i IF WAR SHOULD C0ME.|
HE recent terri
ble occurrence
in the harbor of
Havana, which
resulted in the
destruction <> f
millions of Fed
eral property in
the shape of the
battleship
Maine and the i
death of nearly I
300 sailors, 1
startled a great
deal of specula
tion as to the real value of our navy and
its relative importance among the
naval armaments of the world. It has
revived the discussion of what the re
sult of a war between the United
States and a foreign nation would be.
ami brought forward th«« three opin
ions concerning such matters, viz.—tin*
tht*ory which holds that we have no
more use for a navy comparable to
that ot the great nations of Europe
than we have for a standing army like
that of Great Britain. Germany,
France or Russia: the stand Hint the
money put into our navy would lietter
have been expended in coast defenses;
and lastly that opinion which demands
that ou land and sea we should be
equally powerful to any nation ou
earth.
It is now over half a century since
the guns of this country were turned
upon a foreign foe, and this long period
of peace has Inclined a very larg«* pro
portion of American citizens to the first
named course of reasoning. The mid
dle ground position is held by th«* coast
defense theorists. They believe that
with our coast defended by modern
fortifications and guns we can almost
dispense with a heavy navy altogether.
The third party believes in the widest
possible display of our naval power.
At the present time tin* only country
with which w<* ar«* likely to become
embroiled In strife is Spain, and as a
war with the Spanish would lie largely
u naval one it is therefore* of Interest
to consider what the possibilities of
such a war might be.
Since the Maine went down numer
ous reports have been spread broad
cast that Spain is now superior to us
as a naval power, and many persons
have grave fears as to the* outcome of
a conflict. Let us see. Since 1883
Congress has authorized th«* construc
tion of seventy-seven war vessels, at
a cost of $134,43!),70tt.lt». Sixteen of
the vessels havi* not yet been com
pleted. Th«* vessels authorize«! sine«*
1883 are as follows: Battleships, first-
class, nine; battleships, second-class,
two; crulseis, IS; gunls«ats, 15; harbor
defens«* ram, bn«*; monitors, six; dynn-
mite cruiser, one: torpedo boats, 21;
submarine torpedo boat, one; training
ships for cadets, two; dispatch boat,
one.
Of tin* sixteen ships of war now un
der construction, tin* Secretary of the
Navy estimates that all will b«* com- |
pleted during th«« present year except I
Till'. GUN
tightlng as the United States has on
the Atlantic coast, eliminating torpedo-
boats, which can operate, by the na
ture of things, only In home waters.
But what about the ships themselves?
Spain has only one first-class battle
ship, the Pelayo; we have in the East
the Indiana, Iowa, and Massachusetts.
Spain strictly has no battleships of the
second grade; we have only one now,
the Texas, sister ship practically of the
Maine. Spain has one iron and use-
less monitor, the I’ulg-C'erda; we have
four of them, matchless fighters—the
Puritan, Terror, Mlantonomah, and
Amphitrite. Spain has six armored
cruisers, all of them practically in
splendid fighting trim—the Almirante,
Oquendo, Carlos V., Infanta Marla Ter
esa, Prlncesa ,1c Asturias, and Vizcaya.
We have two such vessels—the New
York and Brooklyn. For defensive
fighting our four monitors are superior
to tin* three armored cruisers which
we seem to lack in comparison wWh
Spain, but, allowing that they are only
equal, it may be said that in that class
tie navies of the two nations are of
equal strength.
That throws the comparison back to
battleships, of which we have four
available, three first-class and one sec
ond-class, and of which Spain has only
one available, the first-class Pelayo.
The armament of the monitors and ar
mored cruisers on both sides is practi
cally equal. The armament of battle
ships Is four to one in our favor, and it
is the kind of armament that tells ten
to one in a naval battle. So much for
strictly fighting ships. We have ten,
Spain has six. In protected cruisers
Spain has not more than fifteen ami we 1
have ten available on the Atlantic I
coast. The armament of our ten, care- [
ful calculation shows, Is a little more i
than equal to that of Spain's fifteen.
