The record-union., 1898-01-17

launching Of the Japanese warship ka-
sagi, which was built at Cramps ship
yard, will take place on Thursday at
noon The Kasagi is the most import
ant ship ever built in the United States
for foreign account and is the first
foreign warship launched in this coun-
try since the Zobiaca, in 1873. In COM
pliance with requests for information
from all over the country Charles III.
Cramp to-day gave the following inter-
view to the Associated Press:
The Kasagi is a protected, twin
screw cruiser, or commerce destroyer
of the latest and most improved type,
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 guarantees being twenty-five
and a half knots as the mean of six
runs back and forth over a measured
course of ten nautical miles. She is
powered with two cylinder vertical in
verted direct acting triple expansion en-
gines, driving twin screws. Steam is
supplied by twelve single-ended cylin-
drical boilers provided with a st. John
CRATE and bearer bar and the machin-
cry calculations contemplate a maxi
mum collective indicated horse power
of about II 900. The Kasag is among
the large number of ships of various
types and classes embraced in the new
naval programme of Japan.
"A sister ship to her is building on
the Pacific Coast and others of various
classes up to IA ,SO0-ton battleships
either in England, France, Germany
or in Japan's own dockyard at Yoko-
suka. IT is worth while to call atten
ton to the fact that she is a repre-
sentative of the most marvellous and
formida BILE naval development of this
age; a development that is rapidly
bringing into front rank among civil
lied naval powers nation, the ports
of which were first opened to commerce
through the fundamentally of an
American naval expedition clearly
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 Ameri-
can shipbuilding.
When the fleet, of which the Kasagi
is an important factor, shall be COM
pleted, an event not more than two
years off at the farthest, Japan will
dilh as Tic lOISIliOSt naval pow eI III
the Pacific Ocean and generally speak
ing, nearly, if not quite third in rank
among the naval powers of the world
She will certainly outrank in the all
around sense all but England, France
and Russia, and so far as the Pacific
Ocean is concerned, will be far. super
ior to all except England, perhaps, and
it is doubtful if even England could,
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
Kasagi is a factor.
This superiority is due not so much
to the mere number of the vessels ia
pan is building, as to the fact that they
are OF carefully selected types. perfect
ly elaborated designs and wisely dis
tributed classes, all of the most APP
proved construction and highest attain
able efficiency
THE men who operate the material
of this force have demonstrated by
their behavior in the late war, and
evinced 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.
I'm 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 keep
up with it may in the not distant future
bring some of them to humiliation and
defeat.
The principal dimensions, qualities
and armament of the Kasagi are as
follows: Length on water line 374 feet
6 inches, breadth 4S feet inches. depth
30 feet 6 inches, draft Is feet 9 inches,
displacement 1900 tons, speed 221h
knots.
Armament, two S-inch breech load
ing rifles, ten 4.7-inch rapid fire guns,
twelve 12-pounder rapid fire guns, six
Hotchhiss rapid fire guns
The ceremonial attendant upon the
launching of the ship will be exclusive
ly in the hands Of the japanese Minis
ter, and the affair will be conducted in
accordance with the customs of the Jap
anese i'll such matters On the part
of the Cramp Company there will be
no special provision for guests. but the
ship yard will e open to the public at
the time of the launching.