Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-02-14
AN IRONCLAD CANALBoAT.
The Quaint and Unique Warship Found in
the Navy of Holland.

The Quaint and Unique Warship Found inK
the Navy of Holland. Il
One Of the oldest war vessels in thei
world belongs to Holland. 1t is canal
boat. ironclad, a perfect and completely
equipped warship in miniature. To come
upon it suddenly as 1t lies alongside
big barracks in one of the canal streets
| of Rotterdam. tied up at quay on
which strut half dozen little Dutch SOL
diers almost as toy-like as the warship,
produces the impression of looking into
the window of a toy store set out with
Christmas gifts for children.
She Is about forty feet long and fif-
teen broad, and her upper deck is be-
tween three and four feet above the
water line. Her general appearance,
says the New York Sun, Is something
like that of a Hudson river lighter. But
though she looks so much like toy at
first glance, close inspection shows
that she was built for business and
there is a grim look about the black
muzzles Of guns peeping out of her little
turrets and the nMchne guns in her tiny
tops. that commands ones respect.
Her sides and deck seem heavily
| armored, and there is nothing showing
on her deck, but the two little turrets,
one fore and one aft. She has two tiny
nasts, about twelve feet high, and a
smokestack between them. Her bull
a
half high. but as she is not likely to en-
counter any heavy, rolling seas, and
as any of her crew who might fall over
board could easily walk ahore anyhow,
this seeming lack of usual safeguards
doesn't matter In everything visible
about her, she Is as spick and span as a
line-of-battle ship, and the marine who
PAGES magnifcently four steps and a
turn about her deck Is as martial as
though he trod the deck of the New
York. The sailors about her decks have
many rows of bright brass buttons on
the lapels, sleeves and fronts of their
Jackets, which add to the toy-like ap-
pearance of the whole outfit
A canal boat ironclad is valuable
part of the defensive armament of Hol-
land, and would be very effective in
some emergencies. The whole country
is criss crossed with canals only few
hundred yards apart, and about every
street of every town. except Utrecht,
has canal running through the middle
of 1t. The canals in the country are
everywhere several feet higher than the
surrounding land, and warship in the
canal or a regiment on the tow-path
would have a strong vantage point. IT
would be great sight to see the canal
boat in action. but she would probably
give good account of herself.
OF course. Hollands navy is by no
means confined to canal boats. She has
about $50 men-of-war, of which about
twenty-five are ironclads and some of
them rank with the best vessels of other
navles. Americans are interested at
seeing displayed In the most conspicu-
Gus place in the naval department of the
famous Rijks museum, In Amsterdam.
the handsome piece OF plate presented
by the people of New York to the
Dutch warship Van Speijk when that
vessel lay in the Hudson at the time
of the Columbian celebration. And any
one who might be disposed to smile at
the little country and her canal boat
warships has only to spend an hour In
that museum viewing the spoils of war
taken by Dutch sailors from the Brit
ish, the Spanish and other nations. to
have his opinion toned up to degree
of great respect.