The record-union., 1898-04-04
FIGHTING SHIPS COMPARED.

A debate having arisen concerning
the respective merits of the Spanish
warship Pelayo and our Indiana, the
two having been classed by most peo-
pie as equal and perfectly fair matches
in a clean fight between the two, the
New York Tribune is at pains to
state the actual strength of the two
ships.
The Pelayo is smaller than the Indi-
ana. being 33S tons displacement less,
Is feet shorter, three and a quarter
feet narrower and three feet less
draught She has less powerful engines
than the Indiana, as she can develop
but 5000 while the Indiana develops
9,73S horsepower. and probably her
new boilers will increase shis power.
The Pelayo is six years older and is
as heavily armored in some parts, but
less so in others. She carries but 800
tons of coal, while the Indiana stores
! $40 tons The ships carry the same
number of torpedo tubes, but in ord
nance the Pelayo is the inferior ship.
She has two 1212-inch and two 11-inch
guns, while the Indiana has four of
13-inch caliber. @ CESS. as.
The Pelayo has one 6-2-inch and
twelve 4-7-inch guns against eight s.
inch and four 6-inch guns on the Indi-
ana. The Spanish ship has six quick
fire and twelve machine guns, while
the Indiana has twenty quick-fire 20
Founders, six quick-fire 1-pounders and
four machine guns. So it is concluded
that the American fighter is 80 per cent.
the more effective.
Another ship of which the Spanish
boast is the Emperador Carlos V. She
is an armored cruiser, and compared
with the Brooklyn of the American
navy, for instance, is 10 tons lighter, 2C
feet shorter. 3 feet broader, L foot shall
lower, has 269 less horsepower and is
two knots slower. besides, is more light
" armored than is the Brooklyn. ex-
cept that she is more heavily clad over
her guns. She carries 800 tons less
coal than the American.
Each has the same number Of torpedo
tubes. Her two 11-inch guns are much
heavier than those of the Brooklyn, but
the claim is made that the latter's eight
S-inch guns are the more effective. The
Spaniard has eight 51a-inch quick fire
guns while the American has twelve
5-inch guns of the same order. Oh
smaller guns the Carlos has ten, while
the Brooklyn has sixteen. The former
has six machine guns to the 1atter's
four. The Tribune" makes this sum
ming up:
Spain has seven other smaller ar
mored cruisers, heavily armed, of which
the Fizcaya may be taken as a type
of about Z 900 tons and 10 to II inches
of armor, and each with a couple of II
or 11-inch guns and ten 512-inch guns
Against these the United States has
three more battleships, each equal il
fighting strength to two of the Spanish
cruisers, and two armored cruisers each
about equal to one of them. In coas
defense vessels, monitors. etc, tht
United States is far superior to Spain
the latter having practically none Il
be. compared with our Monterey, Puri
tan, Terror. Amphitrite, Miantonomaf
and Monadnock. In gunboats and cruis
ers. too, the advantage is decidedly OF
the side of the United States, If tt
these technical conditions we add tbs
differences in geographical position
and in skill and resources, between
the two nations behind these fleets tbs
ODDS are seen to be SO hopelessly
against Spain as to make it cause o.
wonder that any rational Spanish
statesman should for moment ICON
slider the possibility of war save as {
last desperate resort for national de.