'
common sense came <o my aid. I fig
ured it out that it was a parasite under
til«* skin, ami to cur«* th«* pig the para
sit«* must Is* destroyed. So I mixed up
some turpentlni* and coal oil, half and
half, and added «illite a bit of sulphur.
Then, while the i«Jgs were at the
trough, I squirtetl th«* mixture all over
them, from nose to tail, by means of a
machine oil can. Have not lost a pig
since, and hav«* not been obliged to re
prat the dose.”
tor wonk! immediately touch a button.
«ae explosion which followed would
completely wr«*ck tin* warship and
would doubtless kill all on board.
Tae work of prelMirlng these mines
has been done very secretly, and no one
outside of those in charge of the har-
txir defenses knows where they are.
The sunken casemates, too, have hpen
built with caution, ami their situation
Harley aa Stock Food.
A New Ornamental Asparagus.
One of the best and most attractive
house plants of recent Introduction is
Asparagus Sprengerl, whleh is rapidly
superseding the once so popular smilax
for floral decorations. Our engraving
shows its graceful form ami habit when
grown as a pot plant, but it is equally
well suited for planting in hanging bas
kets. Its fronds an* frequently four
feet long, of a rich shade of gteen and
UNITED MATES
PROTECTED CRUISER COLUMBIA.
very useful for cutting, retaining their
Modern gunnery and armor-making . is not known either. The necessity for freshness for weeks after being cut.
have kept such steps together that no 1 this caution is apparent when it is re-
sooner has a plate been invented which membered that any interference with
would resist the most penetrating the wires by the subject of some for
projectile of that time than a gun was eign nation might disturb the work so
speedily devised or an explosive discov that none of the mines could be used.
Another great means of defense is in
ered which necessitated the invention
of a plate of still greater resisting ■ the big disappearing guns, which work
power. This game has gone on, until i as if they have human Intelligence. No
the modern ship is a gigantic floating fort is necessary for these guns. The
hulk, the propulsion of which through gunners are absolutely protected by a
calm and known waters is no easy big parapet. When the gun is at rest,
task, to say nothing of its manage- it, too, is concealed behind the parapet,
ment ln heavy seas or during an en- where it is loaded. When firing be
gagement, where rapid action is neces comes necessary ponderous machinery
raises the big cannon so that its mouth
sary.
But besides the things visible with points over the parapet. In thirty sec-
THE “DEVIL OF THE SE V’—HOW THE TORPEDO DESTROYS.
ASPARAGUS SPHENGERI.
As a bouse plant it has exceeded expec
tations, as it stands dry atmosphere
better than the older kinds of ornamen
tal aspargus, and is not particular as to
any special position. It delights in a
well-enriched soil, rather light in com
position, with plenty of drainage, and
grows very rapidly. It is decidedly
pretty when in bloom, its little flowers
5eing pure white on short racemes, and
lie anthers are of a bright orange color.
-American Agriculturist.
tTtfu-
■ • <
'.O',.
COTTON
COT TOM
COTTON
COTTON
DISCHARGING
a
T û RPE ùû
c 'Jr
ton
KXrkOJlON OF A
U- 4IT«NtAO
Ana ruse meao
OF A
vuhivchxao Toaeioo
was .
A Whitehead torpedo tired from an overhead tube and its progress through the water. On striking the water the tor
pedo is propelled nt tremendous speed by its own engine. In the forward portion of the torpedo is carried an explosive
charge of 150 pounds of gun cotton. The mass is exploded by a percussion fuse fitted into the nozzle of the weapon.
The torpedo would wreck the strongest ship afloat.
Of gunboats Spain seems to have
twenty; we have not more than twelve
on the North Atlantic coast. Nearly
one-half of Spain's gunboats, according
to Lord Brassey, the great English au
thority, are “small steamers from 8t>
to 348 tons.” In the matter of unar
mored ships, tlu* commerce destroyers,
Spain 1ms a slight advantage in num
bers; we have a slight advantage in
strength. We could us«* our torpedo-
boats; Spain couldn't get hers over
here. We could use our ram Katahdln
and our Holla ml submarine Inuit ; Spain
has no such v«*ss«*ls.
