The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-19
FOR BATTLING AT SEA.
SIZE AND EQUIPyTEYT or UNCLE
slM,s NlVAL FOECE.
s..r.t.ry Herbert Gives interesting Infor-
nation About Our Battle ships'
Words Naval Powers.

In a big room en- the second moor o.
the east side OF tn e biggest granite bulld
ing I'm the world, surrounded by Inc
models OF ships. at big desk, sits
big man, boiling his big brain over some
OF the biggest questions OF the United
states refer to Secretary Hilary a.
Herbert, the head of our great navy de
partment. Ten years ago we had ore oil
the poorest navies OF the world. Now we
have one or the best, and the navy depart
ment is the most wide-awake and pro-
eressive OF our government establish
ments., IL has vast fOundries ana manu-
facto' lies under its control IL spehuS
millions upon millions Of dollars upon
ship and armor every year. 1t is buying
the best brain the United States can give
and il has It's agents in every part Of the
We uid inVenting and studying now 10
m axe new guns and other instruments OF
q destruction 10 is the Most wonderful es-
Establishment in the United States govern
nnent. and the matters it deals with reach
TO the end Of the earth. Already some OF
the biggest gunboats are on their way 10
china. only a few months ago we were
the edEe OF n war WIN &ttttNs W A'fNN
we are to do with the Sandwich Islands
is still a live question. and the excitement
Of the troubles in Itio Janeiro have
scarcely died away. The Importance OF
the American navy increases every day.
end the pesonality and views Of the man
who presides over il are full of interest.
1 spent an hour with him this week at
the department, and continued my con-
yersation during an evening which he
then fixed for me at his home. know bat
little about wars and fighting, and at
my request the secretary kindly avoided
technical terms and explained matters in
such a way that L believe the talk Will
be OF great interest to the average reader.
America Against the World.
How does our navy now compare with
the other great navies of the world?"
VERY wen. indeed" replied the secre-
tary. .yr it viii do so as soon as we have
finished the ships we are now building.
we now stand fifth or sixth among the
great navies Of the world. The greatest
naval power on earth is Great Britain.
she has nearly half as many naval officers
as we have men, and her total naval
service includes about 10000. She has
rs ships in commission and she is making
others, so that next year she will have
about 425 effective ships afloat. Her col
onies are such that the very existence
Of her government depends upon a great
navy, and the new ships which she is
now building VIII cost, it is said. more
than 100000 Next 10 England as a
great naval power is France, who has
some of the biggest gunboats and best
armored ships Of the world. Her naval
service includes vast numbers of men,
and the same is true Of Italy and Russia.
Next to these powers comes the United
States or Germany. II is a question as
to whether Germany or the United States
stand fifth in RAM; among the navies OF
the world. In some respects we are suite
rior TO Germany and in some they are
ahead Of us. We are rapidly advancing,
however, and our navy has been the
creation of practically only the last ten
years"
what kind Of raval officers 90 Amer
leans make! How do we rank among
the nations as fighters on the sea?"
i believe the American Is naturally
htted for naval warfare, and l believe
we nave all the elements of gteat naval
lower l do not think il a necessity that
we should surpass the world in This regard
OF present The development of our vast
interior resources win consume our best
energy for generation or so 10 come.
But when we 50 out Of our own bound
aries, when We become a great sea-going
people, our navy will Increase as our
interests demand protection, and we may
eventually become the greatest naval
power of the world.
Our Navy in History.
LAS to our natural ability in this re-
spect," Secretary Herbert went on. look
at our history. At the beginning Of the
revolution England was mistress Of the
seas. During the first two years Of that
war our navy, made up of what we couid
Duy, build or borrow, captured more than
z0i English ships and acquired for itself
a reputation as one Of the naval movers
or the time. In the war Of 1872 we started
out with about a dozen and a half sbips
OF war to fight England, who then had |
more than 500 ships, Of which a large MN
Der We're effective cruisers. There were
all told fourteen duels between sirgle |
shlps in that war, and in ten Of these the |
1NiheF4cahs were victorious. In two ~
the remainder the honOrs were nea,l,, |
eVen' and in only two out Of the four |
teen were the British the victors At the |
beginning of the late civil war the govern |
inent mad only ninety vessels aloat. AT IFS |
close It's navy contained 40 ships. and |
II STOOD out as one of the greatest naval |
powers OF the world. Its battles changed |
the haVles or the world, and some Of The |
greatest Of naval inventions have sprung /
from American brains"
mat was so with the fight OF the Mont |
tor and the Merrimac was il not?"
es' replied Secretary Herbert. THAT |
battle struck the death-blow to the sbips /
Of that day. With it the age of wooden |
war vessels passed away and that of iron |
ana steel began. Every civilized nation |
az once put its ship-yards to work 10 |
ouiiu new meets, and human ingenuity |
Dusled itself 10 construct better guns
'uhs 'heh began TO be made of hammered |
'teei' ana IN order that they might carry |
SUI heavier charges they were made LONG.
4 anu longer and slow-burning powder
vas invented. The powder we now use f.
lothing like that used at the time of the |
asst war. II is the color Of chocolate and
| is nodded into grains as big as a babv's |
lst III burns from the time il Is ignited |
lhtii the charge leaves the gun and II
steadily pushes, as it were, on the cbaroe
rom powder-bed TO muzzle."
shoot ProjectiIes Thirteen stiIrs.
is II much more effective than The
powder Of the past2'I asked.
Yes replied the secretary: 81 can
lardIy describe It's power. Some of tgc
lroJectiles We now use weigh as high ss
1ioo pounds. or half ton ana the aups
when sAoot THESE great masses OF steel
ma pans are forty Ieet Ions aud weigh
more imam sixty tons each. Ii takes S-a |
pounds OF this powder Tor single cbare,e
II one Of these guns, and through In ms
.alf ton Of chilled steel flies from the rnrz-
lie OF the gun at the rate OF 2l05o fest
Ger second ana goes thirteen miles before
Stops. rake your pencil and estimate !
Fhat those hSure5 mean. 4 ton is q
'ood ioau Tor team OF horses -Four |
'harges or powder for one Of those guns |