Evening star., 1898-08-27
ENGLAND LEARNS LESSONS,
Some of the Revelations of the His
paHO-Americnn War.
From tho Iondon Mail

panO-Americnn War.
From the London Mail
The first and most significant lesson of
the war between Spain and the United
States has been ths danger of an obsolete
armament. At Manila the Spaniards may
have been badly commanded, but they GER
tainly did hot want courage. With pluck
and moderate amount of luck they ought
to have accounted for a good many more
than eight American wounded, when their
own butchers bill was GA. Yet they killed
not a single American, and inflicted the
most trivial damage upon Admiral Dewey's
ships.
The explanation is their guns were old
and weak. They ware breechloaders it is
true, but breechloaders Of an ancient pat
tern, and so the Spanish ships were torn to
pieces and the Spanish seamen slaughtered
without the possibility of injuring their op-
ponents-
British fleet. England has ships on her
eHecuYe list armed with guns of an even
Older and more obsolete pattern than those
which disgraced Admiral Montejo's squad
ron and brought defeat upon his flag She
has, that is to say, the famous muzzle-load-
ers, which in any other fleet would long
ago have been relegated to the museum
But the British are a conservative people,
e<i'A tiio Ol is a con-
servative institution.
By the latest return of British warships
there are no less than forty-three shins
armed with muzzle-loaders in the British
navy.
The muZzIe-loadng gun was abandoned
by the British admiralty as far back as
lSoO-eighteen years ago-and ought long
ago to have vanished from all our ships 1t
was abandoned because it was inferior in
power, accuracy, rapidity of fire and ease
OF handling to the breechloader Power. ac-
curacy, rapidity of fire and ease of handling
In guns represent exactly those features
which decide battles.
How bad the muzzle loader Is docs not
seem to be realized by British citizens
few figures may give soma clear idea:
Nlne-inch muzZle-loader pisrces II inches
OF armor and strikes blow capable of lift
Ing 1851 tons one foot.
Six-inch quick-irer of newest nattern
p!eree5 u inches of armor and strikes a
blow capable Of lifting 1850 tons one foot.
And the modern gun weighs little more
than half the old gun, can be fired ten times
for the muzzle-lcader's once and is. with
out exaggeratIon, three times as likely to
fit the target.
Certainly the English are q conservative
race. Their seamen may be braye-an6 xva
know that they are braye-but I sbudder at
the rate of men who are ssnt out with nine
inch muzzle-loaders to meet ships armed
with six-inch quick-frers or guns even bet
ter. For the new French guns are as good
as, If not better than, syen the British hest
They have been adopted by Russia as the
finest quick-frers existing.
England will pay for this neglect some
day. One fine morning war will come and
she VIII wake to the fact that ona-fourth
OF her battle ships are useless. or worse
than useless, since she has counted upon
them and Imagined that they were fit and
ready for service
She will pay for her neglect in the slaugh
ter of British seamen and in ships captured
by the enemy. And then perhaps she will
discover that Bismarck spoke the truth
when he said. '1f we have to risk the life
blood OF our men against our enemies In
tie field We are bound to give them the best
weapons that money and science can pro-
vide"