The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-13
Modem Naval Engagements.


Naval fights in these days OF arTnored
ships would not be conducted on the oao
plan. Formerly the tactics most APPROX
ed brought the adversarieS close sosetnei-
The maneuvsring was to get the Wse'Ae.
gage OF the enemy. Seamanship eooneeu
for much in securing choice of position
Then guns were fired in broadsides. As
soon as an opening TO Go SO presenter
itself boarders lsaped over the eu4NsrAS
and hand 10 hand conflicts resulted MUS
kerry, as on land. picked OF and Glsao4eu
the crew. It was = musket ball that XIII
ed Nelson. Naval warfare IS now taSsot
incuIcates first OF all the principle that
the ship is to be Unanswered so as 20 hFe
at the enemy when she presents the great
est mark meanwhile keeping such a po-
sition as 10 present the smallest marx Iot
the enemy. There being no expectation o.
doing execution at q greater distance hIe
would be reserved until the batt!esaipS
were a mile and q half apart Cruisers
would approach each other within 4 mile
The great guns would then open fire
There are but two on each side of bat
tIeship that could be used in broadsice-
II is not expected that az this distance
a single shot, however well planted, would
disable a ship. The shot might pass clean
through but without much danger or
hurting the machinery. and 10 chance at
all of hitting the magazine. The battle
opening in this manner would he COR
tinued by such changes OF the course of
the ship as would give her the advantage
| Of position One or the other OF the COM
batants, perhaps both at once would seek
| to close Up the distance. Within range
of mile or less the smaller guns would
| begin to fire. Sharpshooters in the top
nests would try 20 pick of men as they
| saw them on deck. A furious artillery
duel would open. At the half-miie dis
| lance torpedoes would become effective.
and that branch OF gunnery would begin
| its work. If in the exchange OF these
! shots it became evident that one ship or
| the other was getting the worst OF II ana
her means of offense or defense seriously
weakened, the one in best condition might
| seek to ram and sink the enemy. 9th
| erwise there would be no attempt TO come
to close quarters, but the guns would
play away from the half mile distance I'M
til something happened. All sorts or
| things in the way of destruction could
| happen in such a fierce contest, as was
| shown by the battle OF the Yalu between
the fleets of China and Japan. Ships
| would take fire and half the fighting men
would struggle 10 put IL out. All the time
| destruction would get in it's bloody WORK
| on vessel and on crew. To sink, 10 sur
render, 10 turn tail and try TO escape and
| to come off mangled and disabled-aIl TINS
might pass on after an hour OF battle.
If no men were lost, II no ships were
DESTROYED or even damaged, II would cost
s.. coo 600 or 50, 000, 900 for ammunition alone
TO fight a first-class battle with modern
arms and projectiles, and large part
Of the SO, 900. 900 appropriated will go foI
powder and shot. An ordinary allowance
of ammunition for one of the big guns
costs about as much as the gun Itself
and any one can realize that we VIII need
an enormous amount Of powder before oul
navy goes to war. for 1t takes nearly hall
a ton every time one of the big thirteen
inch guns is fred. There were 80 tons
of powder on the Maine when she went
down, and her magazines were only nan
filed The big battleships and the hrst
rate cruisers should never go into actor
without a supply of from 500 10 ~ IONS
or, say, an average of zoo. There are
eleven OF these battleships. which. to-
gether require 200 tons. Then there are
sixteen second-rate ships which ought e
have 500 tons each in their magazines, OF
a. total of 5000 tons; forty-two third rate
ships which should have at least 300 tons
each. or a total of $500 tons. and sever
fourth-rate ships which should have ~
tons each. or a total of 400 tons. Without
counting the torpedo boats, IL requires
about 80. 900 tons of powder 20 All the mag
azines of our navy before it would be safe
TO send the ships into action. The sea
coast defenses, with their monstroui
eight, ten and twelve-inch guns require
several times as much. The four-incf
rapid-fre rifle requires sixteen pounds o.
powder 70 carry n projectile weighing
thirty-three pounds four miles. The i've
inch gun requires twenty-five pounds. th'
six-inch rife fifty pounds. the eight-incl
rife 250 pounds, the ten-inch 500 pounds
and il costs $1,000 every time one OF tn
thirteen-inch rifles IS fired There arr
four of these guns each on the oattesnipi
Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts and ore