The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-02
GREEKS ARE TOO WEAK.


rstory. The magnificent proportions OF
the British feet IN the Mediterranean and
adjacent waters shows clearly how Ina
porfant II Is in the minds OF English
statesmen that Great Britain should make
a hitting display of her naval supremacy.
IN al she has s.xty-two warsfsps In the
squadron. stronger force than the whole
navy OF Uncle Sam
OF this feet nine are great battleshirs.
and when II IS remembered that. alto
gether. the United States navy has only
four battleships ready for service. the
power Of Engisnd's Mediterranean squad
ron Is apparent The flagship Is the Ra-
Tniiiies. the commanding admiral being
Sir John o. Hopkins. The Families Is OF
the same type as the much-vaunted Royal
Sovereign. and Is of i4.15o tons. The Re-
yenss. a sister ship of the Families. Is
also In the Mediterranean feet. Icing
commanded by Rear Admiral Robert H.
Harris. second In command
The other battleships are the Hood.
Trafalgar. Nile. Barfieur. Camperdown.
Rodney and Arson. The cruisers Of the
squadron are all modern vessels OF high
Hawke. $50 tons; Astraea and Cambrian.
$50 tons: Sybille and Scylla. 300 tons.
and the smaller cruisers Scout. Fearless
and Blanche A number of other power
full cruisers, passing through the Medifer-
ranean. are also available In case OF need,
II
Among the other vessels attached TO the
British Mediterranean squadron is no.
tfIla of destroyers-the Dragon. Ardent.
Bruiser Bsnshee and Boxer. with the
Dryad. Harrier and Hussar gunboats- No
record of floating strength In the Medi-
serranean can be made complete without
taking account OF the channel squadron.
which has proceeded to Gibraltar. 1t is
enough to say Of this force that II in
eludes the Majestic. flagship of Lord Wal
ter Kerr: Magnificent. Empress OF India,
Repuise, Resolution and Royal Sovereign.
making homogeneous battle squadron
without rival. and the Blake. Blenheim.
ST. George. Bellona, Charybdis and Her
moline. cruisers. with gunboats.
France has the next largest feet In the
Mediterranean. and IL Is constantly being
added to. the French policy evidently be-
Ing to take every advantage Of this oppor-
tunity to display its naval strength, par
ticuiariy as Germany has a comparatively
feeble naval representation. There are but
ten vessels In Frances Mediterranean
fleet, but boat for boat they are the equal
Of any ten warships in the Levant.
Vice Admiral Chevalier de Cupervills is
in command of the French squadron, the
warships located Immediately at Crete be-
ing commanded by Rear Admiral Potter.
The fleet Is composed OF the Magenta.
Neptune. Brennus. Marceau. Admiral
not. Jaureguiberry and Charles Martei.
To these battleships OF the active squadron
must be added those OF Vice Admiral HUI
mann's reserve squadron at Toulon. the
Admiral Duperre and Friedland and the
so-ealled coast defense batueships Cal
men and Terrible. The principal cruisers
attached TO one or the other squadron are
the three armored sister vessels of 4750
tons. Admiral Garner. Chanzy and La
fouche-Treyille
Russia has lately reconstructed her
Mediterranean squadron and has a power
fe, force In the Levant. The Navarian.
flagship OF s.476 tons. which carries a prin-
cipal armament OF four 52-ton guns. has
with her the Nicholas I. and Alexander
ii. tboth of $40 tons). as well as the
Admiral Seniayine a.12s tons)-one OF sew
eral sisters. spoken OF as coast defense
yessels-and the small battIeship SissoI
Venky (s.sso tons). Both these are new
vessels. The squadron also includes the
armored gun vessel Grosiastchyu. 49, tons1
the small cruiser zaporazetz. the sioop
viestnik and the gunboat Possadnik. with
a couple or torpedo boats which have just
Joined the flag.
The Russian Black sea fleet, which will
be u powerful factor In any European COM
bination, Is under command OF Admiral
kopiton. and was lately reported at Sc
bastopol read for sea. IL consists OF the
Catherine H.. Tschesme and Sincpe sister
ships. of 1870 TONS carrying six Pinch
guns coupled at the angles of triangular
redoubt and the three new and powerful
battleships Tri Sviatitelia tThree Saints,
Georgi Pobidonosetz George. the victori-
ous). and Dvenodzat Apostoloff Twelve
Apostles). as we'll as a number OF gun ves-
sells. torpedo gunboats and torpedo craft.
Particular significance attaches to the
italian squadron. because the command
ing officer. Admiral canevaro. is the
senior officer of the six powers and has
the direction of the combined squadrons
His squadron consists OF the sister ships
Stella tfiag), Sardegna and Re Umberro
ga a5 tons). the third-ciass cruiser Bau-
san and the torpedo gunboat EurfdIce. and
the cruiser yesuvio. which was lately
placed i'm reserve. Is attached to IL. Rear
Admiral Gualterio commands the second
division. which includes the Morosini. An
drea Doria and Ruggiero al Laura. three
sisters OF r.oD tons, which carry each
four I0s-ton Armstrong;. with a considera-
bile uulck-fring armament and are well
protected anidships. The division Is fur
Their constituted of the cruisers Etna and
Stromhoh and the gunhoat trania FIVE
ses-going torpedo boats are also commits
stoned with the squadron.
Admiral Hinke II in charge OF the Aus
TRAN squadron. consisting of seven wars
ship. the hest OF the lot being the second
class hattieship kronprinzesson Stefanie.
the swift arInored cruiser Kaiserin Maria
Theresa and the protected cruiser Kaiser
Franz Josef l.
cser1nany's I.evant squadron Is small.
consisting OF four training ships and the
new cruiser kaiscrin Augusta.
The combined Isevant fleets OF i've or the
powers Is not as great as the English
Mediterranean squadron, a fact which Is
re yarded as an object lesson by the whole
Of Europe.