Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1901 — ONE OF EUROPE’S FIGHTING FLYERS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ONE OF EUROPE’S FIGHTING FLYERS.

Here is one of Italy’s new battle ships., The Regina Margherita, launched this year at Spezia, is to make 20 knots. She is of 13,825 tons, and in armor and armament resembles our own new battle ships. Italy, says the Chix cago American, has ont one, but a whole squadron of high-speed battle ships, able to choose their own time and place of action. The Benedetto Brin and Regina Margherita are of 20 knots, the Sardegua, 11 years old, of 20.1, and the Regina Elena and Vittorio Emmanuele 111. of 22. Here are five battle ships of 20 knots and over. We have not one. Besides these Italy has the Re Umberto, 13 years old, of 19 knots, the limit of our latest ships, just designed and not yet begun; the Sicilia, 10 years old, of 19.2; the Italia, 21 years old, of 18 (a speed not yet reached on an oflicial trial by any of our newest battle ships), the Lepanto, 19 years old, of 18.38, and the Emanuele Filiberto, of 18. Of Italy’s 15 battle ships 10 are of 18 knots and over, 7 of 19 or more, 5 of 20 or better, and 2 of 22. , Italy has not launched a battle ship of less than 18 knots within the last fifteen years. When she laid down the last of her 17-knot ships we did not have a battle ship of any kind built or authorized in our navy. We launched our first-class battle ships eight years later and gave them a contract speed of 15 knots. At that time Italy had in actual service a battle ship of 20.1 knots. s We are not accustomed to consider Italy very much of a naval power; yet the five battle ships of 20 knots and better that she has built or building might make us endless trouble if we were so unfortunate as to have them against us. They could range our whole coast, destroying everything afloat except our battle ships and our fastest cruisers, and remaining themselves in absolute security. They could cut off all trade between "the United States, Cuba and Porto Rico. They could wreck the entrance of the Nicaragua Canal, if that were finished. They could go through the Suez Canal, harry our naval force at Manila and rekindle the insurrection in the Philippines. They could loot our coaling station at Tutuila, carry off our Governor from Guam, as the Charleston did to the Spaniards, and wreck our trade withs Hawaii. They could devastate our Pacific Coast, ruin the shore mines at Nome and capture the gold fleet from Alaska. No battle ships that we could send in pursuit of them could catch them. The only things with which we could hope to bring them to an engagement would be our new armored cruisers, and it might be that these commerce destroyers, without a gun heavier than an 8-inch, and with only six inches of armor, but with the all-im-portant quality of speed, would save us from a danger before which our ponderous battle ships would lie helpless.

THE HALIAN BATTLESHIP REGINA MARGHERITA.