Mesa free press., 1898-05-20
OUR NAVY IN A NUTSHELL
Interesting Facts Concerning Uncle
Sans Marine Fighting Power.


The United States Is the fifth naval
power in the world. The navies Of
Great Britain, France, Russia and Italy
rank ahead in the order named. Ger
many and the United States are about
tied.
Our present effective fighting force
consists of four battle ships, of the
first class. one battle ship Of the Sec
ond class, two armored cruisers, eigh-
teen cruisers, fifteen gunboats, six dou-
ble-turreted monitors, one ram, one dy-
Mantle gunboat, one dispatch boat, one
transport and eight torpedo boats.
The Iowa weighs nearly $4,000 tons,
and as twenty tons Is the average load
of freight car and twelve cars Is a
good load for locomotive engine, 1t
would take fifty locomotives to haul
the great steel structure.
The powder used is brown and in
chunks the size of caramel. A charge
for the biggest guns weighs 500 pounds
and Is hoisted to the breech by a der
rick, the powder being sewed up in
burlap bags.
Armor plates are tested by firing
steel projectiles weighing from 100 to
1900 pounds at them from guns charg-
ed with 500 pounds of powder and at a
distance of about a city block.
The biggest guns In the navy are for
ty-nine feet lang, big enough for a
man to crawl into; four feet in diane
ter at their largest part and weigh 1885,
500 pounds or thereabouts.
There are six rear admirals in active
service. The offices Of vice admiral
and admiral are untitled, so there is no
head Of the navy excepting Secretary
Long.
Barnacles form on the hull of ship,
impeding Its speed. A six months
cruise will decrease the speed of ship
Is per cent, and it must go into dry
dock.
Sixtyone merchant vessels belong to
the auxiliary navy. These ships are
subsidized and by contract must be
given to the United States ON demand.
Some of the gums in the navy can fire
a shot twelve miles, farther than q
man can see, for the guns are aimed
and sighted by machinery.
The amount expended by the navy
department. in 1897 was $34, ,561, ,546.
This is q larger sum than has been ex-
pended In any year since 1866.
In a battle the woodwork and arti-
cles of wood are either slowed below
or thrown overheard lest the men be
injured by splinters.
The origin Of the navy department
may be said to date from Oct. 13, 1775,
when Congress authorized the equip
ment of two cruisers.
The fastest vessels In the navy are
the torpedo boats Porter and Dupont,
each Of which can travel 27.5 knots an
hour.
Battle ships cost from $2,5OOOO0 to
So, 10000, and cruisers from 100000
to 100000. A good torpedo boat
costs over 100000
Battle ships are for the heavy work;
cruisers are commerce destroyers; mon
itors are useful only for coast defense.
The Indiana could lie outside Sandy
Hook and throw 1,2OO-pound shots in
to New York at the rate of four a min
ute.
their pictures Of naval battles are Who'll
~ wrong. SmOkeless powder Is used.
All Of the cruisers are named in hon.
or Of cities, and the battle ships, except
the Kearsarge, in honor of States.
The "grog' ration was abolished in
1868, and since then the crew has been
forbidden to drink while on duty.
Marines are the police ON board ship.
Originally they were employed to pre-
vent muttny among the sailors.
The guns Of battle ship can carry
from six to twelve miles, hurting shot
weighing half a ton.
Only 60 per cent. of the enlisted men
are Americans, and a smaller percent
age yet are native born.
Projectiles thrown by naval guns are
shaped much as the bullets shot by the
ordinary rife.
A big battle ship has on board an
electric plant capable Of lighting a
town of 5000 inhabitants.
The boilers Of the Iowa have heat
ing surface Of eight acres and hold thir-
ty tons of water.
Great Britain has 294 torpedoes and
torpedo-boat destroyers; Uncle Sam
has only eight.
Five hundred and twenty-six men
and forty officers are required to man
the cruiser New York.
Battle ships are covered with armvr
of nickel steel from five to seven inches
thick.
We have four armored battle ships
the Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, and
Texas.
A submarine tOTDedO boat IN no