Evening star., 1895-06-15

sixteen 4.72-inch rifles, and each has a COM
plement of 673 men and officers The Ru-
giero di LAURA and the Andrea Dorea are
practically sister ships, differing only in
minor details. They are 32S feet long, 65.7
feet broad, 27 feet draught. II 900 tons dis
placement, 10,5OO horse power, and seven
teen knots speed. Each has a complement
of 4S5 men, and main battery of four IL
inch. two 6-inch and four 4.72-inch rifles.
These two vessels carry the heaviest guns
known to the service. The two protected
cruisers Stromboli and Etruria comprise
1taly'S cruiser display. The Stromboli has
two military masts, is 1922 feet long, 42.S
feet broad, 1916 feet draught, 3,475 tons dis
placement, 6,252 horse power, and seven
teeE knots speed. She carries two 1O-inch
and six 6-inch rifles, and has five torpedo
tubes. Her complement is 800 men and
officers. Two torpedo vessels. the Aretusa
and the Partenope, with speed of twenty
knots, and the royal yacht Savoia, of 1850
tons displacement and fourteen knots speed
complete Italy's representation.
Vessels From This Country.
The United States and Austria each
send four vessels. but those Of the United
States are superior to those of the Aus
trian navy and easily entitIe her to prece-
dence
This country will be represented by four
Of the finest cruisers in any navy, viz,
the New York, Columbia, San Francisco
and Marblehead. Pending the completion
Of our four big battle ships, the vessels
named are among the best we have afloat.
The New York is steel armored cruiser
of $500 tons displacement, 1880 horse
power and twenty-one knots speed. She is
3SO.6 feet long, $40 feet broad and 234
feet draught. She has main battery of
six eight-inch and twelve four-inch rapid
fire guns. She is the best all-around fight
ing machine In our navy today and is
ably commanded by Capt R. B. Evans.
The Columbia, Capt. Sumner, is one of
will
triple screw propellers, among the others
being the Minneapolis, the French Dupuy de
Lome and the German Kaiserin Augusta
The Columbia is 412 feet long and 5S feet
broad and of 1,475 tons displacement. She Is
known as commerce destroyer or "pi-
rate Her heavy armament consists of one
eight-inch gun, two six-inch and eight
four-inch rapid fire guns. She Is protected
by sloplng armored deck four inches
thick at the sides and has a double bottom,
minutely subdivided into water-tight COM
partments. The engines and machinery are
also protected by patent fuel, which may
be packed around to the thickness of five
feet. She has speed of 22.S knots and
steaming radius of 10000 miles.
The San Francisco, Capt. Shepard Is a
protected steel cruiser of 4,0S3 tons displace-
ment, 10, 100 horse power and 202 knots
speed. She is $40 feet long, 1872 feet broad
and 1873 feet draught. Her main battery
consists of twelve 6-inch guns and four G.
Founders. She was launched in 1889 and is
the Oldest of our quartet at Kiel. She is
elegantly appointed, however, and was Sc
lecte1 by Rear Admiral Kirkland COM
manding the squadron, as his flagship in
preference to either of her larger consorts,
the New York and Columbia.
The Marblehead, Capt. ONeill, Is 1000
ton steel cruiser of 5,400 horse power and
10 knots speed. She is 257 feet long, 81
feet beam and 14.6 feet draught Her main
battery consists of nine five-inch rapid fire
guns and six 6-pound6rs. She will be the
only vessel of the United States fleet to
take part in the opening procession through
the canal, the draught of the other three
being too great for them to enter The
aepth OF the canal will ultimately be thirty
feet, but 1t is not much over half that
depth throughout at present.
The Marblehead will probably have the
dlsunction of being the largest vessel in the
triumphal canal procession
Austria, Russia and Franco
Austria's contingent includes tn. armor.
ed cruiser Kaiserin and Koninsin. Maria
Theresa (fagshfpl, the protected cruisers
Kaiser Franz Josef and Ka;serin Elizabeth.
and the torpedo vessel Trabant. The flag
ship has displacement of 5,27o tons and n
speed of 1875 knots. The other two crt,is-
ers are of 400 tons displacement and 10
Knots speed. They are powerful ships of
modern design, and compare fayorably
with the American cruiser San Francisco
Ihey each carry two 9.4-inch and six 50
inch rifles and six torpedo tubes The Ira
bant is of $50 tons displacement and EOS
knots speed.
OF Rear Admiral Skuidlov, as follows: Bat
tie ship lmperato Alexander II, 5000 tons
displacement and 10 knots speed, with two