Evening star., 1898-03-31
acteristics and qualities. as quoted in YES

actertstics ard qualities. as quoted in yes
terday's Star. as follows:
The double-turreted monitor draws If
teen feet and can 60 into Port Royal
Charleston. Savannah. Fernandina Mobile
New Orleans and Galveston day or night
the year round. ard. OF course, into any of
our northern hGrbors. This might be a
valuable feature IL our ships should be se-
riously damaged in action. or be storm
driven. or in need of coal or repairs. Such
SHIPS, II We had enough Of them, could be
regularly stationed in any Of our .orts
end be available at any moment for de-
fensive purposes.
What is the matter with the MONITOR
The two-turreted monitor is q fighting ship
pur ct simple, stripped to thu waist and
has no solar plexus She does not require
a man of cast-steel to get out of her al
she is capable of. Her main deck rs only
twelve to sixteen inches above water pre-
senting an armored target that high. and
about 20 fee. long. On top OF this are
two low turrets. containing each two heavy
rifles. On top of them is light super
struction, in which are few light guns
for repelling bCarders. torpedo boats. etc.
With equal guns, she can whip any battle
ship afioat.
THE turre.s are not piled up together
amidships, but are placed 100 ieet or
apart The target is. therefore, divided.
rSt doubled. The turrets are so placed
that the four guns can be fired ahead or
astern as we'll as in any other direction.
The weight of her turrets and armamenis
| is distributed, not concentrated, and IL Is
practicable to make the structure strong
enough to sustain the weight OF her arma-
! ment, the strain of rolling and pitching In
heavy seas and the shock of battle.
Such craft, taking position in shoal
water, cannot be followed by battle ships.
because they draw too much. She could
rot be rammed by them. nor torpeioed. ir
| provided with proper netting. The double
turreted monitor is never out of date so
N 10
OF arms, heavier guns are desirable, der
rick can lift out the old ones and put in the
rev. This contingency should be consid-
cred in designing new monitors
Remarkable Seaworthfness.
TT is popularity supposed that the monitor
Is not adapted to sea-going or sea fighting.
This is a mistake in both particulars. The
writer has served in gunboats and frigates,
| screws. sde-wheelers and sailing ships and
| about eighteen months in monitors. The
| double-turreted monitor Mianr onomoh, tn
which L made a cruise to Europe in 1867,
| was the best sea boat of the entire assort-
mcnt and the best gun platform / ever
| SAW afioat. Some time during that year
she went out of the port of ToLlon, France,
| into a stiff levanter with short and nasty
| seas. For hours the monitor dipped up
solid water six to eight feet deep on her
bows. and, riding easily, tossed most of II
| overheard before IL reached the forward
| turret. Her rolling and pitching was easy
/
| been used continuously, without difficulty,
| In any direction. During the day We hap
| pened to pass "A squadron of French iroa.-
olads going in the opposite direction. They
were rolling deeply and violently, had losr
some OF their boats, and We were Informed
Later that they had lost some of their men,
washed overheard. Effective use of guns
| under such conditions is usually difficult,
but We would not have wasted a shot.
We have five or six battle ships in COM
| mission and five under construction. Are
they not enough of that kind of ships? A
monitor costs 81 5000 fully equipped and
! requires one year TO build. a battle shin
| costs nearly S5,oOO,UOo. is three years in con-
struction, and out of date when completed
with thirty doube-turreted monitors on
| the Atlantic and gulf coasts and ten on
the Pacific, properly supported by torpe,io
boats, well-fortIfied seaports and millions
OF good men on the inside line, We can defy
the world"
security Against All Corners.
In concluding his address Captain Stuy-
Vesant said: Peace hath her victories. but
security guarantees peace with absolute
security We will need no entangling alli-
ances nor fear any combination.
rs is worth the price?
What is Sl0o,G00,ooo to this country?
The object of this paper is:
I'd That this country should be placed
at once in condition of absolute secur-
ity against all comcrs, and
into full counsel the line officers of the
navy, the men who handle and fight our
ships, upon this question of monitors vs.
battle ships, and push construction
This is representative gathering.
Among you are leaders of men, in the pro-
fessions and in the largest business inter-
ests of this city; men directing our most
important railroads; men of force. stand
ING, influence; men Of national reputation
and men capable OF organizing movements
of national Importance. If you are suff-
ciently interested in the ideas here pre-
sented you can do much toward their real
iZation.
st. Louis is far inland. No enemy can
ever reach her gates But this is one
country. Whoever strikes Boston or San
Francisco, New York or New Orleans
Philadelphia Charleston, Galveston or
Mobile, strikes US. St Louis is in the
center of the land. If you wish to ripple
the lake you pitch rock into the middle
of 1T. 1t l., better to inaugurate such a
movement inland. There are many one
sided people who might view il, if coming
from the seaboard, as the demand of self
ish interests.
st Louis can start this matter and the
country is ripe for pushing it to successful
termination"