The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-05-03
Our Ships of the Future.

Handsome and graceful as is Admiral
Gerhardi's fleet, it is, after all, with the
exception OF the Miantonomoh and the
torpedo boats, collection of commerce
deslroyers. Excellent in speed as are
our San Francisco, Baltimore and Phila-
delphia, admirable in battery power as
are our earliest steel vessels, the Chicago
and Atlanta, the whole display may be
properly called show of our tirstlings.
The main strength Of our navy is in the
eight big vessels planned and begun
under Secretary Tracy, not one of which
is in the Hudson, though the majority
are we'll advanced toward completion.
To give an idea of what we mean, it
may be said that the largest displace-
ment in our present fleet is 4 600 tons;
the largest gun, outside of the Mianto-
nomoh, an eight,inch; the highest ag-
gregate indicated horse power, 10 400.
Out of the eight new Tracy vessels,
two, the Columbia and Minneapolis,
have q 900 horse power each, giving
them a maximum speed of twenty-five
knots. They can carry coal enough for
a cruise of $4,000 miles, and thus can
circumnavigate the globe without put
ting into port for fuel. The enormous
superiority, therefore, of these vessels,
one of which is rapidly approaching
completion, over any protected cruisers
we now have on show is manifest.
Then, of armored cruisers we are TO
have the New York, s $50 tons, and the
Brooklyn, $3.50, and the former is al
ready finished and ready for her trial
| trip, and would, we think, have been
! int hot
The British Blake is the best all-around
vessel now in the Hudson, and takes
| the first honors in the review. But the
New York is believed to be a still finer
combination of speed, armor, armament,
and radius of action. She can 90 13, 600
miles without recoaling; and while she
carries more coal than the Blake, she
draws less water, has greater length
and less beam, and hence better con-
tnuous speed; has heavier weight of
metal; has far better train of guns,
whether forward, aft, or broadside;
has thicker protection for her battery,
and has side armor and cellulose belt
where the Blake has none of either.
The Brooklyn is even better than the
New York, and is especially better in
battery power.
The Tracy battle ships include three
of the Indiana class, to be finished next
year. These are of 10000 tons dis.
placement, and are unequaled by any
ship that floats, in the two great factors
of armor and armament. They carry
eighteen inches of American nicke
steel on their sides, seventeen inches
on the barbettes, aud fifteen inches on
the turrets. They mount four thirteen
inch, eight eight-inch and four six
inch guns each, which throw at single
discharge weight of $500 pounds, OF
over three tons; and the projectile from
the thirteen-inch gun perforates twenty
two inches of steel at the distance of |
mile. The secondary battery of eacl
ship discharges $50 proiectiles minute
The Iowa, of IL ,296 tons, is longer
broader and faster than any of thes'
three battle ships, and has greater Goa
capacity and guns better mounted
although the largest are but twelve-inch
Her water.line belt is longer, but is no
quite as thick, the Harveyized armo
allowing a reduction to fourteen inches
on account of its impenetrable quality
Compared with the eight vessels her
spoken of, our present array in tn
Hudson represents only the beginnin!
of the new navy. There are also othe
good ships under construction, such a.
the second-class battle ships Maine ant
Texas, the powerful coast defende
Puritan, the fast cruisers Olympia, Gin
cinnati, Raleigh and others. But reel
oning only the eight great ships jus