The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-01-16
OUR SEA POWER.
SHIPS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN
CASE OF WAR.
The Battleships, Cruisers, Gunboats
and Monitors Ready or to he Re-
lied Upon--Thirteen Armored
Nessels-Torpedo Boats.
T n these days it is natural to take
account once more of our availa-
L able ships in ordar to GOO xrbat ua

need. We must strike out, OF course,
most OF the relics of our old wooden
navy, although somo of these would be
of service by reason OF the batteries
they carry.
But, taking the new war vessels, we
md, to begin with, thirteen armored
ships of four different types that can
be counted on. Five of these are bat
tleships. The Indiana, Massachusetts,
and Oregon are of 10, 2SS tons dis.
placement, and the Indiana has shown
II speed of over 15l knots. Their main
batteries consist OF four 13.inch, eight
S-inch, and four 6.inch guns, with
twenty 6.pounders, six 1-pounders,
hnd four Gatlings in the secondary
battery. They carry is inches of
armor on the sides, and II and 10
inches on their heaviest barbettes and
turrets. and are uneaualed, it is be-
lioved, in their combination of armor
and armament, by anything ahoat.
The Indiana is ready for service TO.
day, and her two sister ships are
nineteen.twentieths complete, 50 that
ali three can he relied upon from this
time forth. Two other completed bat.
tlcships are the Maine aud the Texas.
the former OF GGS2 and the latter of
G3lj tons. Elhey were built for II
knot, and the Maine exceeded that
speed on her trial, although then she
was not carrying her normal weights.
The Texas carries two 12.inch and six
G.inch guns, and the Maine four 10.
inch aud six 5.inch guns. The former
has 81 and the latter 20 secondary
pieces. The Texas has II inches OF
armor on her sides and turrets, and
the Maine also IL inches on her sides
and barbettcs. Both are ready for ser.
vice.
Passing to the armored cruiser New
York, she is of $500 tons displacement
and 81 knots, carries 10 inches OF
drmor on her barbettes, 81 inches on
her turrets. and inches on her sides,
and has six S.Inch aud twelve finch
guns in her main and twenty pieces in
her secondary battery. Her protec.
tive deck is inches thick on the
slopes and 3 inches on the fat. The
ram Katahdin, of 2l55 tons, has a
speed exceeding 1G knots, and armor
on her sloping sides of from 6 to 3
inches thick.
OF our six double.turret monitors,
three, the Montery, the Miantonomah
and the Amphitrite, are in regular
service. And since the Terror, mt a
recent reckoning, was 81 per cent.
finished, the Monainock, 81 and the
Puritan 81, we really have all six al,
our service.
The Prrit.,. of COCO tcn- 60, ~ ., il.
armor and barbettes of 16 inches and
turrets of s, and carries four 12.inch
and six I.inch guns. The Monterey,
built of steel, while the others have
iron hulls, IS of I0Si tons and over
49, knots, with sides l3 inches thick
and with Is and IL inches of ormor
on her barbettes and 8 and = on her
turrets. Her turret guns are two -.
inch and two l0-inch. The four 9th.
Grs, 1920 tons, have speeds of from
l0l TO lli knots, 9 to j.inch sides,
AMI ;urrets OF IL inches to =. They
carry each tour lO-inch and, nll but
one, also two t.iuch guns.
In this array is not included the
Iowa, though larger and faster than
the Indiana class, and very powerfully
armed and armored, since she Is only
half completed; nor the Brooklyn, far
surprising the New York in battery
power and protection, as she Is only
two.thirds completed. Yet neither Is
TO be forgotten, in reckoning for the
future. Nor is here included the
bakers dozen of single.turret moni-
tors, some of 2l00 and others OF 1875
tons, which carry two lJ.iuch smooth
bores, and would undoubtedly be OF
some use for haroor defence.
In the steel cruiser and gunboat
types, excluding the Chicago, now an
der repair, We have twenty-four YES
sells, outside OF the composite gunboats
recently laid down. They would all
be useful Tor destroying IN enemy's
commerce. The only ones of them
not completed are the Helena, Will
mington and Nashville, and they are
all over two.thirds done, and could be
hurried forward.
The Minneapolis and Columbia ale
of 1875 tons, and have made % ard
%. knots respectively. The Oiym-
pia, OF 2S7O tons, has made 2i knots,
and carries the powerful battery OF
four Sin and ten 4.iuch guns. The
Baltimore is OF 44l3 tons and % knots,
and heavily armed. Only little be-.
low her in speed are the san Frnucs-
CO and Philadelphia, carving each
twelve 6.inch guns. Toe Cincinnati
and Raleigh, the sister ships Detroit,
Montgomery and Marbehead, and the
Charleston all have rood speeds to
their records. The 3OJ0.tou Atlanta
and Boston, the 100 ton Yorktown,
Concord AMI Lexington, the Castine
| aud MachIas are all useful. The Dol
phin, Petrol, Bancroft and Nesnvius
are among our new steel craft.
or our torpedo craft, only three,
the Cushing, Ericsson.and Stiletto are
built, but three others are somewhat
ad dyanced and work ON tho third trio