The sun., 1897-06-27
LESSONS OF THE WARsHIPS.
England Has somethluE to Learn from Her
RoreiEn yiaitors.

Special Cable Despatoh to TEE SUN.
LONDON, June 2e.-Mr W. Laird Cloves. tho
famous naval expert, said, after inspecting tho
immense array of British and foreign warships
at Spithead:
"If an Austrian. German or Frenchman should
go homo from Spithead, he would tell his coun-
trymen:
$50 long as Great Britain remains in her
present temper you need harbor no dreams Of
naval power. To-day she is even more supreme
on the broad seas than in the old times on the
narrow seas. over which she then claimed do
main. You cannot. either singly or in conjuno-
tion with others, hope to rival her. Keep up
your navy II you will; It may avail you against
others, but not against her. For you II is play
thing and q luxury; for her 1t is necessity. and
she knows 1t. You may be thankful II you have
her as a friend and II she never uses her mag
nifcent weapon save In the cause Of right and
Justice
Yet although these are one mans conclu-
sions. 1t would be wrong to suggest that tho
British have nothing to learn from the foreign
naves or foreign ships now here Tho Russians,
Americans. Austrians, Dutch. and French have
sent to Spithead their newest and. in some cases,
their best, and it 10 hoped that the British
officers and constructors will utilize these oppor-
tunities for visiting and studying the Rossa,
Brooklyn, Wien. Evertsen. and Pothuau. Tho
Rossia Is noteworthy for three screws and Is 1T
| tod to burn petroleum or coal at option. Great
Britain possesses no large ship with either Of
| these characteristics. The Brooklyn is capable
| OF suggesting many things connected with the
adaptation OF electricity to the work OF the ship
We are at least Ave or six years behind some
| other countries, whereas America certainly
leads the van. Some Of tho Brooklyns electri-
cal devices arc, perhaps, little too delicate and
fOO p1f tad arv. httf hA
for hoistng projectiles and ammunition to tho
| guns and the machinery for working tho tur-
| rets are admirable that recall with blush
| OF shame the fact that only ono of the British
| men-of-war 10 fitted with electrical shot hoists-
We unlike most countries. seem to be Of the
| opinion that electricity is still turbulent un-
controllable power. and must not DO harnessod
save experlmentally and with trembling.
| "The Wien strikes me as model of what q
small modern battleship should be. We build
no small battleships nowadays and We have
none at Spithead. We prefer huge battleships
costing 100000 apiece. I believe that. al
thouIh there may still be part for the big
| battleship to play, there ID and ever will be O
part also for the small one.
"Another excellent type Of tho small modern
| battleship is tho Evertsen. She has only linn
tied coal capacity. but she is employed only near
the naval base. She would be tough little
| opponent Of many existing ship that is twice
| her size and cost three times as much.
"The French armored cruiser Pothuau pro-
sents many points worthy OF attention. She is
| by far tho ugliest ship at Spithead, but she Is
far indeed from being tho least formidable.
Germany sends neither her newest nor her
best, the old battleship konig Wilhelm. which,
| twenty-nine years ago, was built at Blackwall
on the Thames. Yet she Is for from being con.
temptible because she is old Indeed there Ia
| no foreign ship here that reads more instruc-
| tive lessons. The Germans have reengined and
rearmed her and have shown triumphantly the
way we ought to deal with old ironclads which
are the K6nig Wilhems contemporaries.
| "Being anxious to discover how far one OF the
| plainest lessons of recent naval warfare has
been utilized by foreign naval constructors.
| inquired on tho Brooklyn concerning the wooden
decks which. to my surprise, saw there. II
seems that. although the decks are OF wood
they are perfectly non-inhammabe, owing to
have been submitted. So far. 30 good. The
Americans have tackled the great question OF a
fire on board ship In action and absolutely solved
It, for all the wood OF the Brooklyn Is fireproof
while wood In our ships continues combustiblc
But / am far from advocating that We treat
wood as the Americans do. We will do better
II we seek a substitute. for the wood In the
Brooklyn has been 30 altered in character and
has become 30 spongy and soft that, venture
the prophecy. the decks would not stand tho
wear and tear of half an ordinary commission