The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-06
MUCH PLEASED WITH IT.
Naval Officers Approve the Action Of Con
grass

| WASHINGTON, March 5.-Navat Off
GERS are delighted with the action Of
| Congress in providing for six light
| draught gunhoats of about lO00 tons dis
! placement. not TO cost oyei $4,000 each
| and to be of composite construction. Ever
| since Chief Instructor Hichborn's tour Of
the European Governmental dock yards
! in 1SS5 ne has been urging upon the proper
authorities of the United States this
| method of construction, and now that
Congress has approved the plan, the
United States is promised new and val
uable type of warshps. Plars for the new
ships Will be commenced at once, and by
reason OF the stipulation that not more
! than two of the vessels shall be built In
| any one ship yard, 1t is expected that
the Government Will be able to put the
| boats I'm commission year after the con-
tracts are let. The United States now
has comparatively few of such useful
shlps. the Castine and MachiaS of LII
tons each, are our only rev vessels of
similar size and capabilities, although
the three gunboats OF 1332 tons. now
building at Newport News, closely aD-
proach them i'm adaptablity for duty in
the shallow harbors, where American In
terests are mostly centered In the new
designs the department will probably
adopt displacement OF 200 tons. and
on account of the cost limit will omit
many expensive internal luXuries which
crowd modern warships and will there
by secure increased coal capacity and
engine room, without sacrificing speed or
comfort.
A VALUABLE CLASS.
The value OF this class of vessels ia
clearly shown In the case of the Petrol,
steel gUhboat of only 900 tons dsplace-
ment authorized March 3, 1855, the ap-
preparation for her being S27j,O00. This
little vessel was commissioned in 1883.
cruised on the Atlantic coast n year,
went TO China in 1891, and cruised the fol-
lowing two years; spent last summer i'm
Behring Sea, and has been frozen up I'm
mud dock at New Chwang the past
winter. She has been in constant service
since she was completed. She is of steel
turret, but 1t is now conceded that ves-
sells of the smaller cruiser class should
preferably be Of composite construction
that is to say, with steel framing and
upper works, but with bottom planked
with wood, and copper sheathing. The
principal advantages of this method OF
construction are that the copper sheath
ing is anti-fouling, preventing accumu-
lation of marine growth, by which the
speed OF the ship is reduced IN extFefSnS'
cases TO only about half of what IL would
be with clean bottom.
WILL DO GOOD SERVICE.
Also, small vessels like these must fire.
quently be sent into waters which are
not Well and thoroughly charted, so that
they Will be in more danger of touch
ing bottom than larger vessels. The
thick plate bottom, though no stronger
than thin steel plating, should ordinarily
be much better qualified by its elasticity
to resist the pounding and grinding due
to stranding. This was well illustrated
i'm the recent case of the kearsarge,
which, though landed bodily on hard rock
bottom, pounded for some hours before
sufficient damage was doha to the bottom
to permit large influx of water.
The new gunboats will be efficient COM
merce destrOyers in time OF war, and
while more subject to capture than the
cruiser, should, if properly handled, be
able to avoid the lars- cruisers II not
altogether, at least, until their work Is
practically done In this connection, II
is remembered that the Alabama accom-
plished more through the suddenness and
Unexpectedness OF her appearance than
through absolute size or speed. She was
a wooden vessel of auxiliary sail power,
and of about /, 800 tons displacement only.
The new boats are peculiarly fitted for
distant service in the less civilized parts
of the world. They will be largely in
depcndent OF docks and coal piles. and
in the East, 5mOng the Pacific islands,
along the crast of Central and South
America. and on the eastern coast or
Africa. will be of as much value as a
large cruiser.