ritan," "Amphitrite,"
"Terror," and "Monadnock," whose keels had been laid several years
before, be completed. In accordance with this order they were launched
in 1883.

In order that the work of the reconstruction of the navy should be
carried on as rapidly as possible, the secretary recommended, in 1883
and 1884, that seven unarmored cruisers, in addition to the four then
in the process of construction, be built. Congress adopted his
suggestion to the extent of authorizing, in 1884, the construction of
two unarmored cruisers, two gunboats, and two armored cruisers.

The vessels with which the reconstruction of the navy began--namely
the "Chicago," the "Boston," the "Atlanta," and the "Dolphin"--were
completed about this time, and were in some measure disappointments.
It was found that the "Dolphin" was better adapted for pleasure trips
than for war service, because of the lack of protection against
hostile fire. The engines had been so placed as to be exposed above
water-line, which was condemned as a serious mistake in a war-vessel
without armor-protection. It was realized, too, that the essential
characteristic in an unarmored cruiser is great speed. The function
she is expected to perform is to destroy commerce; and if she is
slower than the merchant-vessels it is useless for her to go to sea;
and if she is slower than the iron-clads, and consequently cannot
escape from them, she could not long continue her service. The chief
objection to the vessels was the lack of a speed equal to that of
merchantmen and the cruisers of other countries. The type of protected
cruiser with a maximum speed, in some cases as high as twenty knots,
developed at this time as a result of the earlier experiments. The
torpedo, too, was receiving constant attention, and money was freely
spent for its improvement. It was found that vessels at anchor or
under slow headway could be protected from torpedoes by being
surrounded by a large net. This defence was generally adopted for
armored vessels.

A stride forward in naval construction in the United States marked the
year 1887. Before that time a serious obstacle in the way of building
up the navy was the lack in the country of manufactories necessary to
the construction and armament of a modern war-vessel, namely, that of
steel forgings for the heavier guns, of armor for iron-clad vessels,
and of secondary batteries, which are an essential portion of the
armament. It was important that th