New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-04
GERMAN NAVAL PLANS.

The German Emperor is 10 have his ships.
The Navy bill has been adopted by the Relchs
tag What bargain was made with the Centre
for its support has not yet been revealed froD'
ably the price paid was a large one. The cain
Ole members held the key Of the whole situa-
ton. and they have hitherto manifested no
readiness to sell out save ut their own price
The action Of the Emperor in Selling Chinese
province reparation for the murder of two
Catholic missionaries, and his building OF
Catholic church in memory OF Them may have
gone some distance toward placatng the cath
Ollie members II will not b. surprising how
ever TO find that some marked concessions 10
tie Jesuits in Germany itself are also to be
made.
However that may he. It IS OF interest 10 OBJ
serve the way in which the work Of naval cX-
mansion is 10 be carried out. IIcnceforth only
three classes Of ships are 10 be built. apart
from torpedo boats cOast-defence ships, etc.
and these are 10 be exactly uniform in each
class so that a man who Is familiar with The
operation Of one will be equally familiar with
the operation OF any other. and the guns and
machinery Of all will be- interchangeable. That
plan Il will be remembered was recently adj
vocated by some OF the foremost naval authori-
ties in France II certainly has much to com
mend It. and 1t does not appear that 1t has any
serious defects The German Navy will be the
first to put II into practical execution. and VIII
thus maintain It's reputation for being the most
up -toda,c Of all the nayics OF Europe
The three classes are 10 be battle ships. big
cruisers and small cruisers. or gunboats. De-
signs for all three are now being prepared, and
those for the big cruisers are now about com
onH,, Ia of = M
Il 900 horsepower respectively. $50 tons more
and Q 400 horsepower less than the New York.
They are TO be 1903 feet 6 inches long and 90
feet . inches wide. or II feet longer and
Inches narrower than the New-York. Their
speed IS 10 be about the same. 90 10 u knots.
They are each TO carry two u centimotrc- say
9ig-inch- guns in a revolving turret Ten 10
ccniimeirc-6-incll-and ten Ss-ceniimere- 3ie-
lnch-guns in broadsdes ten 3.lccntimctrc-
1ih-inch- machine guns. and three torpedo-tubes
That means a much heavier armament than the
New.York has. though only half a. many tor
ped0-tubcs Each ship viii have triple screws
the NewYorl has only double and carry
complement OF 5i3 officers and men. against
the New-York's 4S4.
These will be formidable ships. II the smaller
cruisers shall he comparably strong. and the
battle-shps proportonately powerful for Of
fence and defence. the Gerpan Navy will be
entitled to high rank for efficiency. The bill
just enacted provides that there shall be one
flagship OF the feet, two squadrons Of eight
battle ships each and six big and sixteen small
cruisers for home and three big and ten small
cruisers for foreign waters. Besides these.
there shall be in reserve two battc-ships and
three big and four small cruisers. There are
now built or building twelve OF the eighteen
battle-ships. ten Of the fifteen biz and twenty
three of the twenty nine small cruisers. All
the rest are to be completed by the end Of
1903, and thereafter all the battle-ships are 10
he renewed every twenty five years. all the big
cruisers every twenty years and all the small
cruisers every fifteen years TO carry out this
scheme sum not exceeding Sli5.275 900 Is TO
be Appropriated during the next six years BY
the end Of the sexlcnnatc therefore, the En-
peror will have a fine new fleet. equal in
strength to one of the minor subdivisions Of
the feet Of that "Modcrn Carthage" whose sea
power he vainly desires 10 rival.