Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-03

not yet far enough along to be launched or
to be commissioned for active service for a
year or two longer, are three 7,000-ton ar
mored cruisers of the type above described,
three torpedo boats of $50 tons each two 400
ton high speed torpedo boats and some
launches. The vessels recently acquired.
which can be put into service if required,
are four torpedo boats of the largest type
and twenty-five gunboats. These last range
in size from forty tons to 800 tons. They
are intended for service in Cuban waters,
and several of them are there now.
1t may be of interest to know that I'D to
Juyq of last year Spain had purchased nine
vessels in the United States and converted
them into gunboats. Most of them were
small yachts, their American names being
Sparkle. John Z. Thropp, Navesink,
Shrewsbury, Leon Albeit, Petrol, Aztec
Dart and Edith. In most cases they carry
one 1-inch Nordenfelt machine gun. Their
displacements vary from % to So tons. The
speed is about ten knots and complement
fifteen men. They are in service in Cuban
waters. Spain has also purchased, for use
as a transport, the Inman line steamer
City of Richmond.
The Navics Compared.
A resume of all the information to be OBJ
tanned concerning Spains navy leads to
the belief that at this writing her armored
fleet that can be made ready for sea con-
sists of five excellent, thoroughly equipped
| armored cruisers and one equally efficient
battleship, total of about 1900 tons dis
placement. In speed the five armored
cruisers average nearly twenty knots, the
Pelayo sixteen. But this sixteen is ample.
Speed will never win the day among bat
tleships if the manuvering powers of the
slower ships are good.
This armored fleet is a very powerful
one. The printed data concerning the arm
aments of these ships, the total number of
guns they carry and their calibers are as
follows:
In. In. In. In. In. In. In.
Caliber =. ..125 11.O 90 60 SO AZ 40
! Number ....2 10 2 4S u 4
In speaking of the armored fleet of our
own country three weeks ago, the Herald
| gave the names and a few of the particu-
lars of thirteen vessels These thirteen are
| all in commission. counting the Miantoro-
NAH. and are doing duty. In speed they
range from twelve to twenty-five knots.
Their aggregate displacement is about S4-
800 tons; the guns they mount can be ar
ranged also in a table, thus:
In. In. In. In. In. In.
| Caliber =. ........1S.0 120 so 60 so 40
Number ......12 IS "a u q
Unarmored Ships of Spain.
omitting the gunboats, Spain has about
| thirty-seven unarmored vessels. Eighteen
! Of these areScruisers, varying in size from
LOO TO 5000 tons. She will have to depend
on these to act as the 'eyes of her armored
fleet" They are the scouts, the Uhlans,
the flying cavalry. the express messengers,
the information gatherers. Theirs is the
duty, also, if they can be spared, to harass
commerce and to swoop down upon the
undefended merchantmen, like the hawk
| in search of quarry" The speed of these
cruisers varies from eleven knots to twenty
knots.
As able assistants to the cruisers, to do
the lighter part OF the work. Spain has a
dozen torpedo boats of large size; perhaps,
they should be more correctly called tor
pedo vessels, since they range in displace-
ment from ASS to $50 tons. Their speed is
from eighteen knots TO twenty-eight knots,
and in every respect they are thoroughly
efficient lot of craft. The remainder of the