In the matter of ships and guns, de-
THAT GUARDS HAVANA HARBOR.
the five battleships, which will prob
ably not be ready for service until the
latter part of the coming year. It is,
therefore, obvious that the United
States is not so powerless ui>on the
seas as some would have it umlerstood.
During the past ten y<*ars there have
«been exp«*nd«*d yearly on seacoast for
tifications ami their armaments nn«l
for submarine mines and torpedoes the
sum of $40,009,900; our principal sea
port towns have thus been put In con
dition so that, with th«* aid of the
navy, the country could easily resist
the attack of any one of tne great naval
powers of the world.
There Is no doubt ns to which of the
two nations. Spain or the United
States, Is the stronger from a naval
standpoint. In ships and armament
we have by far the superior navy.
While Spain has more men tn her navy,
we outnumber her In ships, although
she Includes some splendid cruisers in
her list. Like us. she Is adding to her
navy, replacing the boats slie lost In
J895. She Is obliged to have this done,
however, abroad, as she has no ship
yards of her own. Her limited credit
has kept back tliis work, and It Is not
likely that th«* Isrnts now under way
would lie completed even on “rush”
orders liefore two years from now.
Then, too, the classifications made In
the tables favor Spain, placing boats
in the second class of battle-ships
which, although heavier than our sole
remaining specimen of that class, could
not cope with It.
On paper Spain has about the same
number of warships available for
i
range. The deadlines« of these arms
is great enough under those circum
stances, as China and Jai«an know to
their cost. What th«* result would Ik* if
several Spanish and United States bat-
tl«*shlps met in closer quarters may eas '
ily be imagined, ami it is no exaggera |
tion to say that the chances favor the I
destruction ot nearly everyone engag- ,
I
spite the loss of the Maine the United
States has a decided advantage. Bat
tleships are the ones that count In real
fighting. But naval battles are not
won solely by ships and guns. They are
won by men—valorous men, patriotic
men—on board the ships. Our ships
are maimed by seamen nine-tenths of
whom are American seamen. Span
iards, of course, man Simin's ships.
There you are as to men; Americans on
one side and Spaniards on the other.
Need more be said?
Stronger than any reason yet given
as to the result of a tight between us
and Spain is the one to be deduce«!
from th«« scene of action of war. Th«*
war would take place in and around
Culm. We could get coal easily and
Spain could not. It's the coal tn the
bunkers as much if not more than th«1
powder and shot in the magazines that
decides naval contests to-day. The
man at th«« stokehole Is Just as import
ant as the man Iwlilml the gun. Spain
can't whip us on this side of the Atlan
tic. that's sure; we shall not fight on
the other side.
which modern cruisers must contend
is the problem of submarine warfare.
The invention of Ericsson has been im
proved upon, both as regards the abil
ity of warships to eject the deadly tor-
pedo itself and the torpedo-boat capa
ble of submerging itself wholly or in
part Inventors all over the world are
working upon the submarine torpedo-
boats and rams, and, while they have
not attained the success of Jules
Verne's fancy, it is believed that if
they have not already solved the prob
lem it is a matter of a short time till
we shall have a l»oat capable of sub
merging itself for a time sufficient to
do terrible damage to the largest bat
tleship and still not be in sight during
the engagement.
This is not speaking of the establish
ed practicability of the sunken torpedo
or more to be used in harbors ami dis
charged by electricity from a distance.
These last can I m - utilised for coast de
fense and are very effective. They
could destroy any cruiser anchored or
sailing over them, but are only useful
under those circumstances.
The war department has guarded
with absolute secrecy the plans for all
its coast defenses. It is scarcely known
outside of army circles that New York
is one of the most strongly defended
towns in the world. No vessel could
got within fifteen miles of the battery
without meeting a worse fate than that
which befell the Maine.
The entire harbor is thoroughly
mined and wires run to underground
casemates where the operators work.
The harbor is divided into sections
and squares each of which is known by
a letter or figure. For Instance, In case
of war, if a Spanish war vessel were
sighted, word would be telegraphed
onds the gunners have trained the can
non properly, and an enormous projec
tile is sent flying ten tnlles over the
sea. Woe to the vessel it strikes! Ar
mor has not yet been made strong
enough to stand against the shot tired
from these enormous machines.
