The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-15

ships, IN which case they would be prl-
vateers to all intents and purposes.
Privateering has been an important
factor in naval warfare since the Eng
lish p~rivateers defeated the Spanish
armada. The amount of property de-
stroyed by British and American pri-
vateers during the Revolution and the
wal of 1872 was enormous. In the
wal of 1912 we lost 917 vessels to Brit
ish ships, and their value with their
cargoes is at not far from
$40. 900, 900. American privateers took
over 900 British merchantmen in this
war. The frightful havoc in British
m was caused by about go
ships. most of them, like the celebrated
Yankee, Rattlesnake and General Arm
strong, carrying but one gun each.
Long Tom" and a crew of about so
men. The damage done to British
shipping by these terrible sea hornets
rather than any victories on land or
over regular men-of-war brought the
war of 1872 to a successful close. But
i'm spite of our successes. the tonnage
of our ships on the Atlantic coast.
which had been 1,424, 1S3 in 1910. was
reduced to 1.159. 209 in 1914. Our mack
erel fisheries were almost totally de-
stroyed and not a single whaler re-
manned on the sea.
The bam i'm her short but men,
orable career burned 81 vessels and de-
stroyed property which the Geneva
convention estimated to have been
worth Sc, $50, 600. In addition a large
number of ships were taken and re-
leased for ransom. But three effective
ships were sent against the merchant
marine of the United States by the
confederates, yet the ships i'm our for
eign trade registered 2,4e6. 1874 tons in
1861 and the registry fell to 1,4S6, 900 tons
i'm 1864. This result was brought about
almost altogether by one ~privateer.
The Alabama was a steamer with a
displacement of about 1000 o and
| a draft of Il feet. Besides a broadside
of ~32-pounders. she carried one S-inch
| gun and one finch 100-pounder. These
guns were large enough to sink any
vessel then aioat. Her speed was un-
der IA knots. She was designed for
privateerine. and her bunkers held
| sufficient cold to last for Is days hard
steaming. Within herself she had the
means of making all repairs. She was
the ship that for two years defied the
| whole United States navy and evaded
nearly a score of cruisers that We're
| sent after her. 1t is not particularly
pleasant for American shipowners to
know that scores of such de-
stroyers may be let loose by Spain. But
conditions have changed since the AL
ALBANIA was the bogy of Yankee sea-
men. At the beginning of the civil war
our merchant marine consisted almost
wholly of sailing vessels. Not 10 per
cent of our ships in the foreign trade
were steamers. At present less thar
30 per cent of our merchantmen are
sailing vessels. This means that only
steamships of the highest speed-at
least 10 knots-can hope to be success
full privateers. There are something
over 100 steamships in the Spanish
merchant marine, and perhaps one
third of these may be converted into
fast cruisers. Two swift liners are
now in Spanish docks, and in a few
weeks they will appear as commerce
d~estroyers.
1t takes a fortune to purchase a pri-
avteer nowadays. and few people Will
care to risk a quarter of a million dol
lars i'm such a venture, SO that ii is
not probable that there will be a rush
by Spanish citizens to increase the
number of SPANS auxiliary war
ships" The clipper ships" of the be-
ginning of the century We're built at
small cost in a few months. and the
provisions once purchased there was
no expense to the owners for a year
or more. Steamships must take in coal
every five or six weeks, and coal costs
from SO to SIG a ton. An ordinary ship
burns 10 tons of coal a day. Besides.
the United States hopes to have coal
declared c~ontraband of war by Euro
pean nations. italy will not declare it
so. but England will undoubtedly re-
fuse to sell any coal to war vessels
| except t1oueH W Stt th'ih w NV Noi
est home port. This will seriously in
terfere with Spain's pr1vateering,
though il is difficult to see why Span
ish vessels at ewfoundland cannot
take on coal to bring them to Cuba
and Incidentally scour our Atlantic
seaboard on the journey.
But the prizes that might be taken
to-day are worth risking something
for. One of our large coasting steam
ers, not to mention the Atlantic lin
ers, is worth more than all the prizes
together of any n of the bic priva-
teers. But while most of the obstacles
TO successful privateering were over
come by the Alabama, there is one OBJ
stacle with which she did not have to
cope-the ocean telegraph. By means
of the submarine cables which now
connect most of the world a privateer
may be readily located by hostile cruz
sers. n moment she is sighted at a
port the news is flashed around the
world, and thus no snip. however
swift. can hope to escape pursuing
cruisers. Merchantmen also viii be
kent informed of the whereabouts OF
privateers and so may easily avoid
them.
While IL seems that the destruction
of ships of commerce will never again
be so great as it was in the days OF
sailing vessels before the nations OF
the earth were strung together on tel
egraph wires, and though Admiral
can take very good care or
the spanish navy. the waters or the
Atlantic will soon be dotted with Span
ish ships capable of making prizes or
all but our fastest steamships The
ships of the United States merchant
marine having more h 20 tons dis
placement are registered at 1880 2
tons. This includes 1,176 vessels in the
foreign trade and 1898 In the coast
trade. Besides these there are nearly
1 GOO vhalers and fishing ships. When
war was declared $50 large ships
mostly steamers) in the foreign trade
we're on the ocean, and a number OF
steam yachts. including the Valiant.
Mailman. Margarita, Arcturus and sui
tana. were in the Mediterranean or in
foreign ports. Spain had In the West
indies Il gunboats of from 100 TO 500
tons. and % mall g~unboats of from