The San Francisco call., 1898-03-07

thickness, ' feet in depth. extending $50 feet and terminating with 6-inch bulkheadS. A curved armored deck 112 to inches thick protects the machin- cry. The coal bunkers, with a capac- ity of 1850 tons, are above the protective deck, and add to the protection of the ship. The armament is entirely Els wick Quick-firing guns, and consists of two S-inch-one forward and one aft with S-inch shields; sixteen 6-inch, with 41a-inch shields, four of which are on the flying deck firing forward and aft, and twelve are in broadside on the up- per deck. The secondary battery con- sists of eight 12-pounderS ten 6-pound- CTS and four Maxim guns. She has also a bow torpedo tube, and one on each side. The steaming efficiency of the ship may be realized from the fact that she made little over 23 knots ur- der natural draught. The gun trials, prior to acceptance, took place Decem- Der 16, 1896, and among other tests one 8-inch and four 6-inch guns were fired simultaneously in the line of the keel, the guns being laid level, both ahead and astern. The Esmeralda would be a good bargain at s, 100000, and would look better under the Stars and Stripes than under the flag of San JagO.
 As for the O'Higgins building at Elswick since January, 1897, this ship is not likely to be so near completed as to be wanted for immediate use, for even the Elswick Company with it's un- surpassed facilities would not undertake to build and complete a battleship of $500 tons in less than two years un- less war prices were paid. The O'Hig- gins Is 400 feet by 62 feet, and draught of 9 feet. The horse power is to be 165O0, and the speed 21A knots under natural draught. The hull pro- lection is a Harveyized steel belt ' inches thick. The armament will in- clude four 8-inch, ten 6-inch and four 4.7-inch. all quick-firing guns, and the smaller guns consist of eight 12-pound- CTS, ten 6-pounders and four broadside submerged torpedo tubes. The gun po- 6-inch nickel steel.
 Another noted and desirable Chilean ship is the Blanco Encalada, protect ed cruiser of APO tons. She is of the same type but larger than the Yoshino, Japanese cruiser, also built at ElsWick. She was launched in Sep tember, 1893, and underwent her steam trials without a hitch, in June 1894 and delivered within the contract time of two years. Her horsepower Is 14,- 800, speed under natural draught dur ing twelve hours continued steaming was 21% knots. The armament is two 8-inch-one on poop forward and one
 
 firers in sponsons of which three on each broadside and two in the bows and two in the quarters, twelve B. pounders, twelve 1-pounders, five tor pedo tubes and one torpedo boat of the third class. The protective deck is 1% inches on the flat, 41a inches on the slopes and the coming tower is inches thick
 The foregoing brief descriptions of the salient noints in notable and desir- able naval vessels will give some idea of the requirements of a navy. In the absence of accurate information as to what the Governments of this country and Spain are contemplating in the purchasing of ships it is needless to describe other vessels not yet spoken of. If we are to purchase ships we should. however, get the best in the market, and the purse of Uncle Sam is in a far better plethoric state than any other country to allow bargains to slip away. With the Chinese cruisers and torpedo boats and the Chilean ships added to our existing navy we should be able to meet Spain on more than equal terms and acquire some of that country's armored cruisers and torpedo crafts