Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1886 — Armored Ships Not in Repute. [ARTICLE]

Armored Ships Not in Repute.

Is it, therefore, a fact that armorclads are drifting into disrepute? It cannot be disguised that at the present time there are very earnest debates on this point. The question as it affects the armored ship stands differently from what it did some years ago. An insignificant torpedo-boat may by one blow destroy the Inflexible. To meet this species of peril it has been proposed to armor-plate the bottom of the ships. Such a proposal seems to be carrying the principle of employing armor to the verge of absurdity. There is a demand on the part of naval officers for crinoline netting to protect the ships against locomotive torpedoes. But where this device is adopted it cannot be said to give a sense of security. Moreover, the use of such au appliance militates against the speed and handiness of the vessel, and exposes her to other risks. —English Shipbuilder. During the last year the output of coal in Great Britain was 159,351,418 tons, in which 520,632 collieries were engaged.