The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-22
Washington Bureau ST. Paul GIo6s,
CoFcoron BUILDING.
Special to The St. Paul Globe.

Special to The st. Paul Globe
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21.-It will be
strange If the disaster which has over
taken the Maine should not lead TO a
revival OF the discussion begun several
years ago, while the Maine was still
a vessel OF the first class, over the
question whether the successive
changes of type in battle-ships has
been in the right direction, or whether
We should have stuck to the monitor
as basis. Herr Krupp, the famous
gun-maker, once announced himself the
leading peaeemaker in the world. He
reasoned ingeniously that, by increas-
ing the size and power of his guns so
as TO keep pace with the improvements
in marine armor and coast fortifca-
tons, he compelled the designers Of
these defenses TO change their ma
terfals and patterns constantly; and
the result must inevitably be that this
compulsory progress on both sides
would reach a point where It was be-
yond human ingenuity to go further
and then war must cease, because
either there would be no ordnance
capable OF overcoming the latest i'm
provements in defensive appliances, or
no defensive appliances capable of re-
ststing the latest improvements IN
ordnance. We certainly seem to be ex-
hausting the possibilities Of the battle
ship with our continual so-called i'm
proYements. The largest OF the YES
sells in the new navy of the United
States are unwieldy monsters The ac-
cidents which happen to them in the
ordinary course of their careers are too
often attributed to bad seamanship on
the part Of our naval officers Every
reader OF the foreign newspapers, how
ever, must have been impressed with
the fact that our officers make a very
fa1r showing in comparison with their
compeers OF other countries, who
have their accidents also. The question
we might best ask ourselves is not why
our navigatOrs are so inefficient, but
whether we have not given them noun
tainS 10 navigate instead of ships
Observation of the war between
China and Japan on the sea hardly en-
Courages the belief that the modern
Warship is as great a success IN it's way
as our naval Optimlsts would have US
believe. A ship which costs us SO, 900, 900
to build which one well-directed shot
transforms into a mere coffin for 500 or
400 men, does not meet all the require
ments of a fighting machine II the
armor on such a vessel were impreg-
nable there would be some excuse for
exposing so huge a surface to the
eremy's craftsmanship; but, as 1t Is,
a duel between ships of the modern
type reVerSes the conditions OF a duel
between men. A human duelist exposes
the narrowest side of his body to his
adversary. with the idea of affording
as Insignificant target as possible to
the latter's shot The warship. how
ever. offers a tremendous mark for her
antagonist, large or small; and the tor
pedo sent from a little vessel scarcely
visible above the water line can do
more damage IN two minutes to the big
snip than the huge guns Of the ship can
dc to its little tormentor in as many
hours. The big ship is vulnerable in
direct proportion to the area OF It's ex-
posed surface; it's movement is so pom
derous that a light and active adver-
sary has no great trouble in getting
out Of it's reach: and the little vessel