Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-28

as 1t surely would be in case of actual
hostilities. Heretofore we have had fleet
drills, but with heterogeneous squadrons,
composed Of vessels of many types and i'm
possible of concerted action in battle.
This time the vessels will be of the arm
ored type, and such as would really have
to stand the brunt of battle. and upon
whose force we should have to depend on
the day of trial.
The modern battle ship is an immense ag-
gregation of great powers extensively and
defensively; and it is not alone satisfactory
that We should have such engines of de-
structiye might, for their possibilities are
limited to the directive genius of the men
In charge, and from the captain down to
the lowest officer that may succeed to the
command 1t is needful that they should
know the ship to a nicely.
The fleet will consist of the frst-class
battle ships Iowa, Indiana and Massachu-
sets, the second-class battle ships Maine
and Texas and the armored cruisers New
York and Brooklyn. OF this fleet but two
of the vessels-the Indiana and the Massa-
chusetts-are sister ships, and it Is the pri-
mary purpose of the evolutions to study the
peculiarites of each and reduce their func-
lions to a standard of possible concert. The
wisdom of this cannot be too strongly en-
fects be detected and remedied and the
maximum OF unity of action discovered and
settled.
The Drills to De Undergone.
The proposed maneuvers, then, will be of
the greatest Importance to the service as
well as to the country; first, in the tactical
experience for officers and crew, and, sec
ond, in the prompt discovery of difficulties
Mr.. Roosevelt will join the squadron at
Hampton Roads. and in the Dolphin, will
accompany the feet to sea, where for four
dow he CHI rxv1Ty
kinds. including tactical formation, great
gun practice. signaling, searchlight exer-
cises and individual maneuvers.
Mr.. Roosevelt believes that the ships
which will perform these drills are among
the best In the world, and he Is anxious to
justify more Of them. And to that end he
Is anxious to see for himself how radical
study upon what lines we should make
departures or remedies.
The vessels of the fleet are the products
OF some of the greatest architectural
minds the navy has produced, and indi-
vidually are magnificently formidable, but
the question now Is to determine IL DOS
sible, on what further line we shall BRO
ceed TO gain the greatest promise Of har-
mOnious action.
Taking the Iowa, the largest of the fleet:
she has total weight displacement of
u,s10 tons. She is 800 feet long, has a
normally 25 feet of water. She carries a
main armament of eighteen guns, ranging
from rapid-fire four-inch guns up to her
ponaerous twelve-imch rifles in heavy
force OF twenty-eight smaller pieces, rang
ing from the Calling up to the six-pound-
er. She carries hundreds of tons of hard
cred steel armor, varying in thickness
from four to eighteen inches Her pronejl-
ing engines are capable of developing an
indicated horse power of 11OOOLa force
tnat mas no descriptive equivalent, while
eighty odd auxiliary engines are provided
Tor the accomplishment of as many dff-
ferent services. any one OF which is far
beyond the muscular aggregate of her
a comfortable housing for her comnlan,ent
of five hundred, and must have rooro
cough Tor their provisions and the coal
that must feed her boilers
An Aid to the imagination.
The magnitude Of such a vessel NAV pe
partly appreciated by the reader II he WIN
take an ordinary three-story dwelling. quad
ripple its height and double its breadth
and fill the interior with score of eleya-
tors, an electric lighting plant. steam heat
ing appliances. ventfillors, and an extern
stve system OF sanitary plumbing. In ad-
dition to the usual furniture Crowd into
that space guns and ammunition, and pic
ture tne dimculty of running such a place
with; the tax OF tnterdependence 3f con-
certed action. and one has only q very
modest notion OF the complex difficulties
In shipboard.
III TIC 1huidu8 ana the massachusetts,
We have the equal Of The Iowa in many
respects. while In others their lesser dis
placement has Imposed restricticns
In the Texas and the Maine we have a
cross between the armored cruiser and the
frst-class battle ship. ana, In the case OF
these approaching evollslons, the maxi
mum Of concerted action will be based upon
the best that these vessels are equal to.
The New York ana the Brooklyn, in point
OF speed. can hold their own anywhere.
and. In the matter OF tactical asiroftneas
may be said to be the headers Of the ccet
DaMeulfies 20 M .Overcense.
To begin with, each vessel has tts own
turning radius, that n. an arc In which
she may circle best; she has also q certain
time period IN which she can 90 ahead or
astern from the full stop. or an estab-
nshed period IN which she can come to
xull stop. either ahead or astsrn, from fun
speed. All this conssisutes the working
cfnciency Of the craft. and Meet mansuvers
must b. timed to htarmonfx0 thesa indfvid-
ual chaxActefistics- BucA are soute OF the
difficulties that confront BeAr Aonairal
Stcard and from them ons can reeliss the
task Of reducing thsm 70 unity q scstoh.