The record-union., 1898-04-29

danger than in the day, but during
all of their hostile movements their
only hope will be the avoidance of the
rapid firing guns of the battleships Sc
lected as their prey, and such hope
will be at all events forlorn. tiny
/ torpedo boat may wipe fye-million-
dollar warship off the sea and send five
| hundred men to the bottom, but the
| likelihood that any one on board of
the former will live to brag of the de-
struction is very scant In day attacks
ftotillas Of torpedo boats will distribute
themselves and hide behind the great
| hulis of the giant warriors as the
young chicks hover beneath tn ewings
of the mother hen. To make a bold
dart beneath the sun would be done
at a sacrifice, and every one on board
would expect death. Their most valu-
able work, of course, will be done at
night With all lights out or below
deck, with noiseless machinery, with
smokeless fuel and with bodies painted
the color of the sea, they will venture
closer and closer to their giant prey,
continuing to launch automobiles until
assured that at least one has taken
effect The giant searchlightS of the
adVersaries would discover one Of these
little sneaks mile away. Should she
be discovered at this distance she
would have about a minute and a half
to do her deadly work. Within that
space of time she would be in sure
reach Of a rapid-f1rer, and a one
FOUNDER could send her to the bottom.
With the knowledge that she was
wounded and done for, she would prob
ably continue under rainstorm of pro-
jectiles, hoping to remain above water
until assured that her adversary would
follow her to destruction. 1t is esti-
mated that from 90 to so per cent of
the torpedo boats attacking cruisers
and battleships in the next great naval
war will go to the bottom.
The great ram Katahdin has been
compared to a bee, for it is said that
she will Immediately lose her own life
after inserting her sting She has been
the subject of more adverse comment
doubtless, than has been hurled against
any other ship in the navy, and many
officers prophesy that she will surely
go down with her prey This is ex-
pected to occur as a result of inability
to back out after inserting her ram, or
of MASKING her own bow. Further
more, she could readily be torpedoed
by her adversary within a distance of
OUO yards. After one bold stroke her
career would probably be ended, and
all on board would go to the bottom.
The full complement, except the Cap
tain, would be sheltered inside during
an assault, and there would be little
chance of escape. They would have
less to do in fight than any crew in
our navy, yet they would be faced with
the most terrible death which might be
pictured in the imagination. imprison-
ed as they would be benath the sur
face of the water The Katahdin has
practically no defense whatever, only
four little 6-pounders of the rapid-fire
type effective only against torpedo
boats.
In actual battle the crew of the dyna-
mite cruiser Vesuvius would embark
on their hostile errand with many
chances to one against a safe return.
She carries an enormous supply of
dynamite, and a Spanish projectile cor
rectly aimed would explode this, leav-
ing no trace of the vessel or it's crew
above water She will either hurl
dreadful death at her enemies or suffer
more severe destruction herself-per-
maps OOlll. SuOulQ d IdplQ movement
be made against Havana she would
precede our fleet. exploding all of the
mines and hostile craft in reach. Her
repairs have been made in Washington
with this purpose in view. Her three
15-inch guns as now fixed will dis
tribute explosive shells a hundred feet
apart and the fuses will be regulated
so as to explode only after the bottom
Of the channel has been reached. Every
hidden Spanish torpedo within fifty feet
of each explosion will be destroyed, and
at each simultaneous discharge of the
three guns she will clear a safe chan
mel 300 feet wide and a hundred feet
long, over which our Warships can safe
ly follow This kind of blowing would
cost Uncle Sam about $4,000 a mile.
Meanwhile the Vesuvius would be pro-
tected, as far as possible against the
guns of MORO Castle and the other
Cuban shore batteries by the accom-
panying feet. These three terrible
guns of the Vesuvius, Furthermore
could drop a 1O0-pound charge of gum
cotton into a fort two and a half miles
away, and cause widespread destruc-
ton It could also drop a 500-pound
charge similarly from a distance of a
mile. Such work, however, would have
to be undertaken under great risk