been reached. 1t will never
hereafter exceed eighteen inches, if the
ship Is to be seawortby. The limit of the
ealiber of heavy guns may also be said to be
ut frfa
that are more dangerous to the vessel which
fires them than to an enemy But the adjust
ment Of coal-carrying capacity to long sea
voyages admits of further experiment. No
ship can be really formidable If its pro-
pelling capacity is liable TO be crippled Just
when Its effectiveness is most needed. And