New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-27
THE WALLS OF ENGLAND
COMPOSITION OF THE MIGHTY FLEET
ASSEMBLED ON THE SOLENT.
ENORMOUS GROWTH AND WONDERFUL CHANGES
IN BRITAIN's NAVAL POWER IN THE


QUEENS REIGN
Ryde Isle of Wight June 26.-The apotheo-
Els OF Great Britain has rightly eliminated
on the waters Of the Solent. London witnessed
the sumptuous outpouring Of loyalty. the love
of proud people for their sovereign. exhibit
ton of national growth and domination. in the
long train Of princes and potentates which graced
the Queens triumph. All OF ii put together,
however. furnished no such living picture Of the
might Of Britain as was afforded this morn
ing by the great naval display in these waters.
Nor has there been anything this week in all
that has gone before to bring home wildly the
material changes of the Queens long reign.
When Victoria assembled the throne the Walls
OF England" wooden. There We're no steel
battle ships no iron cruisers. triple expansion
engines. no steam in In vessels. no
searchghts no electricity in the service of man.
no great or quick firing guns. torpedOes. The
lights aboard still lit with flint and steel,
and were no more brilliant than whale oil could
be: the guns were still fired with slow match;
the three-decker was still the model of all that
was worthy in naval architecture and tonnage
was reckoned within such modest limits that
vessel Of more than 5000 tons looked upon
as a marine wonder.
CHANGES OF SIXTY YEARS
such changes in the bulwarks of empire as has
fallen to the lot Of Queen Victoria At Spithead
this m ,rning we're assembled the latest triumphs
of the industrial revolution under Victoria; tri-
umphs OF workers in iron and steel and metals;
trumphs of inventors: triumphs Of chemists and
the giants of the laboratory: triumphs of the
shpbuilder, tie engineer and the artisan: tri-
umphs OF the genius Of a great nation.
This may be demonstrated better by figures.
In 1887 the total number of ships in commission
was 16. Omitting steam paddle tugs. not then
considered vessels Of war. and other small craft
such cutters. receiving-ships. yachts and
packet brigs. the Navy list comprised l29 ships
whereof the largest had displacement of 1000
tons. The Navy list this year-including ships
in and out of commission. nut on the list-com-
prises 439 vessels. mounting 1883 guns. with a
tonnage OF L. G3.219 and a horse power Of l..
$3.50 This growth has synchronized with the
change from wooden walls to armor of proof,
from propulsion by sails TO propulsion by steam,
from ornaments of many guns 10 ornaments of
few guns of tremendous power-the concentra-
ton of the 1887 broadside of sixty guns into one
monster piece of ordnance.
II is perhaps a pity that in the lines or the
British fleet at Spithea1 there was not anchored
an old three decker TO emphasize this starting
change. For the men-of-war that first sauteo
the Queen In the long ago were magnificent
sights with their high decks and towering masts
bearing billow on bilow Of swelling sail. riding
the waves like great seabirds. and realizing TO
the full all the wild wtchery Of the romance of
the ocean. Far different were the great battle
ships this morning. with their sullen steel sides
and short masts. great guns. rams and torpe-
does--everythng that gave the sense Of power.
the brutality Of force.
The feet was drawn up in seven lines on the
south Of the Solent the head Of the lines being
off Brading thence stretching westward almost
10 Cowes The outer line Of all on either side
O. the Sturbridge Shoal and known as + line.
was composed of fourteen special merchant YES
sells whereof the American liner New-York. was
one Next in A line the foreign n-of-
war.
B. c. D, and G lines consisted entirely of
British men-of-war, from the Majestic and Re
nown the latest type OF battle-ships. down 70
the smallest torpedo boat. and lines were
made up exclusively Of battie-ships and cruisers
of the first and second class; II OF third-cass
cruisers gun-vessels and torpedo gunboats; F
of destroyers Runboats and sailing training
brigs while g line Of torpedo boats. All
the lines except G were approximately five miles
IN length.
THE FLEET on PARADE.
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