New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-08
FOREIGN NAVAL NOTES.

The British Board OF Admiralty has begun to ex-
mend the 800 900 900 recently ash for TO build
new naval contingent Of seventy more modern war
vessels 1t has Just placid orders 10 build three OF
the proposed nrst-class cruisers improvement on
the Mersey class and designed to carry an amam III
similar TO the Blake and Bernhena. Their lengths
W Il be 3eO fet, ard they will be Of 1850 tons dis
placement Tie engines Will be Of the tn-conpounu
TYNE with a horse power of 10000 and maximum
need OF twenty knots on th' measured mile, or
oI,htaen knots continuous steaming al sea. The
armament Of each Is to be two twanty-two-ton guns
ION five ton guns twelve sx-pounder rapldhre guns
and four torpedo tubes
The English pap RS continue their criticisms of the
nroved inefciency Of their big guns. Two OF inc
11oton guns OF tho Victoria suffered sadly rom the
firing trials. one much worse than tn other. one
n was so badly cracked that It was possible to drop
into Il good sized co n. The Other gun showed two
similar cracks The dsabl rs of these and of Others OF
IN, new guns is attracting particular aitent on, es-
oc,a,v as the authorities disLnclined 10 tell the
ruth NJ th, matter "The Adm rally Gazettc' says;
II Is no exaggP -atOn 10 say that were war 10 OreaK
ont tomorrow about half our ships in reserve at the
varlos ports could not be commissioned for want OF
en- and OF those which would have guns hurriedly
,oced on board them, not few would b. as danger
ous TO the to the enemy on account OF the
defects in the ordnanc, supplied"
Guns The bursting of the forty -eiGht-ton gun on
-, tho Dunerre IS b leved 10 be due to the under
tir,ated force of tho slow burning powder. which
10 onicers characterize as giant which eNcrts his
-, ngtb slowly and regularly, and is espec ally
,a,o,ous II he misbehaveS.' similar acc dents oc-
-, or the italian frigate Duuo with the l00ton
,n and with a Krupp eeven-inch gun on & rman
snip ormsnV has arranged to spend 1o41s,ooo marks
~, - 200 OOOl upon naval construction during the
Ao,nc year -Four great ironclads, each Of 10000
,ons, displac ment are TO be begun az Mel anu WI
In sbayen with an estimated speed OF seventeen
han IN eirhto n knots but unlike the Preus sen.
Sro.ser Kurflrst, and Friedr ch der Crosse, whose
re.t Steel plates manufactured IN England. tie
a'erals for the vessels are 10 be absolur IS of
mnaa',nauv,s production. These vessels, when com
nlctod are estimated 10 cost about TWO aud Quarter
millions Of dollars each, and IN VIII De Jol ieet IN
,nmc,b Two smaller armor>d vessels OF the otfrei
rlsts TO cost about S550,OOO each ale also TO he
built.
rho experimcnts by the Austrian ordnance officers
81, ,bo smokeless powder invented by Major Schwab
aro rcnorted to have given favorable results The
o,dar had lain IN the magazine fully four years. aud
a.. slightest change had taken placo In is com
,,,or. and with a cartridge half the weight of the
,, charge used in the nine-cenmetre held-gun. II
a.ya n velocity OF ten metres more man with the
III nowder The Military Zeitung' says that a
roo1 smokeless powder may be made from straw
shargod with nitre by means OF mixture OF nitric
Ia and concentrated stphuric acid Inc acd Is then
illuminated by washing the matter In water In which IL
hs.nuently boiled. IL Is then washed with a
i In ~ carbonate OF potassium and treated during
So'N, ,d ~ from two 20 six hours with a solution
lining for every 900 litres OF water II II klo
cannes OF nitrate Of potassium L. hlogrsmmGs
OF ~ ~ zinc and half a kogramine OF permanganate
Ino,sssIm The mass is then put under great press
sure TO remove the water when u is reSdy lot USE