Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-10-09

16 The battleship Ohio still in the Atlantic
feet but slated to leave in the future never
to return.
IT, The commerce destroyer Columbia, SO long
missing in the news of the navy that genera
ton has grown up that knows her not, and she
of the flying squadron Of 1898.
49, The commerce destroyer Minneapolis, a
speed record breaking cruiser of the late nneties
a sister of the Columbia and, like her, of the
flying squadron of 1898.
4, 10. The monitor Amphtrite.
20. The monitor Mantonomah.
21. The monitor Monadnock.
%. The monitor Cheyenne, formerly the Wyo-
ming.
23. The monitor Ozark, formerly the Arkan-
sas
"a. The monitor Tonopah, formerly the Ne
vada
25 The monitor Tallahassee, formerly the
Florida
26. The mnotor Puritan.
81. The monitor Terror
%. The monitor Monterey
29. The protected cruiser st. Louis.
80 The protected cruiser Charleston.
81 The protected cruiser Milwaukee
49, The protected cruiser Newark
q 49, The protected cruiser Chicago
"a The protected cruiser Cincinnati.
35 The protected cruiser Raleigh Coghlans
ship at Manila
&c. Twenty-eight torpedo boats.
twenty years ago JllS UeoC OF SlXLy-LnTeo SHIPS
would have been match for any naval organiza-
ton then afoat with the exception Of the feet of
Great Britain. Today all the vessels in 1t coald
not last half hour in battle with the five
dreadnaughts that constitute the great first div
sion of the United States Atlantic fleet.
And this mighty fleet of naval has-beens" cost
the United States government more than $780,
100000 and the Oldest among them, not including
the old monitors, is not yet twenty-five years old.
The battleships in 1t to build and equip cost the
government $64,435,225. and the cruisers, mon
itors and torpedo craft raise the total to the
$129, 900 600
What will become of these ships? Some are
now in reserve and there they will stay until
their end is decided upon Will that end be the
target range or the auction block and the Junk
pile, will they be permitted to rust away in
navy yards nominally units in reserve fleets
but in reality as useless reminders of navy
that in its day great but which, owing to
marvellous progress In naval construction, has
reached quickly but surely that state of obsolete
ness from which there can be no come back"
The Oregon and the Olympia will probably be
retained for generations to glorious re-
minders to Americans of future years Of the
navy that immortality in the brief conflict
that wiped Spain off the map of the western
world and which added to American territory an
island empire in the far east and won for this
country for the first time full, free recognition
by all the nations of the world of the right to be
numbered among those powers whose mission
and influence is world wide"
In the lineup of the has been" fleet 1t will be
noted that there is included the entire fourth |
division OF the great feet that circumnavigated !
the globe in 1907 and 1908 This division was
made up Of the Alabama, the flagship of Sperry
when he began the voyage as a division com.
mander; the Kentucky, the Kearsarge and the
Illinois. In that fleet three of the vessels of the
third division are also listed among the
obsolete fighters, the ships in question being the
Ohio, the Missouri and the Maine, all sister ships
and in Their day held DIP to the world as en-
bodying all that was bes. In the construction and
equipment of modern men-ofwar OF the battle
ship clasT.
The Atlantic feet when 1t sailed out of Hamp-
ton Roads in December, 1907. was made up OF
sixteen firstclass battleships, and look at the
makeup of the organization shows that In a pc
Rod OF less than six years seven, or lacking one
Of exactly half OF those famous ships have beer
relegated into the reserve the first stepping
stone that leads to junk pile and oblivion.
LESS FOLIAGE,
This Is great age"
What has gtruek Won now7"