The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-19

pated in the Columbian naval cere- monies at Hampton Roads and New YorlO, and the Blenheim, while our comparatively similar vessels are the New York and Brooklyn. Competent critics say, however, that the New York is superior to either the Blake or the Blenheim, and the Brooklyn is said to be superior to the New York.
 Next in foymidability England has seven belted cruisers of the Australia class They are slightly smaller and l have less horsepower than the Maine, which is also superior to them in bat tery. as is the Texas. The Texas, while Foficially dcnomnated a second-elass battleship, may be placed in this con- parison,
 In a war with Great Britain the great | advantage which the United States 1 government possesses in having such vessels as the Columbia and the Min neapolis-known as first-class cruisers cannot be overestimated. They are -destroyers pure and simple and have been not improperly desg- mated The Pirates. Great Britains first class cruisers are of this type and are the same size as the Colum- bia and Minneapolis, but have horse power of 12,OO0 only as compared with the 21 ,0OO horse power of the American terrors of merchant vessels.
 The additional horse power gives ''the pirates" an excess of two knots an hour in speed over their British counterparts, which also carry less coal, and for that reason and the oth- CTS given they would not be so service able in protecting British commerce as the Columbia and the Minneapo is would be in destroying it. Although superior in battery, England has nine of these l ships. The recent speed trial of the Columbia from Southampton to New York shows of what these two vessels are capable, and it is claimed that they can overtale the Campania and Lu- cania---the fastest ships of the English merchant marine-if the race should be- gin within sighting distance. How fla vorably the vessels of the character of the Minneapolis and the Columbia are viewed by impartial critics abroad may be understood from letter written by a captain of the French navy, pub lished in a recent number of La Marine | FranCaise, some of the features of which are quite pertinent to the dis cussion of the probable result of a con- flict with Great Britain over the Vene- zuelan affair and of our preparation for a struggle with her.
 After directing attention to the gen eral insufficiency and inefficiency of the French fleet as 8, whole, he says: Hay l ;,,rr fo, ;o,, Nf our coast and maritime ports against an attack of the enemy, the next step is to prepare the elements of a vigor- ous offense, and here is where our crui- sers will come in, for the role of our active fleet will be the destruction of the enemy's commerce, the accomplish ment of which will infiict a deadly blow. Let us not forget the Alabama. The harm she did her adversares, the terror which she spread and from the effect of which the enemy's commerce was ruined, furnish an example which should not be forgotten. However much the conditions governing com merce destroying may have changed, We should be none the less prepared to practice it to the extent of eXterminat- ing the commerce of an adversary, de stroying his mail steamers and his sub marine cables, thus ruining his com merce, his business and his source of supply, in one word starving him out. But to make such campaign we must have very different cruisers from the lame ducks which. We now have and which are almost good for nothing
 "The United States have the Colum- bia and the Minneapolis, model cruis- CTS although to-day they might be inn proved upon. But is our engineering de- partment so insensible to progress that it will not even copy the best ships of foreign powers, embodying in them the improvement which their designers have found to be desirable? We should certainly have large number of such cruisers, or even superior ones. We can build them, and they are indispen- sable. Why do we hestitate when the models are in eXistence?"
 To proceed to a detailed comparison. the Indiana is about the size of the ad- miraI class of British battleships, in which, besides it's namesake, there are the Anson, Benoow, Camperdown, and Rodney, and to these the Nile and the l l l ctLdiS llIclS Dt du'tSd' All JilC9C dl ' larger and faster than the Indiana, but she is superior in battery and in armor and could probably vanquish any one of them. Great Britain has also a number of "frst-class" battleships con- structed last year, of which the Centu- rion and Barfieur, with 10000 tons dis placement and 13,000 horse power, are samples. But these, likewise, do not compare with the Indiana class in ar nor and armament The only battle ships of the British navy which do so compare are those of the Royal Sover- eign class, completed within the last year or two, and of which there are nine. They have 14150 tons displace- ment and II ,5eQ tons horse power each. The side armor is of the same thick ness as that of the Indiana. They have four siXty-seven-ton guns and ten six inch guns, while the Indiana has four thirteen-inch, eight eight-inch and four siX-inch guns, showing great superiori- ty in this respect.
 In addition to these England has re- gently completed the Magnificent and !. the Majestic battieships of 14,90O tons displacement and 12,000 horse power They are more highly armored than the vessels of the Royal Sovereign class. Great Britain has likewise a number