The age-herald., 1898-07-28
THE PELAYO
 STAINS ONLY SHIP
From the Washington Times.


 At the time of the outbreak of the pres ent war with Spain mention was made of the formidable battleship Pelayo, but more acquaintance with the craft and the his tory of her late cruise to Suez and back has removed all feelings of anxiety and it is safe to say that not captain of one of our battleships would hesitate to attack the old vessel.
 In the Pelayo-her only battleship- Spain possesses a fighting ship which, in theory, at least, is formidable enough to call for all the mettle of our sailors and for the full power of our big ships II the Spaniards send her to this shore. We say 'in theory because there are several req sons why the Pelayo cannot be accepted off-hand as being effective as < great ship of her type, armor and armament natural ly should be.
 The qualifications as to her power ana usefulness against our battleships are her age the question as to the real speed Tn service conditions and the bearing Of her old-fashioned interior arrangements Tor the handling of the modern guns with which she is armed.
 In appearance she is a fine vessel. Her lines express enormous power and the number of her turrets and sponsons make her look like a dangerous craft to meet. If she is as able as the Spaniards believe she overmatches the American battleshlp Texas in all points. She has more armor than the Iowa and is faster than the In diana
 The disposition of her guns, especially in her main battery, is radically wrong and cannot be corrected. It was based on the French principle, hastily adopted py that hasty nation, of increasing the satety of each heavy gun by putting 1t into a turret or sponsor of it's own. That idea was good enough as far as reducing the danger of injury in action was concerned hut if had the serious disadvantage of re- ducing the offensive power of the battery. The Pelayo cannot concentrate her ire like any of our battleships, nor can she cover the same arc of fire without excess sive maneuvering.
 She carries four heavy guns in single barbettes, one forward. one aft, and the others sponsoned in each broadside. When she was built, away back in 1887, almost long. enough to deserve the title "ant- quated she was armed with the big Spanish-built Hontoria rifles of 11-inch and 12-inch caliber The Hontoria type is that of the guns carried on Cervera squadron, and the Spaniards say that they are the best guns of their size In the world Their quality never has pesn demonstrated as has that of the water ylict. Bethlehem, Midvale, Armstrong or Krupp guns.
 What looks like a confession on the part of the Spaniards that they may have been mistaken about the Hontoria guns is the fact that since they have been preparing the Pelayo for real service they have dis mounted the big guns and put In ther places new French Canet guns or oniy J. inch calibre. It is said that they are Tar superior to the larger cannon ana that they can do more damage. They nave d test record of having pierced thirty inches of steel at the muzzle. This is a remarka- ble achievement, and the installation or these guns makes the Peayo more formid- able in her main battery than she was with the heavier armament. The Spaniards have improved her also in the direction or increasing her battery Of qu1ck-nre guns greatly. Judging from her design she should be able to carry a partculariy large battery of this kind, so that in arm ament she may be better prepared to fight modern battleships than she is in protec- ton.
 Her protection was ample-in 1884, But this is a time of lightning changes in naval design and it has come to pass that ten inches of nickel steel is better today than fifteen inches of even the best ordinary modern steel. All the big guns carried on the American ships were made for the pur- pose of smashing nickel steel armor from sixteen to eighteen inches thick.
 Would the Peayo, with her old-fashion- ed armor of 17.7 inches, be able to with stand the impact of the American 13-inch armor-piercing chilled steel shell? Against guns smaller than 13, 12 or inches the ar nor may be effective, for it is thoroughly put on, belting her completely. Her bulk heads are protected with 15.7 inches, and her barbettes are faced with 11.7 inches.
 She has been fitted with modern i'm provement wherever it was. possible. Of course the original defects of design could not be corrected, and nothing could overcome the fact that she was built in 1887. when naval needs were not consider ed to be exactly the same as they are considered today. But in other respects she is "up to date" Her boilers and ma chinery are new and good, and she should be able to make her full estimated speed of sixteen knots an hour. Her coal capac- ity is fair and she has a steaming radius as large as that of most of our battlesh1ps.