New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-16

Americans about the comparative strength =.
| Individual ships Of equivalent rank in the Va,
Of 1872 takes new shape in Mr. Spears's boa,
because he happens to observe remarkable A.
feet in the later naval warfare " the unl,x
States. British authors explain the misfortune,
Of the War OF 1872 by constant reference 10 "A.
superiority OF the new American ships in gun,
and weight OF metal thrown American au,ho,
all agree on this point with their adversane.
but both Mr. Macliy and Mr. Spears show TIA,
the British scornci the new American ships ,u
after they had TO fight them.
They we're warned in time but lacked "a.
wisdom TO take the warning h heart. Then ID,
Americans add that it not tho quantity #
shot and shell which decided he battles bu,
the accuracy with which the American gun,
were served Mr. Maclay dYclis on this poa,
and Mr.. Spears hulls those British SHIPS over
again with such persistencv MAT D. would seen
as If nobody ever could forget the lesson Ana
| the lesson is needed Mr.. Spears mes 20 n.
/ moral Of ii with a vicious slap a. the naya
gunncry Of the civil War. one IL reminded O,
that South African Dutchman's remark that
nobody missed in his country when cartridges
cost sixpence When America Was poor her
gunners wasted little ammunition. but after sae
was rich they did considerable shooting al ran.
dom. In some the C0nfederates showed
that they had a better hold On the traditions y
the Navy in this respect than thor rivals. THIS
appears to have been the case m particular With
the fight which in A single day revolution.Ed
the whole theory of warfare a. sea. The nen
on the Merrimac conceded that. II he Monitor
had steadily hammered away Al some chosen
spot in the enemy's armOr. the battle would not
have ended it did. while 1T was precisely the
beiated attempt Of the rebels TO DO this tina,
disa blcd Worden and sent the Monitor out Of the
| fight
Mr. Spears. in reviewing the history of expert
ments in submarine navigation. shows lha, a..
tempts at solving this problem began ~ Ameri-
ca almost at the same time with 'h- origin =
the Navy. The Navy dates from 40 and Il
was in 1177 that David Bushnell devised sub
marine boat large enough to hold man and %
carry a torpedo containing 100 pound ~ powder,
and stanch enough O. - under Nl'. r remain
there long as the operator desired and re-
/ turn to the surfac" in -afety Another lateral
subject. the history Of American Irit ateers. 5
| treated at length. Piltatter- SUI. -.I-i "a
different relation 10 the American Niyy than %
any other. The United states have never gwen
up the right to authorize private Vessels 10
make war. just a. Grrat Britain has never
formally reiinqush,d thu RICH, - scar alien
ships for British scamen. Under certain lnd-
tons it is possible that both nations Nigh, gan
resort t. these obsolete practices The remark
able development of naval war IN inland waters
! which was characteristic ~ the Civil Wa fills
the better part Of volume Meyer hal there
been such battles on rivers 90 all history As were
! witnessed by the Mississippi ana rs trihu'lreS
Never before were forts On land treated With
contempt by passing ships II war a. IN The con-
nct Of 81. \ thousand years from now people
will read how Uncle Sans web feet carried
ships over almost dry land with the same IN
| tcrest that past ages have studied me Persian
bridge over the HelespOnt. 1t is not given 20
every nation. even the greatest. I'D START an Az
soutely new chapter IN human experience, OUT
Americans did this on the Father u waters
Mr. Spearss narrative has the ait antige Ot
pictorial commentary in the copies OF a aeres d
paintings by Admiral walker These arr the
records Of an eyewitness. In fact. nearly Al
the important illustrations u these volumes
have this value. They are memorandums taken
on the spot and they show that American na'a
wars have been pretty we'll teliret'ri. even
though it be true that The war - CHINA ana
japan was the first to De Systematically phoN
graphed.