The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-11-18
The New Monitors.


meet the hearty approval of all pro-
gressive, enlightened and patriotic |
Americans.
Our navy with recent additions 10 |
about on q par with those of the |
weaker navies of Europe, but 10 not |
20 be compared to those OF Great
Britain or France.
We are prepared to measure
strength with Germany on the seas
IL the occasion. should arise and by
keeping out of the way of the COM
bined fleets of the triple alliance for
awhile might in the course of a
few months be able to meet them all
nc Manila or elsewhere. The prob
lem OF the monitors is a peculiar
one. These mighty creatures of
American invention would become
our chief reliance for defensive op-
erations in case of combined at
tack of several smaller navies on
our possessions, the event which
would be most likely to occur in case
OF q naval war on account OF the
present complications.
The monitor is a machine of pro-
digious power in conflicts at short
range. It's well protected decks and
triple armored turrets are all but i'm
pregnable to the fire of an enemy,
while the few great guns it carries
are capable of doing tremendous ex-
ecution on the sides of even the
greatest battleships according to the
present calculations while ordinary
cruisers could do no better than
stay away from an action in which
monitors are engaged on the oppO-
site side.
They are unwieldly it is true and
great difficulties will be encountered
in sending them to distant ports but
once arrived they are there to stay
no matter what number of hostile
ships may be sent after them.
1t would be difficult to conjecture
the result of an engagement between
monitors and battleships of the lat
est type in European navies but ac-
cording to present calculations it is
likely that the feet without moni-
tors would have to draw of after
having sustained heavy injuries, and
that. the only damage sustained by
the opposite side would be that in
fiict&d on ordinary vessels fighting
witHthem.
The monitors would always be dis
taneed by the battleships and cruis-
ers in the races for positions OF van
tage, but all opposition would be
J likely to give way before them when
J they came to close quarters.
Thus, while the combined fleets OF
the triple alliance are superior tc
ours, according to ordinary calcula-
tions, in which the number of ships
, and aggregate power of armament:
are the main factors, when the mon
itor is taken into account. with itt
cannon-proof armor and its giani
guns. the problem becomes quite {
different one.
One monitor might hold q feet o.
. warships at bay in the harbor of Ma
= nila. A hundred silent guns nigh
menace the city while keeping out o
range of one terrible weapon possess
ing the power to destroy any one o
= the ships on which they were mount
: ed The fleets of Germany and Itall
and Austria might make an imposing
display in those waters and might b.
huSrying from place to place seiz'
many of the islands.
hut unless they learn to build mon
itofs or some new war vessel capabl
or closing in with it, the American
wopld-slowly, perhaps, but never
theaess surely-crowd them ava.
from the disputed harbors, unless tn
monitor las been overestimated
!, which hardly seams to be the case
& The new ones will be more like sea
: going vessels than any which hav
, Hitherto been constructed. They viii
have double the coaling capacity pro
Q vided for in the modified contracts
= and three times as much as our othe
: great coast defense vessels.
Q And each of them will be double
q geared instrument of destruction
: having two turrets instead of one a
q at present provided for. Each en'
!. Of the new monitor will be busines
g end and there will be no vulnerabl
b point amidships.
Meantime the Monterey and Mon
adnock will keep watch and war
:. over Manila and woe be unto the hos
tile fleet of ordinary armament tha
dares approach them. When tn
b Arkansas, the Connecticut, the Flor