The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-29


grewn Weary unto death of the very sound
Of the words. and no better proof could be
enered OF the stneral interest taken ia the
results of the war than the ayidity With which
the subjects under that head are deyoured by
newspaper and magazine readers
~ 10 ths present the military movements
q the war have had comparatively few chrons
1 ielers while the naval movements and battles
/ have been SO Nariously and scopiously reported
mat the man who Is not thoroughly familiar
with al the. details Of the ships that com.
4 pritsd the old navy is the exception instead
oil the rule. MS was the case before the Maine
was blown UP In Havana harbcr. &
THE OLD NAVY.
1 TO keep up with the Increases In our new
navy. however, one who wishes 10 he thor
ouehly informed would do weIl to spend nj.
most as much time in studying the progress
ot the growth of that formidabls fleet that il
| TO be Ms one spends In reading OF the old
| Nays glorious deeds at Manila aud AZ San.
uago; Inos two victories cost the United
states $4,000 for ammunition But when. il
| is considered the position In witch 6iey
! placed our country IN the eyes OF the great
poiMefs abroad, and the change in public
tno onicers OF the navy. aud the fighting ma
chimes thsy commanded IL would nave boon
q very cheap lesson had they rost $4,000 900
| ammunition, -
NE naval programme OF the United states
authorized for this year Will require the W.
nenciture OF nearly $4,000 no0; II calls for the
completion Of no less than * vessels II in
| Guides tho establishment OF complete ftoyt
OF transports numbering about Is; and II viii
over 2o,ooo men. These figures--looked AZ
perdous.
ing TO heart 'tbe lessons Of the war in n
spirit that Is consistent with our National
ldea OF the economical administration of born
the army and tho navy
THE EXPENDITURE.
f1fty-five millions may seem good deal to
expend in ore year. When compared with the
sums allotted by the other naval powers 1t is
vertable bagatellc, as the following figures.
from an official report, will show.
Great Britain is building or about to build
los ships, upon which she will oxpend $780,
oos.0oo. and will increase hor personnel by
500 officers and men this year. Russlas pro-
gramme of naval expansion calls for an cN-
pepditure of SS1S, 100000. France is adding ~
ho fleet at an expense of sl+i,soe,oso Ger
many has programme looking to the ex-
penditure of $40 900. and .japans pro-
CANINE requires tbs expenditure OF Sl92,aso,-
600 Yet small ms our expenditure may seem
~ comparison with these. the completion OF
the fify-five vessels of cur new navy VIII
place the United States in third place among
the great naval powers.
II addition 10 the already large fleet. in
GLIDING the auxillaries, actually in commis-
sior at the present time twenty vessels are
in various stages of readiness and the snip
b. 'lders arc getting together the material Tor
thirty-five others. OF these fifty-five fighting
ships eight are first class heavily armored
hattIeshps, one is powerful cruiser. four
ara monitors and thirty-eight arc torpedo
boats.
tabulated statement OF the degrees Of
completion OF the twenty vessels now nearly
read. for commission or rapidly approaching
that condition. shows that seventeen Of these
vessels have already been launched, and that
the others Will be atloat before the end of this
year or the five battleships. the searsargc.
Newport News, VA, are respect,eiY ~. o..
and s. per cent completed. The Alabama, at
the Cramp yard. philadelphia, has advanced
TO g. per cent, and the Wisconsin, which was
launched at the Union iron works, San Fran
cisco. recently. Is exactly hall finished or
tho ten torpedo boats the twenty six knot
Rowan tho. 81. at Seattle, is tatto al 30 pr
cent. The thirty-knot Farragut tNo. ~ the
first Of the destroyers to be finished by the
government, has already been tried by the
Scots at san francisco. The Dahlgren mo
81 and the T. A. NJ. Craven tNo. lOl, thirty.
knot boats, building at Bath, Mains, are listed
a; So and 81 per cent complete but will not
spijnr The two twenty two and a-half knot
boats the Davis NO. 12l, and the Fox GO
~, at Portland: Oregon, nre practically
JUS been completed by liillman TO. or
Philadelphia.
THIRTY-KNoT pEsTRoYERS.
The status of the remaining three thirty
knot destroyers is as follows:
The Strngham (No. 49, at Wilmington
Del IS per cent: the Goldsborough mo. 2O),
at Portland. Ore, IS per cent, and the Bailey
(So. 2D at the works. OF the Gas Engine and
Power company o. New YORK, W per cent
The submarine torpedo boat Punger at Bal
tiuDrP Is within In per cent OF fpDlOlbllOn
and will he probably be put into service next
month Two twelyo-knot tugboats which are
rapid progress. the Penacook, at New YORK
beirE rated al s. per cent, and the Pawtucket
at Mare Island. a. 50 Per cert; rne sa drIl
ship Chesapeake, building at Bath iron WORKS
for use as training vessel at the NaNai
acaucmy. is 30 per cent ready,
TIE last ship, under construction; exeeP,
fhose whose ketls have not been laid, Is the
cruiser Albany. building at Armstrong's, Els,
wick. England. she was only 40 per cent
completed when purchased together with ihe
cruiser New Orleans, from the Brazilian gov
erninent Just before tho war with SPAN wns
declared and work was only again begun "a
he, IN october. The contractors nave az her
material ready and have promised 10 denver
her within six months.
II seems like barking back TO old times to
tnik Of monitors but the tclr to he bn,l y.
thu rev navy are 10 be crack vessels OF their
olats While resembling roughly The WI
moritors. these new vessels VIII be yaStly
surer!or to them in actual power. Ihelr
al out double that Of the old vessels. Their
will consist of two t~eiyc-lh.h
hreech- loading rifles. capable Of piercing me
siae OF nine-tsnths OF the naval vessels OF th-
world four 4-inch rapid fire guns and seven
smaller calibercd rapid fire guns like these
that did such service In the destruction OF
Csrycra's SQUADRON
The builders are not requires 70 furnish
either gun. armor or turrets. The turrets
are to be Electrically controlled like those on
the Brooklyn. Thee ttrrcts Will Re 0, me
balanced type. ten inches thick. behind IL
inch harbe;tes. and belt OF arnor eleven
inches thick and five feat bread - " ~ 81
OH the sides Of the vessels. The monitors
viii be 225 feet long. 50 fees broad, and nraw
pLout 1875 feet Of water enabling them 10
move freely in any OF the shallow Atlantic
coast harbors
one feature Of the new navy Which Is
very practical result OF the war Is that u has
beer Increased by seven vessels each OF which.
al tLe outbreak OF bostiilties, flew the flag OF
SPAN Five Of these are now attached 70
ADMIRAL Dewey's squadron. two are attached
10 the fleet in Cuban waters, while there is
bars possibility that one. II not more. OF the
vessels OF Cervera's squadron may be raised
and become additional object lessons to other
naval powers.
are the Manila and Cnllao, cruisers: the Leyte
and Mindano. gunboats: and the Barcelo, an
armed launch. In the Cuban feet the prizes
arc the gunboats Aharadn and Sandosai All
NJ these seven vessels are admirably suited
for the waters IN which they are now serv-
ing .pv u,.petrrpe