The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-24


to Make Trouble for Dewey, Pro-
vided All Are Sent to Manila, but
Not Enough to Disturb the Bal
ance of Naval Power in the,Amer2
ican Waters.
Washington Bureau st. Paul Globe, !
Corcoran Building. (
Special to The st. Paul Globe.
WASHINGTON, May 23.-Spain is
preparing to make some naval move,
possibly only a bluff. but none the less
a move. The reports from Madrid of
naval activity are in part confirmed by
private advices which have been re-
ceived here. The vessels in the Spanish
home port have been prepared for sea,
and now the question Is are they to be
sent away to the Philippines. or are
they to be hurried to Cervera's aid?
There is the possibility that the force
is to be divided and both the plans sug-
gested are to be carried out. Then,
also. there is the further possibility
that 1T Is all buster to amuse the chill
dren. and that. If the ships do leave
Spanish ports. they will take care to
keep out Of harms way.
The activity Of Madrid In dispatch
Ing squadrons from Cadiz to various d.
rections IS confusing; first, because in
spite OF the reports, all the ships Of the
second and third fleets are still ait the
nome ports. and because of the mixed
news OF the makeup Of the departing
naval forces.
Spain has at Cadiz, Cartegena and
Ferrol one battleship, the Pelayo; five
cruisers. Alfonso XIII, Carlos ", Car
dinal C1sneros. Antonio Lopez and Lee
panto; two old-fashioned cruisers. the
Numancta and Vitaria; two converted
cruisers, the Patricia and Rapido. and
three torpedo gunboats (destroyers).
the Dona Marina Molina, the MARQUES
Victoria and the Don de Bazan.
SUAIN'S RESERVE FLEET.
This list constitutes Spain's available
material for squadrons to be sent
against American ships. OF the total
NUMBER, i've are modern armored YES
sells. 1t any or all of these ships should
be sent west to American waters, they
might complicate the naval situation.
but no matter how they might be COM
bined, they could not overcome the pre-
ponderance of American naval power
possible to a junction of the ships I'M
der Schley. Sampson and Watson.
aided by the Oregon, the Marietta. and
the Buffalo.
But. III it Is true that large part
OF this reserve force is to be sent
against Dewey. the move would be
much more serious. Three of the the
f1ve armored ships In the Spanish re-
serve fleet wholly outclass anything in
Admiral Dewey's squadron. The Old
time battleshlps Numancia and Vitoria
need not be feared. although displacing
ABOUT 1900 tons each, by the AsIatic
squadron, because their armor Is only
four to five inches thick in the Nuuan-
cla's case, and three to five and a. half
in the Vitoria's, and the eight inch pro-
jectiles of the Olympia, Baltimore, Bos-
ton and Charleston would go through
that without any difficulty. Neither
ship, according to the most recent In
FORMATION, carries any gums above the
s1X-1nch, SO that there is nothing in
these calibers which Admiral Dewey
has not already beaten. The Patricia
and Rapido are only the Hamburg
American liners Columbia and Nor
MAMMA fitted up with moderate bat
teries; and the Lopez is also of minor
account. -.
PEL4AYO POWERFUL.
But the Pelayo. modern 9,90O-ton
battleship. nearly as big as the Indiana
class, with her water-line belt eighteen
inches thick at the maximum, and her
undetermined barbettes, carrying two
twelve and one-half-inch, two eleven
inch. nine five and one-half-inch. and
one six-inch guns. with many smaller
pieces. Is the most powerful in the
Spanish navy. The Carlos ", of $3.50
tons, about as big as the Brooklyn, is
the next largest. Her armor is 90
inches thick, she carries two eleven
inch. eight five and ne-half-inch, four
four-inch. and many smaller guns. and
is credited with speed Of twenty
knots.
The Cardinal Cisneros Is Of the 1000
ton Oquendo class of armored cruisers
and her twelve-inch belt and ten and
one half-inch turrets furnish strong
protection, while her main battery Of
two, eleven-inch and ten rapid-fire five
and one-half-inch guns is formidable
The cruisers Alfonso XIII. and Lepanto
are of the protected class, of 5000 and
1926 tons respectively, or between the
Olympia and Baltimore. In speed and
battery power they also are not far be-
low those vessels, the Alfonso XIII IS
main battery containing four 7S7-inch
and six 472-inch guns. They carry big
ger calibres than any that Admiral
MoTdtejo had.
WOULD BOTHER DEWEY.
These five vessels could give Admiral
Dewey much trouble, and along with
They would surpass Dewey's ships in
battery power, and three Of them would
be heavily armored as well as far
larger. The conditions under which
Admiral Dewey lately destroyed his OPP
ponent would more than be reversed.
But it is impossible that the whole
Cadiz fleet would be sent to Manila,
because, apart from abandoning Adj
niral Cervera's squadron, such action
would open Spain's entire coast as well
as the Canaries and the Balearic isl
ands, to attack. Indeed, the Madrid
tidings declare specifically that the
Numancia, Vitoria. Lepanto and one
other vessel will be left behind, as a
squadron in reserve. The two first NAM
ed are so slow, even as refitted, that