The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-06
WAR IN FAR FAST
 CLOSELY WATCHED Governments Observing Naval Maneuvers With Interest DAYTON GIVES FIGURES General Idea Is That the Question Has Come to Be One of ships-Actua
 Condition of the United
 States Navy.

Washington March 5.-(Special) )-Gov- ernments are watching with great inter est the naval warfare between Russia and Japan. It would seem at the present mo- ment that Russia is receiving about the same punishment as Spain received from the United States. It Is not the outcome of the conflict that most concerns nations. The question Is purely one of ships, not men, Warships are costly and the evolu- ion of offensive and defensive engines of naval warfare is so rapid that the ques- ton as to every type of vessel from bat tleships to torpedo boats, finds its advo- cates and critics. Are the navies of the world as effective as they are costly?
 The actual condition of our naval force what it Is and what it is not-is of su- preme interest to all Americans. In a recent debate in the house on the sub ject, Congressman Dayton of West Vir- ginia, gave some facts and figures, aecu- rate, I believe, which every citizen should know He said: There has been such a clear misstatement of the condition ot the United States navy's ships, and espe- cially in reference to the smaller classes of vessels, that l want to call the com mittee's attention just for a moment to the actual situation. We have eleven pat tleships of the first class and are building thirteen We have of second-class battle ships and armored ironclads, such as monitors, twelve, and none building. we have two armored cruisers built and eight building making a total now puilt ol twenty-five fighting ships. We nave hat arnOrpd cruisers and ironclad monitors built today, and we have twenty-one building. That Is the fighting line. We have protected cruis- CTS, seventeen; small cruisers and scouts, twenty-three; a total of forty; ana we have nine of those two classes building. This is the messenger and commerce. destroying service of the navy. The very character of the vessel fits them TOT tnls occupation and substantially for none other. We have sixty-seven gunpoats built and one building I do not know inst exactly what to characterize that. You may say that it is the popgun f1ght- ing line in the small harbors or ports against small vessels that may neeu ils attention. It is not the real fighting me. We have sixteen torpedo-boat destroyers' thirtv-one torpedo boats built and SIX building, and we have eight submarine torpedo boats, making total or nIty-iNe in that class or VeSSeiS louay pNiof9 to that arm of the service that may pc characterized as the guerilla-warfare ser vice. and we have six building. In other words. we have fifty-five of that class or vessels against twenty-five vessels that can fight. When we have our present navy completed we will have forty-slx vessels in the fighting line, forty-seven Tn the messenger and destroying service, sixty-eight in the gunooat-"aI- fare service, and sixty-one in the guerilla warfare service. Now I want to call your attention to my reason for calling these torpedo boat destroyers and torpedo poats and submarines as vessels engaged In a guerilla warfare.
 s.There is but very little difference pe- tween a torpedo boat and torpedo-boat destroyer. They are fast unprotected ships, one designed to destroy the other if Is true. but both carrying torpedoes. They are boats designed to run in strike a blow, and then run away NOW MT Chairman, want to call the gentleman 5 attention to the fact that history shows substantially that torpedo boat never struck an effective blow where its adVer- sary was upon the alert, and that in eV- cry battle where 1t has come in contact with A. foe ready to meet 1t IS has been destroyed. and destroyed easily. Iake, for example. Santiago, where Wainwright m the little Gloucester settled the two tornedo boats of the Spanish fleet. Take Manila. where the Olympia went in and destroyed the torpedo boats without trou- II.