The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-30
government would be using cannon
one discharge of which costs $4O0.
The NavIcp OF Europe

at their reckleSsness or sympathize with
them In their necessities. The British
parliament has but lately appropriated
for the fiscal year 1895 little over $780,
OOO,oO0, and 10 first class battleships and
AZ cruisers are now in process of con-
struction i'll the English navy yards.
Italy is i'll such financial straits that she
Is on the verge of revolution, but her
minister OF marine has recently ordered
D hrst class battleships, 3 cruisers, 10 tor
pedo boats and 4 immense transports.
the battleships to have from 1900 to
l2,OO0 tons displacement and speed of
~ Knots. France now has II armored
Dattleships III construction and 16 unar-
mored but protected cruisers, besides Z
armored cruisers of the second class and
various torpedo, dispatch and coast de-
Tense vessels. In Germany the naval
budget is still under discussion, but the
lowest estimate is for armored battle
ships, q coast defense vessels, torpedo
boats and unarmored vessels of various
grades.
AT this point bit of history is in Or
der illustrating the strange fluctuations
In American shipping. The first vessel
worthy of the name constructed in North
America was made by the Spaniards ON
the west coast of Mexico, where they
established IL shipyard in 1924, and not
many years later they had very fine
ship for those times, in which Don Juan
Cabrillo sailed up the coast AID entered
the bay of San Francisco. On the gulf
OF Mexlco they soon had large vessels
constructed, III one of which De Leon
surveyed the coast of Texas in 1868.
New England began with such small
boats that no exact date can be set, but
the first American decked vessel was
built by Adrian Block near the mouth
OF the Hudson in 1914. In 1920 Massa-
chusetts had five ships, but it is not GER
tain which of them were built OH that
coast Her shipping increased so rapidly
that i'll 1889 the fisheries were an impor
tant source of her revenue. and in 1641
Hugh Peters built a vessel of 800 tons
burden at Salem.
Our Colonial Navy.
In 1901, says The British Record, the
American colonies had 2,700 men, with
121 vessels, aggregating 5000 tons, in the
Newfoundland fisheries. In the wars
with the French the American sailors
pOAS hh lfttIt. IL WAS Ill lNl-)
that the first American SLAYER sailed for
the coast of Guinea, and when she re-
turned to Boston her officers were pun
1shed and the captives We're returned tc
their native country at the public en-
pense. In 1871 Massachusetts had IS. 900
tons OF shipping and the other colonies
smaller amounts each. When the pop-
ulation of the colonies was only 900 600
the entries and clearances at Boston in n
single year were $50.
The first naval exploit, if such it NAV
be called, i'll the resistance to Great
Britain was the capture of the Gaspee.
III lII2 AS to that war and its naval
heroes, especially Paul Jones, are not
the details known to every Yankee
schoolboy? During the entire war there
We're regularly commissioned in our
own navy 30 vessels, of which 90 were
captured by the British or burned TO
prevent capture. The first vessel to
carry the American flag to China
was the Empress, Captain Greene.
which sailed from New York Feb. %.
1854. The troubles with Tripoli and
AlSlers began the next year, and the
heroes OF that war are well known. 1t
was i'll 1893 that the Constitution was
first put III commission rs an American
vessel, and after Il long and glorious
service She is now laid up as the rcceiv-
ms ship at Portsmouth, n. II. The loss
OF the kearsargc leaves the Hartford.
Admiral Farragut's flagship, our only
vessel ailoat around which historic mem
orles cluster. This year the committee
has made liberal appropriation for her
preservation and Improvement and for
rchtting her with Il modern battery
rather in obedience to public sentiment
than for her value.
Short Naval Combats.
In 1911 the naval appropriation was
only$l, 0G5, 5G6. When war was declared
but single ship, the Wasp, of Is guns.
was on foreign service, though many
American vessels suitable but not yct
fitted for war were a1loat. AS the .crcai
est land victory of that war, ut New Or
leans, was won three weeks after the
treaty of peace was signed, so several
sharp naval combats took place duriue.
the six months after the peace. the last
beng that between the Peacock and the
East India company's cruiser Nautilus
Ill the strait of Sunda, June 30. Tho
Peacock fired but one broadside. killing
and wounding If of the British, when
the Nautilus surrendered, and the next
day, the American captain having learn
ed of the peace, she was given up. There
was not time for the navy to degenerate
much before the second Barbary war be-
gan. After that the navy was main
tanned in tolerablc efficiency, and Amer
lean merchant shipping increased with a