Evening star., 1898-04-22
SPANISH AND AMERICAN NAyIEs.
n Comparison That Results I'm Our
Favor.
From the New York Tribune

From the New York Tribune
The Spanish warship Pelayo has of iatt
been mentioned as about equal in strength
to our own Indiana, and d conflict between
she two has been speculated upon as evenly
balanced and indcterminable- in advance
Such talk is based Upon gross careiessness
Of observation. or misinformation, as re-.
elence to the facts in the case will show
The Peiayo is a smaller ship than tn,
Indiana, being of 3SS tons less displacc-
r.ent Is feet shorter. 81. feet narrower
| and of 3 feet less draugkt. She has less
pc Werful engines. developing only S.cg
horsepower to the Indiana's 9,1::S Her
rev boilers may give her greater power
hut that i' yet to be demonstrated Sh.
Is six years older than the Indiana. She
Is just about IS heavily armored as the
lEdlana, in some parts more, in some less
She carries only $50 tons Of coal to the
lndiand's l,6i0 Sne has the same number
OF torpedo tubes. Finally, in ordnance She
Is far inferior to the American ship. She
mas Tour big guns, two of 12La-inch an
two of I1-inch caliber; but the Indiana has
four of 13-inch calber. The Felayo has
one 62-inch and twelve 4.9-iEch guns.
against the lndiana's eight S-inch and four
6-lnch guns; and the Pelayo has six quick
hrinS and twelve machine guns against
the lndiana's twenty Quick-firing 2o-pound-
ers, SIX quick-firing 1-pounders and four
machine guns. 1t is not eXtravagant to
s:ve armament, fully 80 per cent more ef-
fectivo than the Pelayo.
Much has been said also about the EN-
perador Carlos V. She is not battle ship,
but an armored cruiser. Let US see how
She compares with. for example, the
Brooklyn. The Spanard is l5 tons lighter.
~ feet shorter, 3 feet broader, l foot shall
lever has 269 less horsepower and is
nearly two knots slower She is less
heavily armored than the Brooklyn, ex-
cepting over her guns. where her armor
is thicker. She carries 300 tons less coal
She has the same number Of torpedo tubes
She has two 11-inch guns, which are much
heavier than any on the Brooklyn, but
whether they will, the whole prov Q
more effective than the Brooklyn's eight
olncn guns is an open question. Certainly
one epaniard's eight 5l2-inch uick-firing
guns are not equal to the Brooklyn's twelve
o-lnch. nor her ten smaller ones to the
Brooklyn'S sixteen; nor will her six ma
chine guns against the Brooklyn's four
give her winning preponderance.
Spain has seven other smaller armored
cruisers, heavily "rmed, of which the
Nlzcaya may be taken as a type, of about
100 tens, and 10 to II inches. of armor,
and eacn with a couple of 10 OF 1l-inch
gurs and ten 51a-inch guns. Against these
the United States has three more battle
ships, each equal in lighting strength to
two OF the Spanish cruisers. and two ar
Dlored cruisers each about equal TO one
Of them. In coast defense vessels, monitors.
etc, the United States is far superior to
Spain, the latter having practically none
t. he compared with our Monterey. Puri-
tan. Terror, Amphtrite. Miantonomoh and
Monadnock. In gunboatS and cruisers. too
the advantage is decidedly on the side Of
the United States. If to these technical
conditions We add the differences in geo.
graphical position, and in skill and re-
sources, between the two nations behind
these fleets, the odds are seen to be SO
horelessly against Spain as to make IL n
cause of wonder that any rational Spanish
n IN IAr
the possibility Of war save last des-
perate resort for national defense; to-
which, We may be sure. Spain will never be
driven by the United States.