Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-11-30
ZhE NEWd dAZZZE1HZY I1z4MzAy

naval prestige in the Far East. Each of
 these vessels is b02 feet in length and
 with a displacement in excess of 13,600
 tons. Some of them have shown them
 selves capable of q speed of nearly %
 miles per hour, and they carry an impres-
 sive complement of eight-inch and six
 inch guns as well as about half hun
 dred quick-frers.
 Rapidly nearing completion arc the
 armored cruisers California, South Caro-
 lima. Tennessee and Washington. all of
 the same length as the ships just men
 tioned, though the Tennessee and Wash-
 ington each displace 14,5O0 tons of water,
 or as much as any but the largest battle
 ships. The autumn of 1908 sees the
 launching at Newport News, Va, of two
 more huge protectors of this class, the
 North Carolina and Montana. These also are 14,500-ton ships. Each will cost when completed almost as much as a battle
 ship, and as in the case of all of the new
 armored cruisers. will rival battleships in the number of men carried, the shipS
 company comprising 40 officers and up-
 ward of 800 men. As may be imagined,
 the engines are most important consid-
 eration in vessels so speedy as are these
 new armored cruisers, and, Indeed. the
 propeiling machinery installed in these
 flyers ranges from 2s0OO to 2s.6o0 horse
 power in the various ships.
 The powers that be in Congress and the
 Navy Department at Washington have
 not been giving much attention of late
 years to the construction of tho lighter
 class of ships known as protected cruis-
 CTS, although two such vessels--the St.
 Louis and Milwaukee-have lately re-
 ceived their finishing touches. They are
 capable of maintaining a gait quite as
 rapid as that of the Lrmored cruisers
 above mentioned. but they displace only
 9.7OO tons, and carry none of the eight
 inch guns, such as constitute the main
 battery of each armored cruiser.
 On the stocks in New England ship yards. but less than half finished. are three thoroughly unique ships that are to be christened. respectively. Chester. Bir-
 mingham and Salem. These are to be known as scout cruiscrs." from which
 name their function in naval warfare may
 readily be guessed. and the idea of having such ships in the fleet has been borrowed by Uncle Sam from Great Britain. where several such craft have recently been con- structed for the purpose of keeping tab on an enemy's fleet. Since a scout cruiser upon discovering the approach of . hos tile squadron must not only be agile enough to evade capture. but must also be qualified to race home and give warn- ing. 1t goes without saying that speed is prime requisite in such . vessel. and accordingly the trio of new Yankee scouts will each be fitted with engines of '600o- horsepower, capable of driving her through the water at . clip of 2S miles per hour. or better.
 The new scout cruises will be doubly from the fact that the Navy Department will try an innovation In the means of obtaining speed. One of the ships = the Birmingham = will Dc equipped with ordinary triple-expansion engines of the same general pattern as those installed in all our warships for years past. but the other two scouts will be fitted with steam turbines. the newest wrinkle In producing machinery and apparatus. such as has gained credit for the exceptional speed of the new passenger steamers of the Cunard Line. Two different styles of tuf. pines will be tested In order to determine their compara I've merits. The scout cruisers will have a uniform length ef 20 feet. but their light construction can be appreciated from the fact that each will have . displacement of only 47o tons. Such . ship Is expected to run sh.. A.hx sS cruisers only means of seif-defense will be found In a dozen three-inch rapid-nrs runs. Inasmuch as the cruisers will draw ,nIy about Ia feet of water. they will be ,bie to navigate in shallower water than other wsrships of large sise.
 Yet another tendency lately manifess h the new policy for the development If the United States Navy is found in he increasing attention being paid ts 'ubmarine torpedo-bosts. Yankee h. rentors. with the proyerbiai ingenuity If the race. have produced decidedly the ,est underwater fighters that have beea ,voived anywhere in the world. but Uncle ssm. for one reason or another. has not ,aid es much attention 10 these new ter. 'ors as have European nations that have ,ot had available anything like such good xamplesL Latteriy. however. there has ,een an awakening. Four submarines Ire well cn the way to completion al the ,ig shipyard at Quincy Point. Msss. md II is now proposed to devote fully Il .ooo.oo0 to further construction in this Inc as soon as our naval experts can de ermine just which one Of the several inventors in the neid is offering the best ype Of craft for vork under the wsvcsL
 The recent tremendous increase In the Inited states Navy has caused the of- lcials at Washington to be soreIy put to [ to provide officers sud men for ali hose foatinr fortres~es It is nof mere ' that there hss been . heavy increass D the number Of ships. but almost every ne of these nrwcvmers requires almost wire ns many bluejackefs as were ne~d- q cn the biggest battie-hlp ve had 10 erviee n the time of the spanish-Ameri- sa War To femety matters the Navy ,eparfment fs ssiux every possible mears Q encourage enlistment in the Navy. and he eolarxet Academy at Annapolis is r.fustinE nev Od3cers shead cf tine. "a rter to keer rsce vffh the demsnd A. 1c<t equally serious is the need for Gag n~ers of erperieu-e to command the eets and sqssdrcus Into vhIch cur rrov. lx Navy n1sf. by rezso1 Of It's sire be ivided One rrsuit cf tie cry for uors 1rer~ vt1l he that ir fufurr. pruzucticn TfH be Gore r.ptd sna younrSr o-rren fin f.a rFrnu ft. r<rx1rfrsn. rf ra.~u~~-.fI.Il-