The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-13
From the Philadelphia Ledger.

tons; II. p, horse power; X, knots.
The Azor has three torpedo tubes and all
the others two. Each of the destroyers
carries two 12-, two g., and two 1-pound-
ers, and the torpedo boats carry four
S-pound quick-hre guns The Juror
and Terror are sisters as are the Ariete
and Rayo. They are all twin-screw boats
excepting the Azor. The Pluton's speed
given here as thirty knots, is taken from
a list complied when that boat was still
building. Whether it makes thirty knots
or not is immaterial in counting the speed
of the journey from the Cape Verde ISL
ands to Porto Rico, because the speed of
the flotilla must be held down to that of
the slowest boat, probably the Culdad de
Cadiz on which the fleet relies for coal.
The speed given it, in each case, the yes
sells highest record.
The maximum speed of the vessels of
the flying squadron a Hampton Roads is:
Protected cruiser Columbia, 22S knots
Protected cruiser Minneapolis, % Z knots
Armored cruiser Brooklyn, 20 knots
Battleship Massachusetts, Is knots
Battleship Texas, II knots
The squadron, or the three cruisers at
any rate, could reach the Windward Is
lands, east of Hayti, before the Spanish
1otilla reached there, but the question of
which fleet would come out best would be
settled largely by chances.
The torpedo boat has had its exact pro-
totype in some of the demons of mytholo-
gy-terrible at night, but not difficult to
overcome in broad daylight On the
chance of meeting in the dark or in day
light might depend the existence of three
beautiful and expensive cruisers
A naval officer who had been trained on
torpedo boat and who knew as much
or the dangers ana chances of that stvle
OF warfare as peace practice could teach
him, said the other day thsr If the cruis-
ers met the f1otilla out at sea in daylight
the torpedo boats would be at the mercy
of the guns on our vessels IL would b,.
hard to tell just what might happen.
The boats could not harm the cruisers
for reason that is not generally under
stood by those who think of the torpedo
BOAT as a foe that is DO be feared Under
any circumstances. Torpedo boats have
no submarine tubes, and can have none.
a. TACT which is explained by their very
nGht draught. All tornedoes are fired
from tubes on the deck of the boat and
10 load, aim and fire one of them. four
men must be exposed for several minutes
10 the flre OF any vessel that may be
near. Before the torpodoes could be aim
ed and fired the mem at the ouick fire
rifles on the cruisers would be able 10
kill off the torpedoers,
me Furor, Terror and the others with the
herce names would, therefore have their
choice OF lying to and being taken I'm tow
by the cruisers, or OF turning tail and
taking chances of being sunk before tboy
escaped. They would have to leave their
transport anyhow with that sunn6rt
gone they would find their furnaces get
ting hungry and cold, and they would be
huhqreds OF miles out at sea, perhaps.
Inc destroyers carry only 100 tons of coal
and the first-class bDats Is tons. rhev
would probably choose to surrender II
they were cool enough to calculate tha
chances.
But all this is only based on the suppo-
sition that the cruisers should meet tbe
fiotilla In the daytime. A meeting at night
might reverse the conditions A war shin
may be bold and brave enough in daylight
but in the dark she trembles like an Gle
plant who has reason to think he is
threatened by mouse. The night Is the
torpedo boats hunting time. All day long
il will follow big ship watching Its smoke
and keeping just out of sight over the
horizon, and at night will locate ats prey
and will swooD down silently to launch a
torpedo at the vessels side, unless IL Is
discovered in time. The point in favor of
black night the torpedo boats might pass
within one mile of them and not see
them. If the cruisers were out for the
purpose of stopping the f1otilla IL Is not
probable that they would run at full speed
at night. because IL would do them no
good; they couldn't hope to find such
small boats in the dark They would be
more likely to bank fires and steam along
slowly All the lights would be out, ana
Ia fOrnpdO heats would have LITTLE chance
of finding them.
The torpedo boat is an enemy that must
never be despised, but the American fleet,
II it were sent out to stop the fiotilla,
would stand a very good chance of doing
what 1t was sent to do and coming home
again safe and sound. Whether the navy
department would send out three such ex-
pensive cruisers on such a task, or would
send the torpedo boats now at Key West.
the Winslow Cushing, ,Foote, Ericsson,
Porter and Dupont out to have try at
them with their one FOUNDER rapid fire
guns is another question.
I The cruisers are about the most suitable
ships for the purpose because there are
no destroyers to match the Spanish boats
at least none that are out of the shipbuild-
ers' hands, and the boats of the Key West
fiotilla are weaker in armament and small
ler In size than the Spanish. There are now
under way three destroyers, which will
have contract speed of thirty knots and
a displacement of 22e and $50 tons, as COM
pared to the 800 tons of the Juror and Ter
ror and the 400 of the Pluton.
The presence of the armored cruisers
Oquendo and Vizcaya at Porto Rico, and
the reported plan of sending other war
ships from Cadiz TO convey the torpedo flo
lila from the Cape Verde Islands would
make the question of stopping the torpedo
boats a much more complex one.
The torpedo crews duty. whether In the
Spanish or American navy, Is desperate
one. and II is with good reason that the
men who man the HItle boats consider
themselves, and are generally considered
in the navy the aristocracy Of the SER
vice. The torpedo boats are simply made
to be expended, and IL is a recognized prin-
ciple that In any war certain number OF
them must be hazarded and lost. II may
sound cold blooded but II Is true.
The little group of men that go out in
one OF them take their lives In their |
hands, and from the common danger |
springs a comradeship and esprit de |
corps that can only come OF great danger |
and great responsibility. That Is why the |
service is 50 eagerly sought The forms