Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-10-03
OUR CRACK CRUISER.
Words of Praise for the Good Quail
ties of the New York.

From the Rurik and Dupuy De
Lone | pass to another powerful
armored cruiser, the American New
York. I believe the general opinion OF
naval critics is that, assuming this
vessel to be sufficiently stOutly built
q point on which | have heard some
rather serious doubts eXpreSsed-sne S
no unequal match for the Rurik. The
New York is a belted cruiser of $500
tons Of displacement and 16,500 indi-
Gated horse power, with a speed of
twenty-one knots. She has a narrow,
continuous belt of four inches on the
waterline.
Her armament consists of six eight
inch guns, four mounted in pairs in
two ten-inch turretS forward and aft
and two others or barbettes similarly
armored on either broadside; of twelve
four-inch quick-iring guns, six on each
brOadside, mounted in protruding
ports Of four-inch armOr and separa ted
inboard by light trayerses, and of
eight SiX-pounder and four one
FOUNDER quick-fring guns, and four
machine guns, two small quick-firing
guns being mounted in each of two
military tops. There is no armOred
protection Immediately beneath either
turrets or barbettes, and, though the
direct protection of the guns is de-
ficient in some respects; it is far
greater than in the Rurik.
The Columbia is very different, and,
in the judgment Of most observers, a
very inferior kind of ship. Her ap-
pearance is very graceful, but her
fighting quality is that of lightly
armed passenger steamer, or of war
ship in which the guns would almost
seem to have been forgotten, as a
naval friend observed to me. She is
of 7,4IJ tons displacement and q, 800
indicated horse power, giving, with
three screws, speed Of nearly
tWenty-three knots, and, with a coal
storage Of 2,4O0 tons, Il nominal coal
endurance of 10000 knots at ten
knots speed. In this respect she COM
pares rather unfavOrably with the
New York, which, with a coal stow
age Of 1,150 tons, is credited with
coal endurance of 1880 knots for a
displacement of $500 tons and $500
indicated horse power. There is, how
ever, possibly some error in these fig
ures, which are taken from the Naval
Annual.
The Culumbia'S armament is pari-
doXically weak, and almost entirely
unprotected. 1t consists Of one eight
inch gun, mounted aft, and entirely
exposed, except for a slight shield; Of
two six-inch guns, equally unprotected,
forward; of eight four-,lch quick-fr-
ing guns. mounted on the main deck
in projecting ports, protected in 'front.'
by four inches of Harveyed steel, but
entirely unprotected in the rear, and
Of four one-inch quick-fring guns and
four machine guns. The main purpose
Of the Columbia is thus plainly mani
tested in her structure and armament.
She is intended to overhaul and de-
stroy merchant ships and to run away
from Warships. 1t is perhaps doubtful
whether she is quite equal to the lat
ter function. She is said to have
crossed the Atlantic at a speed Of from
fifteen to sixteen knots and to have
steamed up the channel at nineteen
knots, with only three-quarters Of her
boiler power; but whether she can
really maintain sea speed greater
than that Of the Blenheim or the
Endymion still remains to be seen.
If she can it is certain that in arma-
ment size is immeasurably inferior to
Times.