The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-17
NAVY OF THE JApS
1T WILL RECEIVE A VALUABLE
ADDITION IN THE BATTLE
SHIP kASAGI.
TO BE LAUNCHED BY CRAMPS.
oNhh oNE OF MANY NEW VESSELS
BUILDING FOR THE ORIEN
TAILS.
JAPAN BECOMING FORNID.R1E
In TWO Years She VIII Rank Fourth
Among Maritime Ma
lions.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. Jan. 16-Tls>
launching of the Japanese ~arshin
kasagf which is being built at Cramps'
shipyard, will take place on Thursday
at noon The Kasagi is the most i'm
portaHt ship ever built In the United
States for foreign account and is the
nrst foreign warship launched in this
country since the Zobiaca in 1878.
In compliance with requests for in
formation that are coming to him from
all over the country, Charles II. Cramp.
the builder of the ship, today gave the
following interview to the Associated
Press:
The Kasagi Is a protected twin
screw cruiser, or commerce DESTROYER.
or the latest and most approved tyne
and design in her class She is built
throughout of mild steel Of the United
states navy standard. Her model Is
calculated primarily for high speed; the
contract guarantee being 22h knots as
the mean of six runs back and forth
over measured course OF ten nau-
teal miles. She is powered with two
four-cylinder vertical inverted direct
acting triple expansion engines driv-
ing twin screws. Steam is supplied by
ers, provided with st. John CRATE and
bearer bar, and the machinery calcula-
lions contemplate a maximum collec-
tive indicated horse power of about
1000.
The KaSagt Is one among a large
number of ships of various types and
classes embraced in the new naval pro-
gramme of japan. A sister ship to her
On ha
others of various classes up to IA 500
ton battleships, either in England,
France or Germany or in Japans own
dockyard at Yokosuka. 1t is worth
while to call attention to the fact that
she is a representative of the most
marvellous and formidable naval devel-
opment of this age; a development that
is rapidly bringing into front rank
among civilized naval powers a nation
the ports of which were first opened to
commerce through the fundamentally
OF an American naval expedition clear
ly within the memory of men not yet
past middle age. From this point of
view alone her launching is an event
worth remembering in the history of
American ship building.
When the fleet Of which the Kasagf
is an important factor shall be
completed, an event not more than two
years off at the farthest, Japan will
rank as the foremost naval power in
the Pacific ocean, and, generally
speaking, nearly If not quite third in
rank among the naval powers of the
world. She will certainly outrank in
the all-round sense all but England,
France and Russia; and so far as the
Pacific ocean is concerned will be far
superior to all except perhaps Eng
land. and 1t is doubtful if even England
could, with due regard to her require
ments in her own waters or in the
Mediterranean and the defense of her
commerce, spare naval force enough
for concentration on the Pacific to
equal In that ocean the new Japanese
navy Of which the Kasagl is a factor.
This superiority is due not so much to
the mere number Of the vessels Japan
is building as to the fact that they
are of carefully selected types; all Of
the most approved construction and
highest attainable efficiency. The men
who operate the material of this force
have demonstrated by their behavior
in the late war and as evidenced by
the professional skill and ability they
displayed In the work of supervising
vessels under construction that they
have no odds to ask in that respect Of
the naval officers Of any power In
short, the whole naval policy Of Japan
as represented to Americans by the
object lesson of the Kasagi is one
which nations far older in the arts OF
Western civilization would do well TO
emulate. Failure to emulate or keen
up with 1t may in the not distant fu-
ture bring some of them 10 humiliation
and defeat.
"The principal dimensions, qualities
and armament Of the Kasagi are as
follows: Length on water line
374 feet inches; breadth, 48 feet
inches: depth 80 feet inches,
draught, II feet inches; displacement,
1900 tons; speed, 221a knots; armament
two 8-inch breech-loading rifles, ter
12-centimeter Tor 4.7-inch) rapid fire
guns, twelve 12-pounder rapid fire
guns, six 47-millimeter Hotchkiss
rapid fire guns.
1.-The ceremonial attendant upon the
launching Of the ship will be exclu-
sively in the hands of the Japanese
minister, and the affair viii be con-
Quoted in accordance with the customs
Of the Japanese in such matters On
the part Of the Cramp company there
will be no special provision for guests,
but the ship yard will be open TO the
public at the time Of the launching"