Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-03
FROM WOODEN TO STEEL.
The Transformation of the Past De-
cade in Our Navy.

The Transformation of the Past De-
cade in Our Navy.
From the Brooklyn Eagle.
The return of the Lancaster and the near
approach of the Alliance from foreign sta
lions will practically mark the retirement
of wooden vessels from the active list of
our navy. While there are still two or three
wooden vessels in commission. in probably
two years time they will succumb to the
inevitable be condemned and placed on Rot
ten row to join the noble fleet that has
gone before them. In just one decade has
this transformation from wooden to steel
taken place. At first the change came
slowly but three or four steel vessels being
added to the list during the first half Of
the decade. The last five years has marke ed
the death knell Of the wooden bulwarks of
our defense. Ship after ship has been con-
demned, and even more rapidly have mod
ern steel cruisers been commissioned to
take their places. To old seafaring men,
and in fact to all patriotic Americans who
feel proud Of the achievements Of our navy
in the past, such a change cannot but bring
up feelings of mingled sentiment and re-
sret. Gone are the tall tapering spars,
the snow white sails, the holy stoned decks S.
the double and triple rows of browning
guns, the beautiful lines, and 1t might be
SAID every nlnS that lent a romantic
TO life on the ocean wave. In their place
what has been substituted? To answer Ii
briefly. floating workshops, full of machin-
cry. that can be navigated without a single
man being exposed to the weather. All
points of beauty have been sacrificed, no
sparS and no sails, everything adapted to
speed, endurance and powers or defense and
offense. On the other hand. what has been
gained? First and foremost speed. Who
would have thought ten years ago that In
oh lan ~ limo hoy N
vessel in the United States navy that could
make nearly twenty-three knots an hour?
At that time we did not have a ,essel that
could make as much as twelve knots an
hour.
The Modern steel Clad.
Then, compare the the offensive power of
the modern steel cruisers with that Of the
old wooden frigate of the past. True, the
frigate may have carried five times as
many guns, but where would she be in an
engagement with vessel armed with mod
ern steel rifles of probably one-half the
caliber Of the old smooth bores? Notwith-
standing Admiral Porters statement that
he would prefer to take his chances on enc
Of the older vessels, 1t is safe to say that
a cruiser like the Columbia could whip a
round dozen Of the old timers before break
fast and hardly realize that she had been
in fight. Future generations may we'll
look back with pride on the period between
1884 and 1894, or. as it should be called, the
reconstruction period Of our glorious navy.
Looking backward for ten years. what do
we see? A navy. belonging to one Of the
richest and most progressive nations in the
world, which did not contain a single mod
ern and effective vessel nor single gun
that could cope with the guns of an antag-
onist; navy that was laughing stock
abroad, and source of mortifcaton
at home; not shipyard where a
battleship could be constructed, nor
forge where an armor plate or
gun forging could be made. How diff
ferent is this in comparison with the pres
ent aspect! We have nearly forty modern
science. armed with guns the superior of
which does not exist Compare them. ship
for ship, with the vessels of other nations
and We need not feel ashamed Of any of
them Some of them have their equals, a
few their superiors, but many cannot be
equaled by anything that floats. Many
criticisms have been made and canards
started, but the fact remains that the
United States navy Of the present day is
not excelled, except in point of numbers
by the fleets of any other naval power The
vessels themselves are not the only fruit
or this ten years of progress. There now
exists within our borders number Of ship
building plants that are capable Of con-
structing any type of vessel. Within these
yards are hundreds of trained mechanics
and skillful designers: there are two i'm
manse plants that are producing the heay-
lest and most impenetrable armor pla ties
that can be made and gun forgings of any
size or description 1t can now be truth
fully said that we are absolutely indapend-
ent of any other nation for the design, con-
struction and manipulation of vessels ard
guns. or any Of the devices to be used in
modern warfare. and therein lies our surest
guarantee Of peace and the respect of rival
powers.