The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-02-14
THE AMERICAN NAVY.

Editor of The Tribune.
Sir-I read a great deal about the
United states revolutionized naval
construction and methods in 1861 and
has been revOlutioniZing them ever
since. The experience of the war with
Spain suggested new departures and
the ships of future addition to the
American navy will be a marked ad-
vance on former designs.
The government Is now constructing
four harbor defense monitors, to be
known as the Arkansas. Connecticut,
Florida and Wyoming, with a single
balanced turret containing two high
powered 12-inch breech- loading guns,
to be used with smokeless powder;
four 4-inch rapid-fire h-loading
rifles secondary battery, three g.
FOUNDER rapid-fire and four 1-pounder
automatic rifles. Length on water
line, 325 feet; breadth, 80 feet.
Also eight battleships, TO be known
as the Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Mary
land, Colorado and South Dakota,
each to be of about 5000 tons dis
pla acement, or over 5000 tons heavier
than the Oregon, over 100 feet longer
than that famous vessel, and with
at least three knots higher speed.
Also six cruisers, three of which are
to be called st. Louis. Milwaukee and
Charleston, the other three yet to be
named. These cruisers will each b.
of l4,OOO tons, % knots speed. and S.
600 miles steaming radius and will
be unmatched i'm the world. They will
be 5000 tons larger than the Brooklyn
and at least three times as powerful
Tor hghting uses. All of the above
named vessels will be armor- Goa ted
from the extreme bow to stern anS
the most formidable ever built. The
aggregate cost will be in round figures
500, 900 900.
AT the present time there are in
commission in the United States navy
the following battleships: Alabama.
Illinois. Oregon, Massachusetts, Maine.
Indiana. Iowa, Texas, Kearsarge,
Kentucky and Wisconsin. each aver
aging l",5OO tons, $50 feet in length. C5
feet beam. l6 knots speed, four 13-
inch, and averaging 10,500 tons. $50
feet in length, 65 feet beam, l6 knots
speed, four 13-inch and ten 6-inch guns
in main battery; sixteen 6-lbs., four
lib. and four Gatlings in secondary
battery, 40 officers and 45O men, and
| averaging a cost of $3,500000 each,
Also the cruisers New York BROOKLYN,
Olympia, Columbia, Minneapolis. AL
bany, New Orleans, Charleston, Bos-
| ton, Chicago, Philadelphia. Raleigh,
| Atlanta, San Francisco, Montgomery,
Newark, averaging $500 tons, $40 feet
in length, so feet beam. 20 knots speed,
one S-inch. two 6-inch. four 4-inch
guns in main battery; six Glib, four
| lib. and four Gatlings in secondary
| battery: 80 officers and 425 men ana
| averaging cost of $2.500,000 each.
Also the monitors Miantonomah and
| Terror, each 3,999 tons 259 feet In
| length, 50 feet beams, speed IL knots
four lo-inch breech-loading rifles, i'm
main battery; two alb. two lib
rapid fire guns In secondary battery;
II officers 1856 men; cost OF each mon
itor, S3,l78,046, Also the ram Katah-
din, 2l55 tons, length $50 feet, beam
43 feet. speeq II knots: no main bat
terry; secondary battery, four 6-pound-
er rapid fire guns; 80 officers and 81
men; cost, 1880 900. Also the dynamite
cruiser Nesuvius, 929 tons, 252 feet,
length; beam 27 feet, speed go knots:
battery, three 15-inch dynamite guns;
q officers and "a men; cost, $3.50 900.
Also the submarine boat Holland OF
10 tons. 55 feet in length, 10 feet 3
inches in breadth, speed of l3 knots,
battery one aerial dynamite gun. one
underwater dynamite gun; l officer,
4 men; cost not given by the govern
ment. Also ten gunboats, of which
the Bennington and Petrol are the
largest, and an equal number of tor q.
pedo boats, OF which the Porter and
Gushing are the best exomples.
j. r. Jones.
| PittstOn. Feb 10