ing stations near the guns, for the
emergency treatment of the wounded. To the musicians of the ship's band
is assigned the duty of carrying wounded men to the dressing stations
and the hospital, the latter being on one of the lower decks, beneath
the water level.

The battle cruiser, built long and narrow, has a great speed. The four
monster propellers are driven by electricity, which is generated by
engines fed with fuel oil. The speed attained is 35 knots an hour, which
means the same speed as a train traveling at the rate of 40 miles an
hour, since the sea mile, or knot, is longer than the land mile.

In order to obtain this enormous speed it was necessary for the
designers of the battle cruisers to sacrifice armor protection. The
armor on these ships is but an eight-inch belt. The real object of the
battle cruiser is to use its superior speed and overwhelming gun power
to overtake and destroy the enemy's ships of the second line, the
auxiliaries and scouts.

Each of these vessels has a displacement of 34,800 tons--meaning, in
plain language, that they weigh that much, hence displace that much
water when launched. The biggest British battle cruiser, which is the
largest battle cruiser afloat, is the British Tiger, which has a
displacement of 28,500 tons, and is less in length by 150 feet than
these mighty battle cruisers. The Tiger is much less formidably armed,
carrying eight 13 1/2-inch guns. The largest German battle cruiser is
the Derfflinger, of 26,200 tons, and armed with eight 12-inch rifles.

Our latest commissioned dreadnought, the Arizona, has engines of 31,400
horsepower. The engines of that monster passenger steamship, the
ill-fated Lusitania, were of 70,000 horsepower. Those of the Tiger boast
120,000 horsepower. But each of our six battle cruisers has 180,000
horsepower to drive her through the water.

HUGE FIGHTING CRAFT.

These huge fighting craft are the most expensive ships ever built. Each
of them cost about $20,000,000, the money outlay being something like
$16,500,000, exclusive of armor and guns. And for each battle cruiser
must be provided, in the way of personnel, 1,153 enlisted men, 64
marines and 58 officers.

While the American Navy had but 55,389 men when the war opened it was
quickly increased, and under the Army bill, which provided for the
reorganization and increasing of the land forces, the naval forces were
also increased.

The bill increasing the authorized enlisted str