At present the Inner liarlor of New
York is guarded by two 12-inch, three
10-lnch ami five 8-:ncn disappearing
i
'
I
The Razor-Back Bog.
R«*cently the Dallas News had from
its Fort Worth correspondent tlie fol
lowing: “Certain prominent hog rais
ers now in tlie city claim that use has
at last been found for tlu* hitherto use
less razor-back hog. They state that
after these hogs have been allowed to
run in th«* bottoms for tlie summer
months, subsisting on mast anil roots,
they can be easily fattened in the au
tumn by being turned into corn fields
where the black-eye pea lias been plant
ed between the corn rows, and that al
though they do not acquire any very
great size or weight, their meat, owing
to tlie wild diet during the summer,
gives the ham a flavor that equals, if
not excels, that of the celebrated West
phalia hams of the Black Forest in
Germany.”
A Safety Pig Tronixh.
The pig will get into the trough when
on«* wishes to clean it out, nnd he will
put Ills head under the spout when one
wishes to pour in the milk. The device
herewith shows how the pig can be
kept away from the trough until every
thing Is in readlnes for him to eat. The
swinging door Is closed until the trough
lias been cleaned and tlie milk or other
food poured in. Then it is raised and
all the usual bother obviated. Have a
ring on the rope to avoiil the necessity
W o<l Ashes for Potatoes.
Of the fertilizers that can be secured
on the farm unleached wood ashes
make one of the very best that can be
used with potatoes, writes N. J. Shep
herd, in Nebraska Farmer. They can
be applied in the hill or in the furrow
broadcast, but it will be an exceptional
case when a sufficient quantity can be
secured to apply broadcast over the
surface. For this reason applying in
the hill will prove most economical.
The ground can be prepared in a good
tilth all ready for planting and the
furrows run out and then a small quan
tity of ashes droppetl where eacli hill
is to be planted and stirred in the soil,
and upon this the seed can be dropped
and covered. Potatoes require potash
and phosphoric acid, anti this can be
supplied with unleached wood ashes,
(tone dust or bone meal or in a commer
cial fertilizer with less waste than in
almost any other way. if farm or sta
ble manure is us«*«l it should always be
well rotted and fined and then thor
oughly incorporated with the soil. My
experience is that applying fresh ma
nure to the soil just before planting
furnishes conditions favorable to the
development of scab and also in many
cases produces a fungy growth of tub
ers.
THE SAFETY PIG TROUGH.
of having to tie it whenever the swing
ing door is raised.—Orange Judd Farm
er.
Water Over Under«!rains.
It sometimes happens when severe
«cold cfmes before snow nnd rain that
the ground freezes so hard over drain
ed land that when the snow is melted
the surplus water cannot at once make
its way to the drain beneath. Some
times in winter these sheets of water
will be frozen over, during some cold
spell, and while thus covered with ice,
the water beneath it will find its way
through the tiles and disappear. No
harm comes to grass land thus left cov-
ered with ice for two or three days.
To Bridle a Colt.
The horse that has been properly But winter wheat is sometimes winter
bridled when a colt will rarely forget killed by Ice on the edges of the pond,
the lessons learned in youth. The way where the freezing of the water catches
to do this is to smooth out the foretop the wheat plant in its icy embrace, and
so It will not be in the way, grasp the often snaps tlie stem where it is joined
to the root at the surface of the ground.
SUNKEN MORTAR PROTECTING NEW YORK
Skim-milk Chees**.
guns, as well as thirty-two 12-inch
mortars. These are all completed and
put in position. Work Is now going on
for other disappearing guns which will
be finished this year. The southern
and eastern entrances to the harbor
are more fully protected than the inner
harbor itself. Here Is an armament of
21 12-inch guns on lifts, 15 10-lnch and
9 8-inch guns on disappearing car
riages, 176 12-inch mortars an«l many
submarine mines operate«! from five
mining casemates.
