Show SPANISH BLUFF n ostensibly wS sending a fleet to Manila fla e if they attempt to regain regain the Philip philippines their feast cities will be bombarded deweys be are formidable A washington may blay 24 94 etere there are rumors that the authorities have information that a spanish relief force is already on the vay ray to the philippines but it is believed the spanish reports area bluff bat the american expedition will reach manila long ahead of the spaniards there ia is little r fear of the ability of the americana americans to standoff stand of any fleet spain may be able to spare from the defense of its own coast assistant secretary war Melk lejohn ohn is on the point of chartering six to nice nine additional steamers for the purpose of additional troops to the philippine philippines the relief expedition consists chiefly of the pelayo too the carlos V the cisneros the numancia k the vitoria the alfonso XIII the lepanto the patri ota the gapido the antonio lopez and three torpedo boat destroyers destro yera in tb this is 4 list there are five armored ships and three of the five wholly ont outclass class anything in admiral deweys the old time battleships numancia and vitoria need be feared although displacing about tinb each by our asiatic squadron because their waterline belt is only four to five inches thick in the casa and three to five and a half halt in the victorias Vit orias and the 8 inch projectiles of the olympia bald 1 more boston and charleston would go through that without any difficulty whatever neither ship according to the most recent ln information formation carries any guna guns above the ginch G 6 inch so that is no nothing thing in these ca libres which admiral dewey has not already beaten again the patriots Pat riota and gapido are only the hamburg american liners columb aana and Nor mannia fitted up with moderate batteries the giralda is an sn armed yacht and the lopez is also sho of minor account but the pelayo a modern ton battleship cearly aa an big as our indiana clasa class with her wa erline er line belt 18 inalea thick at the maximum and her 19 inch barbettes barrettes bar bettes carrying two laa inch two 11 inch nine 5 14 inch and ope 6 0 inch gun guns with many smaller ecna ller piece pieces is the m most ost powerful in the spanish navy the carloa carlos V of 9 toas tons about as big aa as our brooklyn ia is the next largest and while her tier tur hAr botte bette armor is 98 inches thick ehe she carries two 11 itch eight by 5 inch four 4 inch and many smaller guns and is credited credit pd with a speed of 20 knots the cardenal cisneros is one of the ton oquendo claes class of armored crul cruiser now familiar familar to tons us and her 12 inch belt and ard 1034 10 inch turrets tarnish furnish strong protection while her main bailery of kwoll two 11 inch and ten rapid tire fire 6 5 inch guns is formidable the cruisers altonso alfonso XIII and lepanen are of the protected protea ed class of and tone tons respectively or between olympia and Bal baltimore Balti timote moie in speed and battery power they also are not far below those ve vessels anels the altonso alfonso xinia main battery containing four inch and eix six 47 guns guns they carry bigger ca libres than any that admiral montojo had these five vessels could rive give admiral dewey much trouble they clearly surpass our ships in battery power and three of them are heavily armored as well as us tar far larger than any of ours the conditions under which admiral dewey lately destroyed his opponent will more than be reversed but it is impossible to believe that the whole cadiz fleet would be font fent to manila because that course apart from abandoning admiral Cerre rai squadron would open entire roas aa as well as a the canaries and the balearic islands to our attack admiral dewey can count na re inter infer cements the charle ton carries to bica him not only ammunition and men bat but her belf belt P i protected cruiser of tone fr frich iab f from rom rr pairs mounting two 8 inch and bix six 6 0 inch guns on the olympia the baltimore the boston and ibo tho charleston he would have no fewer fairer than twelve powerful slach S 8 lach inch nuns guns while these vessels and the rale gh concord and petrel mount many cinch C inch ond and 5 inch the monterey with her 13 inch to 8 inch armor her tier two 12 19 inch and two 10 inch rune guns ard her low freeboard that would puzzle batler curin gunners pra than man the span lards will be a splendid reinforcement re colliere colliers could go with her to solve the coal coaling itic difficulty |