Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-17
THE KASAGl.
Mr.. Cramp Describes the Vessel
Built For Japan.
Launching at Philadelphia VIII 30 a Note
worthy Event Japan to Stand
Among the First Naval Powers.

Philadelphia, Jan. 16-The launching
of the Japanese warship Kasagi, which
is being built at Cramps shipyard, will
take place Thursday at noon. The Ka-
sagi is the most important ship ever
built in the United States for foreign
account, and is the first foreign war5hip
launched in this country since the no
hiaca," in 1878.
In compliance with requests for in
formation that are coming to him from
all over the country, Charles H. Cramp,
the builder Of the ship, today gave the
following interview:
s'The Kasagi is protected, twin
screw cruiser or commerce destroyer of
the latest and most approved type and
design in her class. She Is built
throughout Of steel Of the United States
navy standard. Her model is calcu-
lated primarily for high speed; the con-
tract guarantee being 2213 knots as the
mean of six runs back and forth over
a measured course Of ten nautical miles.
She is powered with two four-cylinder
vertical inverted direct-acting triple
expansion engines, driving twin screws.
Steam is supplied by u single-ended cy-
indrical boilers provided with the st.
John crate and bearer bar, and the
machinery calculations contemplate q
maximum collective indicated horse
power of about 1900.
"The Kasagi is one among large
number of ships of various types ana
classes embraced in the new naval pro-
gram of Japan A sister ship is build
ing on the Pacific coast, and others of
various classes up to 14,S0O ton battle
ships. are being constructed either IN
England, France, Germany or IN Japan S
own dockyard at Yokosuka.
"It is worth while to call attention to
the fact that she is a representative OF
the most marvellous and formidable
naval development of this age, deVel-
opment that is rapidly bringing into the
front rank among civilized naval
powers a nation, the ports OF Whlch
were first opened to commerce through
the instrumentality of an American
naval expedition, clearly within the
memory of men not yet past middle age.
From this poirlt of view alone nef
launching is an event worth remember
ing in the history of American ship
building.
when the fleet of which the Kasagi is
an important factor shall have been
completed, an event not more than two
years off at the farthsst, Japan viii
rank as the foremost naval power IN the
Pacific ocean. and generally speaking
neatly If not quite third in rank
eInong the naval powers of the world
She will certainly outrank iE an all
arourl senl3e sll but England France
ard Russia, and SO far as the Pacific
ocean is concerned will be far superior
to all except perhaps England, and it is
doubtful if even England could, with
due regard to her requirements in her
own waters, or in the Mediterranean
and the defence of her co6lm9rce, spare
naval force enough for concentration in
the Pacific to equal in that ocean the rev
Japtanese navy of which Kasagi is 9
factor This superiority is due, not sc
much to the mere number of the vessels
Japan is builGig. as to the fact that they
are of carefully selected types. perfectly
elaborate designs and wisely distributed
classes, all of the most approved con-
struQ,icn and highest attainable eff
ciency"