Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-09-16
OUR FUTURE NAVY.
OUR eATTLEs&4lPs MUST HAVE HIGH
| ER SPEED.


aiet win Probably Dsvslep se~s New
Types Of vssssls.
For the first time since the new steel
deet was begun We have the experience
Of actual war 10 guide 10 in its enlarge
nent Such notifications therefore %
We shall make In our programme will
be those suggested by our contest with
Spain and by the results Of that contest
In charging our domainA
To begin with. we shall hereafter
give our battleships higher speed. great
er coal endurance and larger ratio Of
plated surface. OF the value of battle
ships there can be no doubt. At Santi-
ago our vessels Of that class had only
armored cruisers to contend with, but
In another war they may have to fight
ships Of their own type. We must add
1t least three knots to their speed, and
instead Of the 10 or l8 knots hitherto
contracted for must demand 10 or 10.
Another suggestion. arising from the
great damage which can be done by
Shells Ia that instead of combining
armor to what are called vital parts
plates thick enough to keep out the FIRE
Of small rapid fire guns should extend
throughout the ships Certain parts OF
battleship can, indeed, be shot away
without destroying her power to keep
af]oat and use her guns, but great loss
of life may follow from exploding shells
In those parts.
The need Of good steaming radius
has been emphasized by the war, notably
by what was demanded Of the Oregon
in her long run, and good bunker ca.
pacity will te among the leading feat
ures of our future battleships. Since
for high speed and great radius of NO.
tion more space is required for ma.
chinery and coal, it follows that our
battleships hereafter will be larger than
those hitherto built Fortunately the
superior hardness Of the latest armor
will furnish adequate protection from
plates less thick than the old ones.
I We now have the battleships Iowa,
Indiana, Oregon, Massachusetts and
Texas; building and perhaps to be
ready by or before the end OF next year,
the Kearsarge. Kentucky, Illinois, Ala.
bama and Wisconsin,; authorized but
not laid down, the Maine, Missouri and
Ohio. As soon as possible this force Of
Is battleships should be made 20, and
not before 80 are supplied can our war
establishment be called satisfactory IN
this type.
/ In no particular have the teachings
of the war been more striking than in
their denomination Of the value Of
iarmored cruisers Our only examples
of this type now are the New York and
Brooklyn. but their services during the
late war were most valuable 49,
OF protected cruisers we can hardly
speak too highly, considering that
EDewey's great victory at Manila was
Ichiefly won BY them. Yet we cannot be
said to need more Of them now. Strong
in this class before the war, we added
two Of the finest Of them, the New Or
leans and the Albany, and some Of our
auxiliary vessels IL retained will also
swell the list. Besides. the new armor-
cd cruisers would be faster than most
of the protected cruisers.
war, and the Monterey and Monadnook,
although intended only for coast de-
fense crossed the Pa:iac. Still, with
the double turrets now in commits
sion, the IL single turrets which have
been repaired and made servioeable and
the 8 war monitors ordered at the last
session Of congress we shall have all Of
this type of vessels Immediately needed.
We incline to think also that when
the % torpedo boats and destroyers, for
which bids are to be opened at once are
put under contract, we shall feel req.
sonably equipped in that class. We
shall then have surpassed our original
torpedo boat programme, and the events
of the recent war have rather tended to
diminisi, the prestige of these craft.
They have sphere of great usefulness
of their own, but in making further ad-
ditions to our torpedo f1otilla we shall
probably never feel the need again OF
adding 80 ut single stroke.
We shall doubtless take care to keep
ourselves supplied with repair ships
like tho Vulcan, hospital ships like the
Solace, transports and GOLFERS 1t will
not be surprising to find that tho war
has evolved some new types Of vessel,
and armored mortar boats for harbors,
which will carry the line Of defence by
heavy mortars out beyond the range OF
shore forts, have already been suggest
ed.-New York Sun.
Err nv En1I
The authorities Of New York state
are angry because tho Third regiment,
New York volunteers, was Obliged to
march from Camp Alger to Thorough
fare Can. The men experienced series