The times., 1898-01-17
Light on the Navy.

An interesting side light is thrown
upon our naval problem by a recon-
mendation sent to Congress on Satur-
/ day by the Secretary of the Navy. ask
ing for $4,000 for improvements in the
battery OF the Chicago. Accompanying
/ the recommendation was report from
! Assistant Secretary Roosevelt which is
well worthy OF public consideration.
Mr.. Roosevelt calls attention to The
fact that the Chicago is being rebuilt
at cost greater than the contract
! price for her original construction. He
says: There may be a legitimate ques-
ton as 70 the policy of rebuilding an
old ship at such cost. but if rebuilt
at all the job should be done thorough
ly. 1t IS better by far TO have a SMALL
/ er number of ships first class and equal
TO any foreign ships as regards their
batteries rather than nave a larger
number of ships really inferior to for
eign ships that are nominalIy their
equals. Then Mr. Roosevelt contin-
/ ues. conveying some information which
I we reproduce, because it is impnrtant
that the country should have and nom
2 NANi bht1 IL
81 rliestly wish we could wit thdrav from
actiNe service the cruisers fitted with sloyy
lire guns and substitute SHIPS with ranid
fire batteries 'l'''
Al present the real fighting efficiency of
shps IKE The Raleigh. Cincinnati Ma rhIa-
heAd, Montgomery and Olympia comma rod
with foreign vessels of the same nominal
class, stands high. Wilde the reverse is the
case OF SilpS Ike the Baltimore. san Fran
cisco ana Yorktown.
have Just been talking with Capfain Cot.
ton, who commanded the PhiladelDnia when
she lay side by side with the japanese
cruiser Naniwa at Hawaii. In event of
fight the Naniwa's possibility of efficiency
probably would have been twice as great.
The Phiiadelphia's twelve 6-inch guns
were OF the old fashioned slow-fire type
six in broadside. Against these the Nanj,ya
would have pitted her two 10-inch pivot
guns anu three of her six rapid-fire 6-inch
guns From three guns alone her skilled
crews would get more than double the
volume OF fire than it would have been
possible to obtain from the six guns of the
Philadelphia.
The place of the Philadelphia was taken
by the Baltimore. The latter would have
pat two S-inch guns, Old fashioned slow
type, against two 10-ineh guns of the
Naniwa andpU in broa (lSide three slow-fire
6-inch guns against the three rapid-fire guns
OF small caliDSr on the japanese ship.
II hoStihties had occurred and we had
lost a ship like either of these in a single
fight with another snip of the same nom
inai force we could never erase its mem
ory from our ma tional records
1t must be patent to every thinking
American that we have reached a point
as a nation when we must make ear
nest efforts, and sacrifices, if necessary.
to place our navy upon terms of equal
ity with other nations. Japan will be
vastly superior to us in sea power in
a very short time. Germany's naval
program viii place her ahead of us
within seven years Something ought
to be done about it.
If we could purge the pension list
of its fraudulent beneficiaries and save
money useIessly appropriated every
year for the Improvement of worth
less mud fats, creeks and branches.
the nation would have money enough
to enter upon a program of naval ex-
Iansion that. in a comparatively short
time, would put us upon terms of
equality with England on the ocean.
II is simply shameful to think that
our Pacific feet had nothing to offer
for the protection Of Hawaii that the
Japanese cruiser there could not have
Knocked to the bottom without trou-
bic.