The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-03-01
THE UNITED STATES AND SPANISH NAyIES.
"A COMPARISON OF STRENGTH.

We Have the Advantage in Heavier
Fighting Ships and Greater Averag,
| Speed
If the situation in Cuoa should re
quire that war ships be sent to Hava
ma, says the New York Herald, the
president could in few days concen
trate u powerful feet to meet the
SDanish war ships in Cuban waters
| or the ships of the North Atlantic
| squadron which month ago jpined
the rendezvous Of the Dry Tortugas
but three-the Indiana, the Iowa and
| Fort Jefferson. The others, lately sent
to the contiguous ports, are now re-
ported TO be hurryiug to join the admi-
raj of this port.
The sinking OF the Maine upset
every calculation, and nothing remains
OF the original program so carefully
devised and SO unfortunately interrupt
ed. OF the torpedo hptiila the lIrics-
son and the Cushing are engaged in
dispatch work between Key West and
Havana, and the Porter and Dupont
are at Mobile. ana the FUOte and WIN.
slow are at Norfolk. The Texas and
Nashville are II, Galveston, the Marble
head at New Orleans, thu Detroit en-
route for Mobile, and the Nvsuvius AT
Brunswick, Ga. la the Carrlbaau Sea
are the Brooklyn, Wilmington Newport
and Montgomery. La reserve are the
Puritan and Terror at Norfolk, and
the Columbia and Mlnneap,!i lis At
League Island, while the training
ships are rs widely scattered, the
Essex and Amphitrlte being at Port
Royal, S G.; the Alliance at Ports
mouth, N. H., the Annapolis at ST.
Il L..
kits. The Cincinnati ana Castine are
steaming fast for Bahia. The Pan
croft, San Francisco and Helena are AT
Lisbon.
This disposition of the fleet shows
that the mobilization of the vessels,
save those IN reserve aud abroad,
would be question OF only few days,
wnllc all the other vessels cOulu be
assembled IN less than two weeks. The
table shows that twenty eight v, SIS is
are available, and that at least six tor
Dodo boats could be by the same date
prepared for work.
AT the present moment Spain's ships
in the West lLdies are mostly unim-
portant vessels of the gunboat type or
very small gun vessels OF no import
ance, Intend, q for use in the creeks OF
Cuba. 1t would probably be not less
tnan month before Spain could gath
cr her best vessels OF the coast of
Cuba.
Even then it would be impossible for
her to meet our Il set on tqual terms
rs Is shown by the following compuri.
son OF her navy with that of the United
States
OF battle ships Spain possesses but
one, the Pclayo, of 10000 tons. built in
Franc" about ten years ago This
year the Pelayo has had her boilers
generally repaired aud rctubed, and i
now ready for service. The condition
of the vessel is cXcellent, the only de-
fects being due to faulty design in Ger
tain particulars VIZ: insutlic ctcnt pro-
lection to her H., inch rapiu lire guns,
lack OF subdiv sion OF the space over
the armored horizontal deck and the
small coal supply, only 600 tons.
In the United States navy there are
three batteships in commission cor
responding in general features with
the Pelayo. They are the Indiana,
the Massachuse it's, and the Oregon.
Since there are in the United States
navy three battteships to one in
Spaln's, our navy, supposing SDain's
oattleshlp to be equal TO one OF ours, is
three times as strong AS hers. Wheth-
cr the PelayO Is fair match for the
Indiana is matter for experts to dis
cuss and "a stand up fight TO determine.
Spanlards think their ship would win
Americans disagree. However, with
the odds three to one in our favor,
there Is nothing problematical con-
corning the result
Spain has another excellent ship
her armored cruiser EmperadOr Carlos
", OF ., 100 tons Our new armorcd
cruiser the Brooklyn is something like
her, and to a less degree, 50 is the
New York. The cardinal differences
observable between these three ships
are In the armamentS and the armOr,
ana these are perhaps irrccOncilaDlc.
The battery power of the Spaniard
ought to enable her tn stand up TO her
work better than the Carlos v This
is also true Of the New York, though
the Brooklyn is In every way the better
snip, for the thicker armOr Of IL c New
York is not better than the thinner
but more modern armor of the Brook
lyn. Whether two ll-inch guns which
properly belong to IL battleship are the
all around equal of eight inch guns
is matter not to be discussed here.
The only correct answer would be
found In lighting the one ship against
the other
spain has still another class Of ar
mored cruisers-vessels Of 1000 tons,
| well bu 1t, well armed and well pro.
| tccted. There is no CORES punding class
in our navy. The nearo ST ap roach Is
| to be found in the second class battle
ship Texas.
The superiority OF the Spanish class
IN the way OF coal supply is the most
marked advantage possessed by the
Maria Teresa class. IN other respects
the ships seem to he pretty evenly
matched. Spain has four of these Ma
ria Tercsas ready Tor active service
AS an Offset to this powerful armorcG
squadron we have the Texas OF &, ,l0(
tons, with her two II inch guns.
This close the account OF the ar
morcd liect that Spain could bring int
action at the present time, but H. doe,
not close the account Of the Unite(
States armored fleet, for we have five
modern monitors that can be relied or
for splendid service in defence OF
coast. We have also that uniQne craft
the ram Katahdin, an upknown factor
OF presumable great possibilities.
The available armored force of the
two countries to-day may be summa
rized as follows:
The total displacement Of the six ar
mored ships of Spain ready for sea, AZ,
600 tons.
Total displacement Of the twelve ar
mored ships OF the United States read
for sea- 80, 500 tons.
| LII all the guns OF the Spanish ar