The Indianapolis journal., 1898-01-26
NAVIES OF THE WORLD.
United States Ranks Fifth, and Is n
Tie with Germany.

w. E. Curtis, in Chicago Record.
The United States now ranks fifth among
with Germany. England is first, France
second, Russia third and Italy fourth. The
German navy is better supplied with tor
pedo boats than that of the United States,
but we are little ahead on battle ships
and cruisers. Taking one consideration
with another, however. there is very little
difference When the Kentucky, Kearsarge,
Illinois and the other vessels now building
are afloat we shall surpass Germany. but
the Germans however, have magnificent
scheme for the development of their navy,
and the recent episodes in China were
planned for the purpose Of stimulating the
interest of their parliament and the peo-
pie. If the Emperor's programme is carried
out Germany will spend $500, 00OG0 in naval
construction during the next nine or ten
years, an average of about $40 000.0 900 a year
for battle ships, cruisers, coast-detense
monitors and other fighting materials, and
will run away ahead of Us and take the
second place. In 1906 the German navy Will
be increased to seventeen battle ships OF
the first class, eight coast-defense vessels,
nine first-class cruisers and twenty-six sec
Ond-claSS cruisers. The battle ships will be
the most formidable in the world, and are
to cost $4,000 900 each, the cruisers $30O0,OO0
each and the small cruisers $l,OOOO00 each.
The appropriation by the German Parha-
ment for the year amounts to S9CU,ONO and
will be spent in the construction of three
first-class battle ships, one first-class arm
ored cruiser, five second-class protected
cruisers, two gunboats, eight torpedo boats
and one torpedo-boat destroyer
$7,500,O00 for her naval establishment. She
has now under construction nine battle
ships, two coast-defense vessels, two arm
ored cruisers, four protected cruisers, four
gunboats and forty torpedo boats.
Great Britain, however, as usual is out
doing all the nations in naval construction,
and during the present year will spend SO
5Oo,OO0 She has now under construction III
vessels, and several of them will be COM
pleted before next January-viZ., fifteen bat
tie ships twelve hrst-class cruisers, nine
second-class cruisers, ten third-clasS cruis-
ers, six twin-screw gunboats. fifty-siX tor
pedo-boat destroyers, eight lightdraft gun
boats and one royal yacht Great Britain has
to-day in this catalogue of ships under con-
struction a fleet as fine as that of the
United States, Italy, Germany or any other
nation, except France and Russia.
We have now fiftyfour fighting vessels in
good condition, and twenty-five more in
course of construction, including five battle
ships At the close of the century we shall
have nine of the best fighting ships in the
world. There is nothing better in the Brit
iSh or the Russian navy at present, al
though the other nations, as stated, have
plans for an increase in their naval estab-
lishments that will greatly surpass ours.
The Japanese now rank seventh for naval
strength among the nations of the earth,
and when the vessels she now has under
construction are completed she will go up
to the fourth place, above Ita1y-~and the
United States. She is devoting nearly all the
indemnity paid her by China for the late
military establishments. She has now under
construction in England three battle ships
of 14,S00 tons displacement, equal to the
largest and most powerful in the world; one
battle ship of 10000 tons, four armored cruis-
ers of $500 tons 1.-TWO in England, one in
Germany and one in France). and four pro-
tected cruisers, like that launched to-day.
of 4,760 tons 1.-TWO in the United States and
two at Armstrong; yard in England); one
protected cruiser of $500 tons and one of
800 tons are being built at the government
yard at Yokosuka. Japan; thirteen torpedo
boats of ninety tons each in France and
England, and nine torpedo-boat destroyers
of 800 tons each in Germany and ENGLAND.