US protected cruisers straddled British class boundaries

How did contemporary US Navy protected cruisers fit the Royal Navy's first- and second-class categories?

They aimed toward first-class capability but often straddled the British first- and second-class boundary.

An audience question prompts a comparison between contemporary US Navy protected cruisers and British cruiser categories. The American designs aimed toward first-class protected-cruiser capability. In practice, many fell between the Royal Navy's first- and second-class types, around the Edgars and their successors. Different navies did not use ship classifications for perfectly equivalent designs or missions.