The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-06
BATTLE-snIPs VS.. CRUISERS.

ALI over the world navy men are study
ing the lesson of the battle of the Yalu
River. II is said to be the most instruc-
tive sea night that has occurred since the
Monitor whipped the Merrlmac over thirty
years ago. II is the first fight in which
the modern leviathans known as battle
ships have been put to the test. The de-
tails of the battle have not yet come to
hand, but enough is known TO enable eX-
perts to form an opinion on the event.
The Chinese had two battle-ships en-
gagged. the Chen Yuen.and the Ting Yuen.
They are sister ships of about 1860 tons
displacement. built at Stettin, plated with
Pinch armor and armed with 12-inch and
6-inch Krupp guns. They were supported
by seven smaller vessels. The japanese
had no such battle-ships engaged. Their
best craft were the Nsniwa. the Matsu-
shima and the Yoshimo, all about 1000
tons, carrying 6-inch, 10-inch and Pinch
guns besides others of lighter caliber.
The Matsushima is partly arm0red. The
details OF the battle. as we said, have not
yet come to hand, but it seems that the
japanese ships encircled tie Chinese slips,
which were too close inshore to maneuver
well, dismounied their heavy guns, Grip
pied some of them so that they were soon
hors de combat and sunk some, while
others were stranded in trying to maneuver
for position. The question now arises
whether other batile-ships. American,
English or French, would have better
fortune in the hour of battle.
Naval officers are divided On the ques-
ton, but it is to be noticed in this country
that those who have been longest identi-
fed with the bureaus at Washington have
net lost their faith in big battles ships
while the younger officers. who spend more
time a sea, hold that they are q mistake.
Ship-bnilders and makers of steel plates
insist that the United States shall go on
building big ships to cost three millions
apiece. On the other hand such naval
officers as Lieutenant Young, who a few
years ago was promoted for skill and
bravery in saving the crew of a wrecked
vessel. declares that the batile-Ship is
doomed. Ii she is attacked by a swarm of
smaller vessels armed with light rapid
firing guns. she cannot prevent her big
guns from being crippled, and when they
are silenced the heavy. unwieldy craft
wallows around helpless and defenseless
The victory at the Yalu River was, how
ever, largely due to the quality of the bel
Iigerents. The japanese fleet was COM
handed by Admiral Ito, a young man of
81. who graduated twenty years ago near
the head OF his class at Annapolis; the
captains of several ii not all his ships were
also graduates of our naval academy. Their
engineers had been trained In foreign
schools and knew their business thor
oughly. On the other hand the Chinese
captains are described by foreigners as
landlubbers, and their crews as beach
combers. In time Of peace the engineers
of their ships are EDglishmen or Sec ten
men, but when The war broke out these
foreigners resigned their posts AID made
way for lll-trained Cinnamon. In the ex-
element of action such men would natua-
ally lose control Of their engines and be
unable to execute orders.
These defects in the personnel OF the
Chinese navy may be remedied in time.
The world is full OF skillful sailors, who
for consideration would do for the
Chinese navy what Gordon did fUr the
Chinese army. But such works of reor-
ganization take time and meanwhile il is
quite possible that the japanese may in
flct on their foe fatal blow. What deep
ly concerns US Is to find out whether the
battle Of Yalu demonstrates that the
money we are spending on battle-ships is
we'll invested.