Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-09-08
CRUISER vESUvIUS.
HER VALUE HAS BEEN coNCLuslvELY
PROVEN.

Naval Omcers Who Formerly Doubted Now
| Her Strongest Advocates-Proof of Her
Efficiency Given at Santiago-Sho May
Throw Guncotton At Havanas Morro.
Some of those who have not believed
in the value of the dynamite cruiser We
suvius as an instrument of naval war
fare are now among her strogest ad-
vocates since her wonderfully effective
work against the defenses of Santiago.
Admiral Sampson reported that the
ship had thrown charges Of guncotton
ashore with the most satisfactory re-
suits and that her value in operating
against fortifications has been of the
highest character.
For years, ever since the completion
of the vessel, in fact, the navy has been
divided as to her usefulness in war
time, and until some practical expert
ments could be made it was argued
that it would be foolish to build more
ships of her type. She was one of the
early ships completed for the navy and
the fastest in the service for many
years, but she was always regarded as
failure except by few officers who
had tested her and had the amplest
confidence that she would do every
thing she was designed for
Her one great defect is her inability
to turn rapidly, but this is owing to
her extreme length and narrow beam.
1t is difficult for her to turn in radius
of less than 400 yards, although pro-
vided with twin screws. Naval ofhcers
have pointed out that another defect
is the fact that her three tubes are
stationary and can be trained only by
the rudder To train them therefore
is sometimes a difficult matter in heavy
seaway Down off the Cuban coast,
though. the reports show that she has
had apparently little trouble in hitting
her targets and backing out of range in
short order.
No opportunity has been afforded
until the present, her advocates say,
to prove the real efficiency of the ship,
and the trials that have taken place
heretofore were of such a nature as to
prove nothing except the accuracy or
her fire. Several years ago an extend
ed series of trials was conducted of
Port Royal and elaborate reports were
made to the navy department, and the
conclusion reached was that the Vesu-
vius was not of much value to the
navy. Now all officers are willing to
admit that she is a wonderfully ef-
ficient boat for certain classes of work
= hat bnt, ttha !, a.
struction to the outer harbor Of San
tiago than bombardment by the en-
tire fleet could have accomplished in a
day. While it is an expensive process
of inflicting destruction, the experts
agree that it really costs far less than
firing many broadsides of heavy shells
against Notifications.
The tubes of the Vesuvius are of 15
inches calibre, but she has never yet
fired the full charge they are capable of
throwing. Sub-calibre charges of 5, s.,
and 10-inch projectiles, containing
from 200 to 500 pounds of guncotton,
were used in the attacks on Santiago's
probable that higher charges will be
hereafter used by the ship.
Captain Sigsbee is one of the strong
est believers in the Vesuvius in the
navy next to Lieutenant-Commander
Seaton Schroeder, who commanded her
for several years. One of the first
messages sent to the navy department
after the Maine disaster was a request
that the Vesuvius be at once ordered to
Havana. If there was to be any trou-
BILE with Spain it was thought the We
suvius could do more effective work
by tossing several projectiles of gun
cotton into the city than larger ves
sells could in bombardment. The We
suvius was at once prepared for SER