The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1894-09-29
DEFENDING THE RArrLEsHIP.
Tho Fight at the YaIu River Creatin
Much Comment.


Washington, Sept. 25.-Few Of the
ordnance officers of the navy are pre-
pared to accept the recent engagement
between japanese and Chinese fleets
at the Yalu river as a demonstration
Of the superiority of fleet unarmored
cruisers over heavily protected but
moderate speed battleships. This is
natural in view of the fact that for
many years the officers in this branch
of the service have devoted their in
genuity to the development of the pas
sively resistant quality of ships, hold
ing that the design is best which
should carry the heaviest armor. Thus
they created the battleship, and now
they stand prepared to defend her
One of the most distinguished of ord
nance officers in his record of work ac-
complished, n man who had much to
do with designing the guns and ar.
mories of our modern ships, speaking
upon the subject of the Yalu fight to-
day, was inclined to be skeptical as to
the defeat of the Chinese battleships
Said he:
eve are still in the dark as to the
details of the battle. but I win venture
the assertion that not one of the Chi
nese battleships was seriously injured,
and that their loss was confined to
cruisers or only partially protected
vessels. And even the best of the Chi
nese battleships is not first-class yes
sci. The Chen Yuen is a second-rate
ship. about like the Maine or Texas.
But as it was, there was only one rea-
son, though, that Is, n very good one,
why the battleship did not speedily
destroy all of the japanese fleet, and
that reason is the immense superiority
of the Japanese personnel.
THE Japanese themselves fully I'M
derstand the value of battleships, and
have been making strenuous efforts to
purchase some. Lately they have been
trying to buy the Captain Pratt, the
Chill. good deal OF nonsense has
been said and written about the value
Of high-speed unarmored cruisers,
mainly by the private builders, who
are after the big premiums paid for
speed. | would rank excessive speed
about tenth in the list of valuable quail
tiles for IL warship. About the only
advantage 1t offers is the opportunity
it offers to decline an engagement. 1t
will not help her even to run away, III
she is once In action. the difference
between the fifteen knots of Il battle
ship and the twenty knots of cruiser
Is not enough to save the distance.
Then, after once coming within firing
distance, she could not choose her pc.
sition, for she would have to move
whenever the heavy ship came up.
when the heavy ship was brought
In during the Crimean war, naval war
fare was revolutionized We have per-
cusslon shells that we can explode
with certainty almost inside of a cruis-
or and tear her to pieces. But these
shells will not penetrate the armored
side of "A battleship. The only project
lie that can do that is the armor
picrcer and that, while partly hollow.
is never charged with explosive. An
expert commander Of one of the battle
ships can meet at once and destroy 4
half dozen cruisers and come out Of
the fight without serious injury, else
all naval opinion Is at fault, and the
naval power that seeks TO get along
without battlcships will certainly rue
its lack OF foresight in time of war;