The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-02
OUR NAVY And SPANS
Wherein We Have the Advan-
tage of the Dons.
SPAIN EXCELs IN FAST CRUISERS
Has Seven Second Class Battleships to Our
Two - Probable Scene of Naval Opera
tions In the Event of war-Lively Fight
ing Expected.

Two Probable Scene of Naval Opera
tions In the Event of war--LiveIy Fight
ing Expected.
WASHINGTON, March 2.-[Special. l.
SPANS navy without a shadow of doubt |
Is much inferior to that of the United |
States, and in the event of war this fact, |
In the opinion of our naval officers, would |
be quickly demonstrated. There Is one |
particular, however, in which the Spanish |
navy excels that of the United States. 1t |
is in the possession Of a number Of ships |
which are known as armored cruisers, but
which are really second class battleships
md of great speed. Spain has seven of
these fast fighting ships, but it is believed
that only five or perhaps six of them arc
ready for service. They are all of about
| 1000 TONS or about the size of the i'll fated
| Maine, though one of them is much lar
| ger, or of 1900 tons displacement. The
| Vizcaya, whose visit to New York harbor
| will DO long remembered, is one of these
| ships.
War vessels possess three main points OF
| efficiency. One of these Is the power of
| their guns, the second Is their armor or
| their power of resistance to attack and the
third is speed. OF the three the last named
is much more important than most people
think. If a ship, has speed superior to that
| of its antagonist, 1t can fight or run, ac-
cording to circumstances She may refuse
battle with a ship of superior armament
and show her heels Conversely she can
compel any inferior and slower craft to
stand battle.
Our Cruisers.
Against these five or six armored crujs-
ers or fast battleships of Spain we have
| only two vessels exactly of their class.
These are the armored cruisers New York
and Brooklyn, which are fully as power
full as the Spanish ships and of about the
same speed. In the opinion Of naval ex-
perts the New York and Brooklyn are
match for any three of the Spanish ships
of the same class.
Notwithstanding the advantage which
Spain has in the possession of these fast
cruisers so well armored as really to be
second class battleships, our naval author
tiles have no fear of the result OF a war
between the fleets. After all, 1t must he
remembered that ships cannot fight till
they get together, and even If the Spanish
have faster ships of the first class when the
collision comes numbers and weight OF
metal thrown by the guns are the factors
/
! about singly or in pairs, looking for the
! enemy. Now squadrons go together, and
a duel between one or two ships on q side
: is very rare thing. In modern times we
have naval engagements, with fleet pitted
against fleet.
American Superiority.
1t is here that the superiority OF the
American navy over the Spanish Is most
I, clearly manifest. We excel Spain in mum
Der of ships and in offensive and defensive
power.
. We have four first class battleships to
: SPANS one
We have (since the loss of the Maine)
one second class battleship to SPANS two,
both of which were built 80 years ago,
! and. though recently refitted and scanned,
are no more than match for the Texas.
: We have six seagoing coast defense iron
clads of the Terror and Puritan type
| against SPANS none.
We have dozen nonseagoing coast de-
, | Tense ironclads, such as the Ajax, canon
u icus, Mahopac, ETC., against SPANS TWO
very small gunboats, which, of course,
could not come to these shores, though all
of our ships of this class could be used IN
defense of our coast cities.
We have one armored ram, the katah
= din, to SPANS none.
q We have 81 protected cruisers of steel tt
!, Spain's 8 of steel and of iron. OF the 81
:, sbips of this class, which include the Min
d neapolis, Columbia, Olympia, Philadel
d mia. ETC., we could put in operation
q against Spain at least 10 ships, with ton
y mage averaging about 3, 500 each and arlna
!. ment according to size, against not mor
a than by Spain, with an average tonnag
y, Of about $500.
where the Fighting Will BE.
Z, If war comes, the naval operations will
n he in Cuban waters, off our own Atlanti
K coast, and near our principal ports. III
r Spanish fleet will consist of about six
% seven ships that may be called first clas
~ fighting craft, but against them we sinai
he able to send out at least 15 vessels o
equal class.
When it comes to a collision between tn
:. reserve fleets, or ships of the second class
y, we shall again have the superiority In tn
,r ratio of something like two to one. III Tn
d. enemy breaks through our two lines OF dc
I'd tense out at sea and approaches our han
e. bors, we shall have to resist them, IN &C
rs dition to the land Notifications, 20 gun
"a boats and ironclads that have not been t
A. sea at all.
e, There Is one more particular In whic
AZ the Spanish have little the advantage {
f. rs. and this is i'm the torpedo boats. Spai
=, at present has a larger number OF thes
90 boats than the United States, but II wa
Il should be long delayed her superiority
g this respect will disappear. The Unite
,s States is now building the first class TOT
pedo boats and number OF these will $40
be ready for commission.
~. Not a One sided War.
Z, Looking over the whole field our nav,
r. authorities agree that war between Spai
5; and the United States would not be or
81 sided affair by any means. We could d.
nd hope to escape without dreadful losses. v '.
r.: have twice q many ships as Spain, wit
so fully twice the effectiveness, but she has
dy few terrible vessels of high speed, and
her torpedo flotilla, which is now en- rou
10 this side the Atlantic, she possesses Q
auxiliary force not to be despised.
a On the whole. the advantage Is with tn