Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-09-24
FAVOR BATTLE SHIPS.
Ordnance Officers Say They Prefer
Them to Cruisers.
TIE BIG NAVAL BATTLE AT YULA
Is not Well Enough Understood
for American Naval Experts to
Form an Opinion OF the Results
and How They were Attained.
Skeptical About the Defeat Of
the Chinese Battle Ships.

WASHINGTON, D. c., September "a
Few of the ordnance officers Of the navy
are prepared TO accept the recent en-
gagement between japanese and
Chinese fleets az the Yalu river as a
demonstration of the superiority OF
fleets OF unarmored cruisers over heavi-
ly protected but moderate speed battle
ships. This is natural ia view Of
the fact that for many years the officers
of this branch of the service have de-
voted their ingenuity to the develop
ment Of ships OF the passively resistant
quality holding that the de-
signs are best which carry the heaviest
armor. Thus they created the great
battle ship, and now they are prepared
TO defend her.
One OF the most distinguished OF
ordnance officers in mis- record Of work
accomplished, a man who has had much
10 do with designing the guns and
armor for our modern ships, speaking
upon the subject of the Talu ngnt to-
day was iuclned to be skeptical as 70
the defeat of the Chinese battle ships.
Said ne:
WE ARE STILL N THE DARK
as TO the details OF the battle, but
will venture the assertion now that not
one Of the Chinese battleShips was Sc
riously Injured and that their loss was
confined 10 cruisers or only partially
protected vessels; and even the best
of the Chinese battleshlDS is not a first
class vessel. The Chen Yuen is second
rate ship, about like our Maine or
Texas, but as il was there was only one
reason, though that is very good one,
Why the 6atIleships did not speedily
destroy all OF the japanese heet,
and that reason is the i'm
mense superiority OF the Japanese
personnel. The japanese themselves
/ fully understand the value OF battle
ships, and have been making strenuous
efforts 10 purchase some. Lately they
have been trying to buy the Captain
Prat, the new armored vessel built In
Europe for Chilli. A good deal
OF nonsense has hoqn said aud
written about the value pi high speed
unarmored cruisers, maibly by the pri-
vate builders who are after the big pre-
miums paid for speed. l would rank
/ excessive speed about tenth In the list
of valuable qualities for a warshiP.
About the only advantage II offers Is
opportunity 10 vessel
TO DECLINE AN ENGAGEMENT.
II will not help her to run away even,
il she is once in action. The difference
between the Is knots OF battleship and
the % knots Of a cruiser is not enOug h
to save the latter. Then, after once
coming within fighting distance, she
could not choose her position for she
would have TO move whenever the heavy
ship came up. When the explosive shell
was brought out in the Crimean war,
naval warfare was revOlutiOulzed. We
have percussion shells now that we can
explode with certainty almost inside
OF Of q cruiser and tear her TO pieces.
But these shells will not penetrate the
armored side Of battIeship. The only
uroiectile that can do that is the armOr
piercer, and that, while partly hollow
is never charged with explosive. An
expert naval commander on one OF the
battleships can meet al once ana destroy
half a dozen cruisers and come out Of
the fight without serious injury, else all
naval opinion is at fault, and the naval
power that seeks 10 get along without
battleships will certainly rue lis lack Of
.