Most of th,* work of a defense has
been don«* by the officers at the Untte«l
States School of Engin«*ers at Willet's
There is much more butter fat left in
milk after it lias been skimmed than is
generally supposed. If any one doubts
this, let him hold up a bit of skim
milk dices«* over a hot fir«* and see how
quickly the fat will exude from it. The
toasting of cheese makes it more easily
digested, though skim-milk cheese is at
the best hard to digest, and cannot l>e
eaten except in very small quantities
by persons whose digestion is weak.
Bread and cheese naturally supplement
each other, as bread is mostly carbon,
while cheese, «*sp«*cially that from skim
milk, is mainly nitrogenous or strength
giving. Eating foods hard to digest, if
the stomach is not at any time over-
loaded, is a good means of strengthen
ing that organ.
Oats for Young Animals.
BRIDT.TX«* A COT.T.
One Serious Disadvantage.
In a naval war with Simin we would
have th«* disadvantage of a tremen
dous coast line, east, south and west, to
defend. We could «lo little damage to
Simin's commerce, tiecause she lias
comparatively a small amount, while
some of her second, thlnl or fourth-rat«*
boats« while keeping away from our
cruisers, coukl <lo us almost irrepara
ble* damage. Th«* power of the mod-
ern ships' guns enables them to do
their fighting at comparatively long
I
Barley Is not extensively grown, yet
It is a superior stock food and will grow
on soils tliut will not produce wheat.
In Eugland hogs are fattened on liar-
ley. and tlie meat contains more lean
than that produced from corn. In feed
ing pigs as a test barley gave better
results than corn, a pound of growth
being secured from 3V4 pounds of bar
ley, at a cost of 2c per pound, which
was better than from any other food.
I'igs, however, grow mor«* rapidly than
adult hogs. Grounil grain proved su
perior to the unground. In steer feed-
Ing both corn and wheat surpassed bar
ley, and with lambs the results were
about the same with corn, wheat and
barley. Corn and barley mixed gave
better results than either alone in some
cases. These tests should make bar
ley a favorite where it Is not now
grown at all.
UNITED STATES STEEL
PROTECTED CRUISER CHICAGO.
from one of th,* «*otining towers to the
officer in charge of on«* of the under
ground casemates near Sandy Hook.
The message would Is* read something
,lke thia: "Vlscoya x op 23. 14 S. E."
That would mean that the Vizcaya
was then passing over a certain s«*c-
tton of the harbor in which was lo
cated a udue or a torpedo. The opera-
Poiht. New York harbor. Twenty-three
officers anti 380 enlisted men are sta
tioned at Willet's Point, and their
work Is mostly with torpedoes and high
explosives. Occasionally mines are
planted and exploded, just as in regu
lar warfare. Vessels are sent out to
try and come without lading seen, and
mimic war holds full sway.
brow band of the bridle in the right
hand nnd the bit with the left. The
bridle is thus held in position, and with
the fingers of the left hand entrance to
the mouth is made by pressing against
th«* gums between the incisor and jaw
teeth. This will seldom fail to cause
him to open his mouth, and the bit can
easily be put in, but it should not be
done suddenly or violently. After the
bit is. In the mouth the ears should be
carefully and gently placed in position.
—Iowa Homestead.
There are two reasons why oats are
an excellent fe«*«l for young and grow
ing stock. They have enough bulk Ire-
cause of their chaff, so that the grain in
moderate amounts will not heat or
rake in the stomach, and the character
of the grain supplies just the nutriment
require«! for growing animals. It takes
very little oats per day to k«*ep a year
ling calf or a colt thrifty and gr«*atly
Increase its value after the winter’s
feeding.
Have Wheels in Their Heads.
.
When young men tell you they nevetj
read experiment station bulletins, that
they take no stock whatever in the
Cure of Manse on Hog«.
John Cruze, of Lee County. Iowa, farm lnstltut«*s, and. at the sAme ttm«»,
writes to th«* Rural World as follows: they are al>out to lie sold out under
“Have just had some Interesting expe mortgag«* on a farm their old father
rience with mange or scab on pigs. gave them fyee of debt, there is some
Ix»t fourteen out of thirty-six. from thing wrong In the brain machinery of
doping them with everything. I heard those men and uo mistake.—Heard'*
or read about. Was in despair, until Dairyman.