Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-01-24

According TO the Naval Year Book,
complied by Pitman pulsfer, secre-
tary of the Senate Committee On Nav
al Affairs, the United States is now
the second in strength sons the high
seas of all the world Powers. Only
Great Britain exceeds the United
States III fighting forces afoat, accord
ing to this volume. To attain this
position the United States during the
twentytour years which have clap
sed since the building of the modern
navy began has expended 5000, $50, 100,
or an average of nearly $l3, 900, 200 a
year. This includes the cost of ships
already commissioned and those which
are now under construction.
Among the Powers France, which
for long time had held second place,
is now rated as third, Germany fourth
and Japan fifth. In the list which
Mr.. Pulslfer gives for comparison the
United States has twenty-nine battle
ships of more than 10, 900 tons, while
Japan has only thirteen; the United
States has eleven coast defence YES
sells and japan three; the United
States has fifteen armored cruisers
and japan thirteen. In the cost of
battleships the Connecticut and the
Kansas lead the others, the former
costing according TO Mr.. Pulsifer,
81, 667, COG, and the Kansas 81, O7l, 143.
Another table which he presents
shows the cost of maintenance of each
type of warshlp. the average figures
being BattleshIps, $63S, 5S7; armored
cruiser, $755. ISL; protected cruiser,
1888, 002 gunboat, $115, 585; torpedo
boat destroyer, SIT, 354; torpedo boat,
$51, $50; su bmarine, SIG, 454.
The personnel of the American navy.
according &c the book, falls below
in numbers the personnel of England,
France, Germany and Japan. The
appropriation for the naval establish
ment in 1855 was $14, $50, 472, Will.
for the current year the amount was
S98, 958, 4O7. The appropriation for a
single year was In 1900, when the
amount was $102. 091. 070. The total
appropriation from 1885 to 1907. in
elusive, for the naval establishment
were $1,092, SOP, GIT. The number Of
petty officers and enlisted men in 1855
was $3.50 and in 1907 it was, SO, 500.
The tables which Mr.. Pulsifer has
Prepared show the following with
respect to the naval strength of the
Powers; Great Britain, Sc battleships,
81 ,39l tons; United States, 20 battle
ships with 406. lac tonnage, France 81,
battleships, with 368, 461 tonnage;
Germany 20 battleships, with 1853, 461
tonnage; Japan, Is battles,ps, with
191, 498 tonnage. The total ton
mage of all fighting vessels of these
nations is given as Great Britain.
1921 $40; United States, I'll, 1853;
France, $50, l12; Germany, $50, 782;
Japan, 451, 800.
The total number of ships in the
English navy is given as 454; in the
United States navy 1863; in the French
navy. sos; in the German navy, 210;
in the Japanese navy, 1874. 1t will
thus be seen that while the United
States has the least number of ships
of these five Powers she is still second
In rank. The reason for the excess
OF ships in the French navy is found
in the fact that she has 271 torpedo
boats and SO submarines, while Eng
land has only II torpedo boats and 48
submarines and the United States has
only 81 torpedo boats ard 10 sub
marines.