Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-04-18
SPANS NAVAL STRENGTH
More Ships But Not More Effectiveness
than Americas.
The Threatened War Would Be No Child's Play
at First Slender Commerce
Of Spain.

In view of the possibility of
war between Spain and the United
States, the resources of the two
countries are being very generally
discussed, says the Montreal Wit
ness. Especially is this the case
with regard to the strength of the
respective s psvies, upon which 80
much would depend at the begin
ming, and here it seems that, upon
the whole, Spain has slight ad
vantage. The countries are near
ly matched in real fighting ships,
that is, armored vessels, with
slight odds in favor of Spain; the
United States has the advantage
in effective cruisers of the un-
armored type and in ordinary
torpedo boats, the latter, because
Spain could not bring her
ordinary torpedo boats across the
water. In torp do gunboats Spain
has the superiority, while the
United States has the immense
advantage of being near her base
and coal supplies. To eDumerate,
Spain has only one first class
battleship, the Prlayo, while the
United States has three, of the
Indiana type, ready for work; but
SPAN has niue of the second class,
the Infanta Maria Teresa, Ami
rante Oquendo, Vizcsya, Carlos
V, Princesa de Asturias. Cardinal
Cisner s, Catalina, Nunniancis
aud Vitoria. OF these, the first 7
are modern and armed with eleven
inch euus, aud resemble the Unit
ed States Texas with respect to
armor and armament. The United
States has only one such ship,now
that the Maine has gone, and
would have to rely upon the Texas,
her tour moni ore, and TWO armor.
ed uisers, the New York and
Brooklyn, to cope with SPANS
seven active fighters. On paper
s pain has nearly double the mum
Der of ships that are credited to
the United States, and her real
fighting vessels are not only mod
ern but newer than the strong fight
ing craft of the latter. In effective
fighting ships, however, the two
countries are more nearly match
ed than mere numbers would in
dictate, as Spain credits herself
with thirty or forty vessels which
Brassey's Naval Annual desc ibes
as "small steamers" and which
would be of little or no use in
modern warfare. 1t viii be seen,
however, that Spain would be able
to strike a severe blow at the com
paraiivtly undefendtd Atlantic
and Pacific cities of the United
States, and that the early stages,
at least, of war between these
two powers would be anything
but child's play. 1t is fortunate
that the leaders on both sides
know the truth of what war would
mean to their respective countries,
and are making statesmanlike
efforts to avoid it. In contracting
the foreign trade of the United
States with that of Spain we find
that it amounted to more than
five times as much in 1896, the
actual figures being Imports aud
exports), United States, Sl,642,-
925, l6l, and Spain, S3l9,276,424.
Tue population of the United
States is about three and half
times that OF Spain, and the po-
pulation of Spain is about four
times that of Canada, nevertheless
the total external commerce of
Spain in 1896 was only twenty
five percent greater than that Of
Canada, Canada's total in thai
year amounting to S239, 025,00
The year 1891 was a good one for
Spanish trade, better, in fact, than
1896 by three aud a balt millions,
while 1892 and 1893 were bad
years. A gradual improvement
has taken place since then, and,
according to the Impartial, the
total trade of last year amounted
to l,7l8,277 ,l68 pesetas, or taking
the peSpta at nineteen aud a half
cepts) 1886, 064,047, beating any