The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-28
SIS. INFANrA MAnIA TERESA, U.s.N.

S.. INFANTA MARIA TERESA, U.s.N.
The navy has now been increased by
the addition of large and capable YES
sci which has not heretofore appeared in
any appi opriation bill The vessel re-
ferred to 10 the armored cruiser Infanta
Maria Teresa, formerly Of the Spanish
navy. and lately of schley's naval grave
yard along the coast west of Santiago.
Hobson has resurrected her, the breath of
new life will be blown into her nostrils
and she win go forth to a new, and it is
10 be hoped, prosperous career under the
Stars and Stripes.
There is a rule in the navy that repairs
shall not be made 10 a vessel if the ex-
pense will be greater than a certain per-
centage of the original cost of the craft.
1t IS said that the Teresa could be re-
paired and placed in first-class condition
under that rule; but even if such were
not the case, the proba bilities are that
the rule would be suspended and the yes
sci would be rehablitated for sentitnen-
tai reasons.
The Teresa was pretty heavily pounded
during the fight She was struck twenty
is a complete wreck. But the Teresa was
more fortunate than her sister ship, in
that she suffered no disastrous internal
explosion, while the Vizcaya was torn by
the explosion Of her own torpedOes. No
vital part of the Teresa was seriously hurt
by the shot and she'll She was the first
to strike her colors and make for the
beach, but that was because of fire on
board rather than damage 90 hull or ma
chinery from the shots of the Americans.
The armor is said to be practically unin-
jured, and the hull is in good shape except
for a hole in the bottom pounded through
by the rocks on which she was beached.
According to the American rule of class
ifcation, Lieut.. HobsOn rates the Teresa
as a battleship of the second-class, the
class of the Texas and the destroyed
Maine. She is of 1900 tons displacement,
or nearly 700 tons heavier than the Texas.
She is $40 feet long by 65 feet beam, or
nearly the size of the great New York,
and her speed was about 10 knots under
forced draught. Her hull is of mild steel,
and she is protected by an armor belt
twelve inches thick and five feet wide ex-
tending over nearly her whole length at
the water line. The decks are armored,
and curve below the water line, both for
ward and aft. She mounted two 11-inch
modern breech loading rifles in her tur-
rets and ten So inch rapid-fire rifles on
the broadsides, besides a number of g.
Founders and other small calibre rapid
fire pieces. She has a coal capacity of
105O tons, and a steaming radius of 800
miles without recoaling. At the time of
the battle she was almost new vessel.
having been launched in 1890 at Bilbao
where she was built by an Anglo-Spanish
firm after the most modern plans for high
class cruisers.
1t is said in Washington that the ma
jority of sentiment seems to be in favor
of entering the ship into our naval lists
under her original name. 1t is to be
hoped that opinion will govern. No other
name that could be selected for her would
mean so much to the American people
AS the Infanta Maria Teresa, she would
be not only a valuable addition to our
navy, but a perpetual reminder of the
prowess of the American ships and gun
ners off Santiago on July 3, 1898.