The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-28
CONSTRUCTION OF WAR VESSELS.

WHEN AND HOW THE NAvrEs OF EUROPE ARE
BUIL--ENGLAND THE LEADER AND MODEL
OF THE NAT1oNs-THE MISTAKE OF AUSTRIA
AND now SHE is REcrIrYlNa II.
WASHINGTON, April 81, 1871
Chief Engineer J. W. King, OF the United States
Navy who has recently made very exhaustive report
upon recent construction and mechanical appliances
for ships Of in Europe, gives that report much
that is of very great interest. All tho OF Eu.
rope, he says, bave been recently undergoing
s,ructon, and therc has never been a imo during
pcaco when such large expenditures for naval pur-
poses made as Mt present. and such radical
changes effected In tho construction OF ships OF war,
in steam machinery, in machinery for working guns
and Tor other purposes board ship and In
offensive torpedo warfare.
SHIP BUILDING ~ ENGLAND.
The introduction TO the report mentions that Eng.
land is In the forefront the leader and model all
European naval powers. In addition to their mag
nihccntly equipped public dock yards. tho patronage
OF the government has sufnced to keep IN existence
and TO increase the supplemental resources which
relieve and aid the national establishments In tmo OF
peace, aud which IN time oil war would be TO them
TO foreign orders Tor ships OF war, IN small
measure, that on the Thames tho Mersey, the clyde
Tho Tyne are found unrvacd establish nents, July
equipped with expanded and developed resources
requisite for modern warshp construction. Nearly
every considerable naval Power. except the United
States France, have employed English designers
English builders, engineers and gun manufacturers
Chief Engineer KING continues:
Itwas here the KONG Wilhelm Kaiser Deutschland
other ships for the built. Turkey
obtained from the CLYDE and the Thames large proportion
of armorcd hert, Including all the most power
iul vessels Russia, spain Holland, Denmark. Greece
Portugai. Brazil, Chill, Peru ami Japan-aii
England to have arnorcd ships OF constructed The
sheffield not only supply plates tor these
ships but also plates materials Tor vessels bnt IN
manuiact guns solely Tor foreign orders Besacs th,
ali the nations ABOVE customers English snip
yards and engineering works TO supply vessels
camille marine In Indou be ionnd naval ~
nearly all important nations observing the progres and
changes In naval construction.
In consequence OF these facts, and for the additional
reason that comparatively little oil value new novel
originating with Continental navy architects or on
giEecrs was found tho Continent the larger part Of
Mr. Kings time abroad was employed In Great Britain.
AUsTRfAs NAVY.
Tho naval authorities OF Austria. the report men
TONS In common with those OF other European couD
tries. have paid dearly Tor the error Of building
wooden armored SHIPS The Kaiser Max, tic
Frinz Eugen and the Don Juan D'Ausiria con-
stitutcd Ito carly iron-cad fleet OF Austria.
The decay OF the wooden hus, Insufficient strength
and the advancement, made In defence well
offence Of the modern lighting ships somo time s,nce
rendered. thsss vss~-e uuslrss As n matter ri econ.
emy, h11ssef. " was ueeidsd " rseopstraet thea,