The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-03-13
PRAISE FOR OUR NAVY.
French Officer speaks Of II in High
Terms.
POWERS WILL SEND NAVAL AT
TACaEs TO WASHINGTON.

This Country RANKS sccohu OhV 70
Great Britain rs to ships Under Con-
struction-Policy OF Building Battle
ships .Critized.
Washington, March 12.-Lieut. De
Faramond Of the French navy recently
arrived here In company With the French
am bassador N. Cambon, to become naval
attache of the French embassy. Lieut..
DE Faramondl has had wide experience
as naval observer, following the Japan
csc and Chinese vessels through the
China-Japan war and now coming here
to study American naval methods.
Speaking Of the American navy today
Lieut.. DE Baramond said:
1.-THE American navy has attracted
worldwide attention within the last year
and this is leading European countries
to send naval attaches to Washington.
This will be the first time that the French
government has had naval attache with
the embassy. A German naval officer is
coming to the German embassy and other
countries doubtless will follow In the
same line. Since the Spanish "A merican
war. this country affords splendid facili.
ties for naval study. 1t was the first real
test Of modern fighting vessels and naval
science must draw its conclusions largely
from what the American navy accom-
plished during the war with Spain. I
think 1t Is universally conceded In Eu-
rope that the American navy made
splendid record not only in general
tn, nj of vaI
detail. IL demonstrated the effectiveness
of the rapid fire gun of medium calibre,
rather than the larger guns. 1t also
seemed to show that the power OF u navy
is more in its weapons of attack and
offense, its capability of giving blows,
rather than in its heavy armor and capa-
bility of resisting blows. We in France
were quite aware of the growing power of
the American navy even before the recent
war Our naval constructor, Nj. Berlin
came to this country prior to the war
and made q tour of your dock yards, arse
nails, etc. On his return he made an otfic
ial report showing the great improve
ments the American naval constructors
had brought about, particularly in the
arrangement of bulk heads and in the
distribution of armor so as to protect Vi
tai points. We also know your Ameri-
can armor and are using the Harveyized
American process, which has been found
entirely satisfactory thus far.
Lieut.. De Faramond says foreign naval
observers are not only interested In the
results of the war, but are also observing
the large amount of naval constructlo
now in progress in the United States and
the naval Improvement it involves.
From Italian naval statistics he shows
that the United States is today recknnsd
second among the great powers in point
of warships under instruction. This
tonnage by countries is as follows:
Great Britain, 1853, 1872 tons; United
States, 56,4 40 tons; Japan, 1880 tons;
Russia, 20, 040 tons; France, "a, Cos tons;
Germany 16. 545 tons; Italy, 2,9s7 tons.
AN interesting line of inquiry" said
Lieut.. De Faranlond, is as to why you
clads as we call them as against tho
lighter, swifter cruiser. The iron clad is
| essen TALLY a home ship, and is not fitted
owing to her bulk and lack of GOAL Ca
pacity, for crossing the ocean or for long
cruises.
The performance Of your battleship
| Oregon in running ZOO miles around
| south America was remarkable for that
reason, and her present trip across the
| Pacific is equally remarkable. But
jud ged from the usual standards an
armored cruiser would have been muc h
better equipped for the long voyage
| She had the speed, the coal and at the
| same time sufficient armor to make her
defensive powers almost equal to those of
the iron clad"
| The lieutenant says that France has
gone further in adopting the torpedo rs
An effective naval weapon, than any other
country she has in all some $50 torpedo
| boats.
Lieut. DeFaramond says he thinks the
adoption of the water tube boilers in
American ships will be a further i'm
provement and will make them much
more effective for long cruising.
NJ. Viaud, q naval constructor OF the
French navy. is at present in shiogton
on an unofficial mission and will confer
with our naval constructor on this now
! method of boiler construction.
Admiral Dewey is generally recognized
abroad as entitled to rank as one of the
great naval commanders, said Lieut. De-
| karamond.
such a man does honor to the naval
| fraternity the world over.