National Republican., 1885-10-24
TIE NAVY YARDS or EUROPE.



on the Needs OF the Service Here.
The report Of Naval Constructor Philip Hich
horn, u, S. N Just received at the Navy Dc
partment contains many subjects of import.
anco to the members of his corps and will be
read with much interest by all who feel tho
necessity Of placing the naval equipment oI
the country on plane commensurate with her
greatness By order of the Secretary OF the
Navy this officer visited the principal dock
yards of Europe, aud has collected large
amount ofvaricd information abuudantly Illus
tIated by sketches photographs, aud drawing,
the whole forming report of great practical
value.
The work deals with facts and tho con.
structor's aim has been rather to present con.
else statements from which his professional
brethren may draw unbiased conclusions, than
laborcd disquisitiOns on the comparative
merits of different systems aud types In which
truth is sometimes sacrificed to elegant argll.
ment, and important principles are often OBJ.
scuted or perverted
The report, which covers go u cs of cali.
graph, IS divided into eight parts or chapters.
and contains descriptions of the principal YES.
sells now building by England France Ger.
many, and Russia, with numerous illustrations.
This Is followed by nu interesting and very
practical chapter on the "Details, fittings, and
equipment oil naval vessels abroad" the next
division relates to Torpedo Boats" alter which
follows Iron and steel works, steel castlngl,
and armor plates" The part devoted to Brit.
ish private shipyards will be found interesting
both to naval people and to private builders, as
II contains descriptions and plans of the most
celebrated establishments In Europe. 1t is ap.
propriatcly followed by chapter on "ship.
yard appliances and tools" The latter has re-.
ceived much attention from Constructor lIlch.
born, IN obedience to special clause Of his
orders inserted in view of the early necessity
of equipping several OF the navy yards with
the most improved iron shipbuilding plant.
The management of work and employees and
the systems of education for naval constructors
abroad" are then treated, aud here American
mechanics may learn how superior their con =
dtiOn Is to that of their transatlantic brethren.
The. work concludes with some general re-.
progress of his tour.
lie says that in the national dock yards 6f
Great Britain about 1900 men are employed,
their average pay per day being sl,Oa The
total sum expended by the British government
in the last fifteen years IN the construction and
repair OF vessels Of the royal navy aggregates
SlI0,6iN,G2j with incidental chSSgcs, which
SVEN the total to s2l13l0 $40, or about twenty
eight one.huudredths of the total naval appro.
printons for the same period.
The imperial navy of Germany dates from
oct. !, 1867, from which time up 10 the present
about sllO,O00,0O0 has been expended upon the
naval establishment, with the result that Ger.
many now ranks as the fourth naval power.
The navy list of Russia is formidable in the
number of vessels and men, which places the
nation third in the rank of naval powers. Tho
apparent navy aggregated at the beginning OF
tue present yenr so vessels oil all descriptions,
but II ClrsOry examination revealed the fact
that probably not more than l2O, exclusive oftor'
nedo boats, can properly be cassed rs vessels
for offensive and defensive warfare.
France has five dock yards, collectively com.
prising nh arca of 900 acres. She has twenty
four dry dock, and her establishments arc
complete in all the requirements for building,
repairing, fitting out, and preservation of ships
and the manufacture of stores and articles re.
quired for navy. The quays, basins, and
slips are of the most substantial character
which, If duplicated in the United States,
would require decades and several hundred
millions of dollars. Convict labor has been
largely utilized IN such national work, while
besides the wages of free labor arc sufficiently
low TO accomplish great deal of work at IN
outlay which in this country would be regarded
ns Insignificant
In his chapter on torpedo boats he says these
vessels are now considered so essential that no
European navy of note has nOtilla of less than
my, while the stronger powers have fleets Of a
hundred or more. Consts have been divided
into torpedo districts of hundred or more,
each with its complement of boats and tho
crews, thoroughly organized, arc kept contin.
ually exercised in the management of thar
vessels.
OF the seaworthincss of such boats he says
there can 10 longer be any doubt: their long
voyages in some cases under steam, and IN
others under SAIL TO Rio Janciro, Buenos Ayrcs
and the Black sea having conclusively demon
Suatcd their ability to survive very severe
weather. Lately, during an evolutionary
cruise OF the French Mediterranean squadron
the torpedo boats were able to keep the sea
ships, were compelled to seek shelter from the
violence ofthc gale.
The defensive value of Il fleet of cruising
torpedo boats, he says, caii hardly be over
rated No blockade can be maintained In
their presence; ; yet If properly supported by
tenders with coal and supplies they form O
themselves an efficient blockadirg force. ThC
from 100000 to SG5, 600. and they require from,
| ten to fifteen men. To operate TO greatest ad
vantage they must attack IN numbers. II Is
two. 1t Is probable that in the future no iron
| clad will venture to attack port without the
assistance OF Il torpedo iotilla equal or superior
TO that possessed by the enemy. In describing
the details of the construction of torDedo boats
he says some attention has lately been given
| TO their propulsion by electric motors. In a
launch forty feet long and six feet beam, re-
was stored In the secondary baiterle,
for run, of several hours The silence
of this mode Of propulsion, the fact that power
vessel, the absence of sparks which betray the
approach OF the enemy and the ease with
which the boat may be charged by the dy
namos now on board almost all large ships o
war, he thinks renders this a somewhat prom
| Using field for further investigation. lie found
the owners OF private yards in Great Britain
marked BY. the OUTPUT of a million aud a quar-
| ter tons, feeling severely the effect of the
| present depression of the carrying trade
Some were but half employed, many werl
| quite idle, and only q few could be said to bC
| fairly busy. These latter, he noticed, hat
the finest and oilen the largest establishments
| equipped with the best of labor.saving tools.
The construction Of sailing vessels appeared
TO bo proportionately less depressed than thai
OF steamers.
In his description of ships built and building
he has the foli9wing comment upon the Chilia,
| powerfully equipped, but she Is vulnerable