The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-10
PURCHASE or wARsHIps.

IL Now. 1OTk, MaTUU o.---ttHiChSo ihhSS-
Herald Special. )--The swarm of rumors
that has gained currency In the last few
days in regard to the wholesome purchase
OF warships BY the Spanish government are
no longer credited here.
roundup OF these rumors is an edfy-
ing illustration OF the evolution OF myth.
From Brazil il was said Spain had pur-
chased the Marshal Deodoro. the Marshal
tloriano tho Admiral Admirante Abren,
the Amazonag and the BorroZo. From chile
IL was said she would purchase the Presi-
dcntc Errazure2, the Presidente Pinto. the
Es,merelda the Captain Prat, the Blanco
Encalada and the O'liiggins,
II IL be true that Spain has secured all
these warships, she has secured all that
are for sale In the civilized world, and IL
she has simply tried TO buy them and failed
she has been refused in every shipyard on
earth.
still the character, status and where
abouts of these great warships is for the
moment matter of interest. The Marshal
Deodoro and the Marshal Floriano are two
heavily armored coast vessels which are
being built for Brazil at the La Seyne
works in Havre. They are twins, and their
dimensions are: Length, 267 feet; beam, As
feet draught. IL feet; displacement. 1852
| TONS horse power, 3400; speed IA knots.
| Tho Almirante Abren, the Amazonas and
the Borroao are being built by the Arm
strongs at Newcastle, England. The last
two are twins and their dimensions are:
Length. $50 feet; beam. Al feet; draught,
u feet. The armament consists of six g.
inch four 4.7-inch, ten 22-inch and four
| 1.i-inch Armstrong rapid-fire guns, for
Maxim machine guns and three torpedo
tubes. Tho 6-inch guns are arranged to
NIL
engines develop more than 1900 horse
power. and give n speed Of EOS knots The
coal supply at load draught is $50 tons,
| or enough to stem 5000 miles They are
| described as being about as efficient ms the
| Alfonso MI. or the American cruisers New
ark san Francisco and Baltimore. or
| those ships which Chile is rumored to
contribute to the Spanish navy, the Presi-
dente Errazuriz. Presidente Pinto and Els
| merelda are known to be great ironclads of
the modern type. The Captain Prat is a
warship of 5000 tons, 1900 horse power H.
inch armor belt. 3-inch protected deck and
| i0.5-inch turrets. Her armament Is inn
mcuse. her speed Is 1873 knots and her crew
| Is fS5 men. The Blanco Is 400 tons and
| 1880 horse power but has Il 4inch pro-
| tccted deck and no gun protection. The
| o'Hlggins lies at the docks of the Arm
| strongs at Newcastle, England. alongside
| the Brazilian ships Amazonas and Borrozo
~
all these eleven warships she has made an
| important addition to her navy.
But tho creation of the rumors con
corning tho purchase OF all these naval
wonders was no more sudden than the APP
pearance OF dispatches from all parts of
the world contradicting them, and in some
cases communicating facts which make the !
rumors absurd
To begin with, the Spanish cabinet Off |
GERS seem embarrassed by the reports and |
at Washington. after careful investigation |
III every quarter of the globe. Is unable |
to confirm any one of the purchases The |
peodoro and Florano, 1t is said, can not
be- finished in less than two years. The |
Armstrong; have informed the world that |
the Borrozo is in Brazil, that the ANA
zonas Is on its way. and that the reported |
purchase of either ship is absolutely with
out foundation. AS for the Amirante Alb
rem, in the same yards, she can not be
finished in less than two years. OF the
chilean vessels the Captain Prat aud the
Blanco Encniada are afloat in the Pacific.
The O'Hlggins is just ready to sail from
the Armstrong; yard, but they deny that
Chile has any idea OF parting with it.
Putting all these facts together, the i'm
preston is gaining ground here that all
the reports that have obtained currency
purchase of warships OF Spain are myth
ical. and, at the most. IL she has been try
ing 10 buy any of them she has been re-
fused.
Tho reason of this refusal is believed to
be, of course, the bankrupt condition OF
her treasury as there are many rumors
that mono OF these ships can be bought ex-
cept for cash, at least by Spain. In order
to support the idea OF these purchases,
which must aggregate $4,000 900, there are
collateral runors, equally as absurd. of
SPANS financial arrangements. One of
these makes France come to her help with
all the gold she wants but the assertion
Is made timidly, without the slightest cor
roboratlng circumstance. The other Is
still more remarkable and IL to the effect
that the Rothschilds have advanced Spain
$40 900 600 and that the interest was fixed
nj the alliterative rate Of 40 per cent, This
was incredible from the first because IL
was well known that Spain had mortgaged
everything twice over, and could give no
security for TO such an amount. But the
rumor soon received it's quietus FROM the
agents of the Rothschilds. who positively
denied there was any truth In II. The
financial rumors are regarded simply as
Munchuusenism. invented to give yerisim-
ilitude to other Munchausenisms concern
ing tho purchases Bnt all of them alike
are now pretty much regarded as ex-
Flooded,
This ship purchasing mania has. of
course. revived an interest In the doctriks
Of International law In regard to the she
of warshins by neutrals to hcllgerents.
For II, as somo maintain. such sales can
not be mado during hostilties. it Is nee
cssary that both Spain and the United
States lnNst close thrlr sn1ss N oncp pu+
H. on the other hand such sales can be
i,nocenuy ccnsummated while war II
going on. there is no hurry MS many OPP
portunities TO buy ships viii occur in the
future that can not be foresecn at pres
Ont. There is, therefore, a lively satis-
faction over dispatches received from
Washington tonight in which the legal ad
vlsers OF the government are said to have
reached The comfortable conclusion that
the purchase 81 ships as we'll as munitions