The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-09-17
THE NEW NAVY OF
THE UNITED STATES
If Will Contain Forty-Eight New Vessels All of Which
Are Now in Course of Construction or
Soon to be Undertaken.

ond, the same velocity being called for in
the 6-inch rapid-fre guns. The muzzle en-
ergy of the Pinch gun will be $4,000 foot
tons, as against 1885 foot-tons for the r.
inch guns of the Iowa, and 33,627 foot-tons
for the 13-ineh guns of the Alabama. The
6-inch guns will have about 5000 foot-tonG
energy, as against 3,2N foot-tons for the
old slow-fire 6-inch weapon. This, as may
readily be seen, represents an increase in
energy of nearly 100 per cent.
Another noticeable fact about this vast
work of construction is it's distribution, for
this illustrates the great change that had
recently occurred in the shipbuilding indus
try. At the organization of the new navy
the first four ships were built by single
firm, but at the present time no less than
fourteen American concerns are building
ships for the navy of this country. OF
these two are on the Pacific, and the other
twelve are scattered along the coast of the
Atlantic, from Maine to Virginia.
OF all our new vessels the sheathed cruis-
er Albany Is alone of foreign build, and
this Is due to the fact that she was pur-
chased on the stocks from Brazil just prior
to the breaking out of the war. At that
time 1t was quite necessary that we should
have the AmaZonas to prevent Spain from
getting her, if for no other reason. Brazil,
however, refused to sell one ship without
disposing of others at the same time, ana
the navy department agreed to the terms.
The Nictheroy was made part OF the deal
and she became the useful Buffalo, fully
worth every dollar of the $4,000 that was
paid for her. The Amazonas, which had
just been completed, cost us $,429,215, but
as the New Orleans she was of great value,
being the only American warship provided
with smokeless powder for all batteries.
Her sister ship, the Almirante Abru, now
known as the Albany, was then nothing
more than few ribs, at Newcastle-on-
hut ue contract for her
construction out of the hands of the Bra
lillian government, cheerfully paying the
$25O,000 to boot and there is no reason to
believe that the craft, which was recently
launched, will ever make us regret our bar
gain.
With these forty-eight vessels and the
dozen or so more that are soon to be con-
tracted for, the United States will have
become a power upon the seas instead or
being relegatad to the secondary position
that she has occupied for so long With
the present naval programme completed,
we shall be close behind Russia in total dis
placement and fighting efficiency, and Will
have jumped ahead of Germany, notwith-
standing the activity in maritime affairs re-
Gently developed by the kaiser. who in one
year has doubled the personnel of his SER
vice raising the number of officers and
men from 1900 to 25,0OO
When the fact is considered that 1t was
but a few years ago that this country was
actually inferior to China in its strength
on the seas, the wonderful progress that
we have made can be better appreciated
and the fact that our navy is so new means
that 1t Is practically quite up to date, and
this alone is great advantage In time OF
conflict There is no reason, therefore, why
we should not feel encouraged to believe
That with our great sea-fighting service of
men and ships would be able to hold our
own with any power in the world