The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-15
UNCLE SAM AND The DON.
COMPARISON OF THEIR ARMY AND
NAVY FORCES.
Spain Has the Greater Army, hut the
American Navy is the Newer, Bet
ter and Stronger.

American Navy is the Newer, Bet
ter and Stronger
From the San Francisco Examiner.
The relative military and naval strength
Of Spain and the United States may De
gathered from the following summary;
Service in Spain is compulsory Liabil-
ity commences at the age of ~, and lasts
for twelve years. The population Of Spain
is I7.500.00O, and the number OF the annual
contingent 1900 The following classes
are excused by law: Those physically dis
sbled, those studying for the priesthood
and the ministry. those condemned to la
Dor in the mines. those holding professO--
ships and those purchasing exemption
Members Of the last class pay $50 each e.
be exempted. Exemptions omitted. there
remain 62O0O men for military service.
These are divided into two classes, for
which they draw lots. The first class con-
stitutes the recruits for the active army,
and the second the conditional recruits.
Service in the active army commences
with three years with the colOrs, then
three in the first reserve, and then six in
the second reserve, the entire service be
ing twelve years. The first reserve is called
out six weeks each year for service. Men
serving with the colors and those with the
first reserve compose the permanent
army. The second reserve is called out
only for home defense. Taking out the
annual losses, there remain in the six
classes in the permanent army 10000 men.
Adding 10000 men of the second reserve,
gives a total of 10000 men.
The country is divided into seven dis
fricts there being one army corps in each.
This makes seven corps, each composed
of two divisions of infantry, one brigade of
val Try n
from one TO four companies OF fortress
artillery. The footing of the corps is the
same in peace as war. Each division has
two brigades of two regiments of infantry
in peace, with one brigade of cavalry for
one division; one regiment of field artillery
and sanitary and administrative troops.
In the permanent army and first reserve
there are III regiments of infantry and
twenty battalions of rifiemeH. In addi-
ton there are three African regiments
two in the Baleartc isles and one in the
Canary isles. The total infantry strength
Is 562l officers and %, 1856 men.
There are twenty-eight regiments Of
cavalry in the active army and fourteen
in the reserve. The first has 1895 officers
and 1888 men. The second has 5S2 officers
and s.40S men. The strength of the total
cavalry is 1,5S2 officers and 1861 men.
OF artillery there are fourteen regiments
of field and two of mountain. A'regiment
of the first has thirty officers and SO6
men. A regiment of the second has thirty
one officers and AGO men. The total
strength Of artillery is 4S2 officers and
1920 men.
There are forty-three companies of fort
ress artillery, 255 officers and 1921 men.
In the engineering corps there are four
regiments of sappers and miners and one
of telegraphistsi total ZS officers and
The administrative corps, consisting of
railway troops, train troops and sanitary
troops. with gendarmes, numbers 40 Of
Colonial Troops-These consist OF the
army of Cuba, or Cuban militia, which is
indeterminate now; the army of Porto
Rico. Isl officers and 1857 men; the army
of the Philippine Islands, S32 officers and
ASP men.
The total Spanish force that can be put
in the field in Spain for home defense is
over 1,1OO000 military men; for foreign
service, only 10000.
Spanish troops are armed with the new
Mauser rife, a magazine gun having
caliber of "a of an inch. There are five
cartridges in the magazine. The cartridges
consists of a bullet of siXty-three grains,
and 1856 grains of strong powder. The case
is of brass. The engineers, artillery and
administrative troops are armed with the
machete, which is a light sword weighing
about two pounds, and little over two
feet long. The field artillery gun is breech-
loading and of two calibers, three and
three and one-half inches respectively in
caliber. The caliber of the mountain ar
tiHery is three inches. All are of steel and
breech-loading.
The Spanish navy consist of twelve ar
mored ships mounting 1856 guns of large
caliber and over 100 small; also 1S5 I'M
armored ships, being cruisers, gunboats
and training ships and dispatch vessels.
mounting 2lS large guns and 235 of small
caliber. There are fifty-nine torpedo boats
of the first-class and seventy of the sec
ond-class. The first-class are for home
protection, while those of the second-class
are carried on men-of-war and are for
use in action. There are 1.7S2 officers and
1850 sailors. There are 400 officers and
s.V0 marines In the reserve there are
5000 officers and sailors
The following is a detailed statement of
the main fleet of SPAIN
Armored vessels: