The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-01-20
OUR PRESENT NAVY.
More Formidable than Ever Before
New Additions Soon to Be Made

Some interesting details are given in
the Ndrdi Register, which is nearly
ready for di-trIuutlon, concerning the
present. strength Of the service afl al,
as well as the full TX ent OF the build
ended the navy consisted of 623 vessels
There are not so MANY now, including
all classes, as then, but for fight ny elf
cheney the fleets are PROFESSIONALLY
superior to any the country has ever
had.
The building list shows also that
never before have 80 many ships been
under construction at one time. This
is to be accounted for 10y the liberalitv
OF Congress last summer in authorizing
so large a number of destroyers and
torpedo boats. The Register char yes the
classification OF SOME vessels, aud states,
that al .prtseut there are more colllers
and steamers on special service than
vessels OF all types III the navy 10 years
ago.
Oh the first rate there are eleven ships,
including four tirsJ-cla,s battle SIM $;
one second,ciass, the Texas; two armor.
ed cruisers, the Brooklyn and New
York; two protected cruisers, the
Columbia and Minneapolis, the double
turret monitor Puritan, which is rank
ed for tighung ability with the Texas,
and the flagship Olympia, with Ad-
miral Dewey's mmand.
OF the second rate there are eighteen,
to mich has beeu ADDED in the last
year, the Chicago, which is the largest
aud Is also regal DID rs the most tom
dable. OF her class there are two
others similarly rated, the Baltimore
and Philadelphia; aud then comes
next In efficiency, acc riding To the
register, the dOuule-turIet monitor
Monterey, known ~ BLACK Betsy"
the protected cruisers Newark, San
+ ancisco and Cbarie>ton, ali above
1000 tons displacement, except the
latt, +; the double-turret monitor, Milan
tonOmoh, Amphltrite, Monadn elk,
and TenoG; tn protected cruiser New
Orleans and A bany, and the Lancaster,
Cincinnati, Il drign, Atlanta, aud Bo,-
ton, the Lancaster being the only
wooden Vessel IN the list and one Of
the relies of the old navy.
The third-rate vessels show an in
crease over last year, there being now
forty two, including the old monitors,
which come under this classlticali III.
Vessels of the Detroit aud Marblehead
type are of the third rate, with the old
Hair ford, Fdrdgut's flagship, at Mobile,
heating tue list. Tmrd-rdte vessels IN
clude ali between ,. 700 tons aud 900
tons displacement.
OF the fourth rae there are but six,
with the dynamite ship NcsutIus at
the head, the Petrol next, ana the o.d
Pinta at the bottom. All vessel, Of
this rate are new ships eXctp, two.
Rated lower than these vessels are 81
torpedu-b pats, tie majority of which
aie nearly competed, and next are
twelve nhvy-yard tugs, SIX old sailing
ship-, luCludi - the Constellation Hhu
JamestOAu; SIX receiving ships aud ID
Vessels cllssed a, uusrrvr,ea p4e, three
fourths of winch have been assigned tu
State militia d, gahilal IONS for practice
drills
Tne pIescut tuilding programme
pres nts the largest array OF Vessels
unuer construction known since the
new navy was uud rtakeu There are
eight iirsl-claSs battle ships building,
all more powerful tnan those now in
serVlre; submarin. torpedO-boat, four
mo itors, sixteen destroyers, "a sailing
snip and "a guuboat, besides a number
oftu1s. Forty-iive cruls, Is ana yarh ;,
all of which practically were purchased
10 the wal With Spain, but are yet re-
tanned tur service are yet Il part of the
navy. Tte>e vessels include the
BrtlIo, Yankee, Badger, Gloucester,
Ea &c, Hist, Pautuet, aud Hornet,
The numuer # c',.iers and steamers
for special service oulnumher the YES
sells of the first aud second rate. There
are thlrty.one of lhese, the majority of
which are in active service. Three
Iourlhs are To be retained by the navy.
The Register also shows tuat next To
the North Atlantic Station, Admiral
Dewey has more vessels attached to his
command than there are on all other
duty combined. The Asiatic Station is
larger now than the home fleet was
two years ago.