The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-21
FASTER WAR VESSELS
Bids to Be Opened for Three
New Ships.
TO BUILD ANOTHER MAINE
An Interview With Commodore Mel
willie, of the Bureau of Steam En-
EinccrinE, Setting Forth How
Higher Speed VIII BE Secured.
The Recent French Maneuvers.

Ten days hence the Government Will
open the bids for building the new bat
tleships Maine, Missouri and Ohio. What
gives the event almost extraordinary in
terest Just now is the recent announce
nnent of Secretary Long that preference
will be given TO such bids as guarantee
the highest rate of speed" In a word,
the Government is waking up TO the fact
that faster armorclads are necessary, If
We are to keep pace with the naval prog
ress in other parts of this planet. Il is a
fact that there are nearly seventy big
battleships of other nations which have
speeds Of from Il to 20 knots an hour,
while Uncle Sans ships of the same
class can steam only l5 Knots. Hence it
IS imperative that our vessels should go
faster if we ever hope to get within fight
ing range of the French, German or Rus
sian battleships in case of war.
The truth is to use a homely phrase,
Uncle Sam must
Get up and dust.
While we have reason to be proud of
our achievements in the Spanish war,
and while We congratulate ourselves that
our battleships chased and captured Ger
vera's cruisers, and that a converted
yacht sunk two OF SPANS torpedo boat
destroyers, we cannot shut our eyes TO
the fact that England, France, Russia,
Italy and Germany are all taking steps
10 secure swifter squadrons With Ha-
waii. Porto Rico and perhaps the Phil
ippines on our hands, TO say nothing of
Cuba and our own coast defenses, we
have pretty big responsibility resting
upon US now. Already we have had the
Santiago and Manila victories. and plan
ned a Mediterranean voyage for our YES
sells. so that the 'flogic of events" is
literally driving into the different
grand divisions of the globe.
1t follows from this that a mere pro-
tective policy on our part requires greater
speed in our ships, IL we are not to bring
up the rear in the worlds naval process
sion. Indeed, the progress in higher
speed has been so marked Of late that our
''first-class'' battleship OF 16 knots is real
" second class, as gagged by European
standards. So that we must look to our
laurels and keep the pace at least. If we
do not set it, for the navies of other ma
tons.
Curiously enough, Italy seems to have
appreciated the value of swift vessels
some years ago. Her celebrated Sardegna
Of 20 knots speed does not satisfy her now
hno she mas contracted Tor 2l-knOt ships.
This bit Of news has just reached the
Navy Department, and has started the
authorities to thinking.
Japan has a ship being built which is
expected to get over the water at a %
knot rate, and the Chilean o'Higgins'
speed is generally known to be % knots
an hour.
England has something like thirty-three
ffrst-class battleships that have a speed of
from IL 10 Is knots an hour. She is de-
termined to lead the nayies of the world,
and hence has some sixteen new vessels
coming along, of which four are launched,
five are building and seven not yet COM
menced. Speed will be the sine qua non
in the construction of these ships. That
John Bull is terribly in earnest in this
matter is shown by the recent discus
sion in Parliament over the navy appro-
priations, and also by her new construc-
ton for one year, viz: Seven battleships,
eight cruisers. four gunboats and twelve
destroyers, the whole costing &15, 000, 900,
or. in our money, S75, 100000.
The latest advices received by the Navy
Department from abroad indicate that
there is a considerable stir among the
various admiralty offices since the Span
ish fight at Santiago. AL feel now that