The San Francisco call., 1899-08-13
All Now i7
Course of
@oDsHuetio3

powder and other improvements in
rapid-firing ordnance. The 12-lnch
guns that will be used will be of great
length and will show the high velocity
at the muzzle of 5000 feet per second,
the same velocity being called for in
the 6-inch rapid-f1re guns. The muzzle
energy of the 12-inch gun will be $4,000
foot tons, as against 25,9S5 foot-tons for
the 12-inch guns of the Iowa and 1857
foot-tOns for the 13-inCh guns of the
Alabama. The 6-inch guns will have
about 5000 foot-tOns energy, as against
1904 fOot-tons for the old slOw-fire O.
inch weapon. This, as may readily be
seen, represents an increase in energy
Of nearly 10 per cent.
Another noticeable fact about this
vast work of construction is its dis
tribution, for this illustrates the great
change that has recently occurred in
the shipbuilding industry 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 build
ing ships for the navy of this cCun-
try.
OF all our new vessels the sheathed
cruiser Albany is alone of foreign
build and this is due to the fact that
she was purchased on the stocks from
Brazil Just prior to the breaking out of
the war. At that time ii was quite nee
essary that we should have the ANA
ZOnaS, 10 prevent SPAIN lTOM SelliLS
her if for no other reason. Brazil,
however, refused to sell one ship with
out dispOsing of others at the same
time, and the Navy Department agreed
to the terms.
The Nictheroy was made a part Of
the deal and she became the useful
Buffalo, fully worth every dollar of the
s575,00 that was paid for her. The
Amazonas, which had just been COM
pleted. cost us 81, 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 a few ribs at New
castle-on-Tyne, but we took the con-
tract for. her construction out of the
hands of the Brazilian Government.
cheerfully paying the $25O,00O to boot.
and there is no reason to believe that
the craft, which was recently launched,
will ever make US regret our bargain.
With these forty-eight vessels and
the dozen or so more that are soon TO
be contracted for, the United States
will have become a power upon the
seas instead of being relegated to the
secondary position that she has occu-
pied 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
notwithstanding the activity in mari
time affairs recently developed by the
Kaiser. who in one year has doubled
the personnel of his service, raising the
number of officers and men from 12.00O
to %, 900.
When the fact is considered that it
was but a few years ago that this coun-
try was actually inferior to China IN
it's strength on the seas, the wonderful
progress that we have made can be bet
ter appreciated, and the fact that our
navy is so new means that 1t is prac-
tically quite up to date, and this alone
is a 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 serv-
ice Of men and ships we would be able
to hold our own with any power In the
world.