The shipyard of John Roach did the first work on the new navy, and during Secretary Chandler’s term of office built the Chicago, the Boston, the Atlanta and the Dolphin.  Instead of battleships, the first of the fleet were third-rate cruisers.  Armor-plate was bought in a foreign market, and we actually went abroad for the plans of one our largest cruisers—­the Charleston.

In 1885 the navy department came under the administration of Secretary William C. Whitney, and it was beginning with his years of service that the greatest progress was made.  While our shipyards were learning to build ships, the gunmakers and the makers of armor-plate were learning their craft too, so that progress was along parallel lines.  In 1886 the sum of $2,128,000 was appropriated for modern rifled guns.  The first contract for armor-plate was signed in 1887.  Since that time the plants for construction have been completed and armor-plate equal to the best in the world turned out from them.  Ten years of apprenticeship have taught us how to build whatever we need to carry on naval warfare.

Takes the rank of sixth.

By 1894 the United States had risen to the sixth among the naval powers of the world, the first ten and their relative strength expressed in percentage of that of Great Britain being as follows: 

Great Britain      100 United States      17
France              68 Spain              11
Italy               48 China               6
Russia              38 Austria             5
Germany             21 Turkey              3

Since that time the relative position of the leaders has not materially changed, although some estimates are to the effect that Russia and Italy have changed places and that Spain has gained slightly on the United States.  Of the ones at the foot of the procession all have dropped below the station assigned them, by the advance of Japan, which has come from outside the file of the first ten and is now eighth, ranking between Spain and China.  The estimates are based on a calculation of all the elements that enter into the efficiency of the navies, such as tonnage, speed, armor, caliber and range of armament, number of enlisted men and their efficiency.  Such calculations cannot be absolute, for they cannot measure at all times the accuracy of the gunnery of a certain vessel.  The human equation enters so prominently into warfare that mathematical calculations must be at all times incomplete.  Americans will be slow to believe, however, that they are at any disadvantage in this detail, whatever their material equipment may be.