The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-11

craft might be more simultaneously as
signed. The Winslow. it is true, was sent
into the harbor of Cardenas to recon-
noitre. but this was gunboat service and
not the work for which a torpedo boat is
intended.
As for the Spanish boats, there was
really nothing to fear from them Sigs-
bee made quick work of the Terror off
San Juan, although the st. Paul, which
he commanded, was exactly the kind of
vessel, unarmored, and presenting a
full side, that torpedoeS might be expect
ed to infiict damage on.
The Furor and the Pluton were among
the very best and the most modern of
the destroyer class, and yet the Glou-
cester which is merely converted
yacht, defeated them BOTH
The war has taught US 10 rely on our
great battleShipS and cruisers with abSo-
lutte confidence. Hitherto the question
has been open to fair discussion in the
their work in actual warfare But now
we know what they can do. The two
vessels which, as ships-of-war, have
given the best account of themselves on
their merits, without regard to the man
ner in which they were handled, although
that, of course, was above criticism with
all our ships, are the oregon and Brook
Ign, and these are types of vessels which
are likely to become more and more in
vogue, not only in the American navy,
but in the navies of foreign powers The
inches of armor on her sides, was far
more than a match for the ViZcaya, with
a, pinch armor belt This type of vessel
combines speed with efficiency to most
desirable degree.
As for the Oregon, she combines great
strength of armament with a reasonable
amount of speed and coal-carrying capa-
city in proportion which seems to be
eminently desirable. BattleshipS will be
built more and more on the oregon plan,
with greater speed, If possible, without
interfering with their effectiveness as
fighting machines.
The navy will have to be supplied with
vessels particularly adapted to the work
for which, at the beginning of the war,
we were compelled to buy all sorts of
vessels at all sorts of prices. When the
out ships suitable for auxiliary service.
We had no patrol boats and hardly any
dispatch boats. So that steam yachts,
tugboats and even ocean liners had to be
bought or chartered for the use of the
navy. The result was highly gratifying
when it is considered with what sort of
material we had to deal But in pre-
pairing for the possibility of another war,
especially adapted for this auxiliary
work. Some of the ships which were
bought for this emergency can doubtless
be made to answer the purpose Derma-
nently very well. but as a rule the aux
iliarv fleet ought to be constructed from
specially prepared plans.
We can speak from actual experience
now on a great many questions with re-
three months ago. We know. Tor H.
stance. that drydocks are needed large
enough to receive our biggest ships and
enough to prevent the neceS-
sity of their lying long without repair
or without having their bottoms cleaned.
Our first-class lighting ships have been
in bad condition almost from the BEGIN
ming of the war, simply because we did
not have docks large enough to put them
into. and although even our smaller craft
have been so nearly exempt from injury
In actual combat. it has been impossible to
repair them speedily. because we had not
enough docks capable even of accommo-
dating them. Had any of our ships suf-
fered great damage in battle, it would
have been out of the question TO put them
quickly into condition again, and We
should have been at teribrle disadvan-
tage. ----- i,-.-.--.-- $780,,
The war has shown, too, that the bot
toms of all our ships should be copper
sheathed, so that they can be kept at sea
without the necessity of too frequent
Of our Important ships Is copper-sheathed..
The only sheathed vessels in the navy are
the six gunboats of the Annapolis and
Marietta classes, and the New Orleans
and Albany, which we bought from the
Brazilian government at the outbreak of
the war. With copper-sheathed bottoms
our ships would be at great advantage in /
long cruises, such as are apt to be fire.
luent now that the war has. brought into
BUR possession far distant colonies.
Perhaps the most important lesson We
have learned is the necessity Of making
BUR fighting ships fireproof. You remem-
Der that at Manila and at Santiago the
Spanish ships took fire and that they suf-
Tered as much or more from this cause as
from the impact of our shells. Now it is
lot at all necessary that shell in striking
I ship. should set fire 10 IL. 1t is necessary
% have certain amount of woodwork on
every vessel, although. so far as it is prac-
f- U QreA
some things about even fighting ship for
which no satisfactory substitute for wood
las ever been found. But ii is quite FEAST
Die to make such wood as must be used.
ireproof. by chemical process which has
been employed in the woodwork of some
IF our gunboats. The wood is mineral
zed, if you may use that term, by being
with phosphate of ammo
ia, and after this process has been under
rome, ii is impossible to burn it, There has
been some question. hitherto as to the ad-
of treating the wood of our
Ear<hips in this way, and various objec-