Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-21

ENEaAnQ..--.-- 81, 2l, 90 Austria, ]. DOL, 60
Trance......... ~ 5OO,O 600 Holland. ....... 5.74l, On
Italy.-".--... q SIS. 900 yapan...-.... 4,Me.o CO.
Germany's total naval budget for 1S91-99
for all purposes is S24, 600. 900. The United
States'has in hand or is about to lay down,
C armored vessels, 4 unarmored cruisers
and one torpedo boat-a total OF II. There
were launched during the year two ar.
mored vessels and one unarmored vessel.
ENGLASD's POLICY OUTLINED.
In England the programme framed in
1889 that in 1894 the British feet would
equal the fleets Of any two foreign powers
is being carried out. Seventy vessels were
to be built. With the single exception OF
l. the remaining so will be finished before
that time. During the year 8 armored
and % unarmored ships were laid down and
3 armored and 2S uparmored ships were
launched.
France secured her large appropriation
on the ground that without it her feet in
1885 would be inferior to thaS of the Triple
Alliance. Seven battle ships are building,
5 large and / small. Two more large ones
are TO be begun shortly, also a number O;
cruisers and torpedo boats. Last year
France floated 2 armored and 4 unarmored
ships. She displayed great activity in tor
pedo boat building, having no less than SO
in hand.
Italy is at work on her last years pro-
gramme, building the 8 unarmorei ships she
recently laid down. She launched l monster
battle ship and 4 unarEaared ships. Six tor
pcdO boats are about to be added to the
fleet. Russia's programme comprises the
laying dow1 of / armoTed ships in addition
to the . already in hand. She recently
launched 3 armored vessels and a cruiser
yacht. Eight torpedo boats are building.
The warship construction of the remain
ing navies is unimportant. 1t is worth
noting, however, that the Argentine Repub-
lie has had built in England a new protected
cruiser of 5000 tons that has made a trial
speed of 22.4 knots, the best speed on record
for a cruiser. The Argentine Government
has also purchased a Yarrow torpedo boat,
fitted with quadruple expansion engines
that have given a trial speed of &c knots,
also the fastest on record.
Under the steam trials of the ships of the
different navies several new rules are OBJ
served. England has abandoned the meas
ured mile and extreme forced draught trials,
and substituted trials at sea with easy
drsught. France has adopted a mean of six
runs over a measured base. In other navies
a sea run of four, six or eight hours is the
requirement.
AS a rule it has been found that in most
steam trials the machinery of the fastest
vessels has proved too light to do the work
properly.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY.
The second chapter is entitled 'Notes on
Machinery" After a description of the ma
chinery of the new vessel recently author
lied to he built by Congress, the notes deal
with the subject of engines, describing the
accident TO the City Of Paris and the nature
of the repairs, together with other informa-
ton concerning accidents to machinery.
Experiments were made to ascertain the
effect of showering cold water on red hot
furnace crowns, with a view of throwing
light on the accepted theory that such injec-
ton Of cold water would cause the instan-
taneous generation of steam and an explo-
sion. Though the experiments were not as
conclusive as desired, vet they clearly
showed that the old theory wa wrong, for
no explosion took place, nor was there any
danger of this nature.
The trials of the Serve boiler tube are
noteworthy. This tube differs from the
ordinary tube in having on the inside a
number Of longitudinal ribs designed to in
crease the efficiency Of the heating surface.
\ series of exhaustive trials were made by
the English and French authorities and at
Elizabethport, n. j. In all cases the Serve
tube proved decidedly more efficient than
the ordinary tube.
A curious bit of information is that on
prepared sea water for marine boilers. The
chemical process consists in adding soda
carbonate 20 sea water raised to the boiling
point. In expense the system is said to be
most satisfactory, the cost being one-fourth
that of distilling, and comparing favorably
with the cost of fresh water in many ports.
THE QUESTION OF ORDNANCE.
Section Bis entitled "Notes on Ordnance"
1t is the record Of the progress made in ord
nance during the past year, and at once at
tracts attention by the statement that the
day of monster gum for use on shipboard
seems to have passed. The largest guns
now in the course of construction are of 13. s.
inch caliber, weighing 81 tons. China is
engaged in turning out all steel guns up to
l2-inch caliber at her own factory at Klang-
nan. England last year constructed $40
guns of different sizes. She has afoat, ex-
elusive of rapid fire and machine guns 1,410
pieces. A number of accidents happened
to some OF the calibers, and one of the no.
ton guns failed completely.
France had serious trouble with her
largest c~alibres, and has intimated that
pieces w 1875 inch in calibre are far from
satisfactory. In Germany the largest gun
dilOdA Is luG lZ.Ol lDCu hTupD. lUdlN QdS
Two 119 ton guns mounte on shore that
were formerly in two gun vessels. She has
eight 100 ton muzzle loading guns and 20
105 ton breechloaders on board her ships.
No fault has ever been found with them.
Japan has purchased a 12.6 inch gun from
a French firm-Canet. This gun has given
some remarkably fine proof results, attain
ing a mUzzle velocity of over ., 300 feet with
a chamber pressure of only 1876 tons per
square inch. Armor piercing projectiles
are discussed in a subsection. Proiectiles
manufactured by the Hotter process are
used by England, France and Russia; those
made by the Firminy process by England,
France, Spain and the United States. These
projectiles have attained such perfection of
quality, temper and toughness that they can
attack compound or steel armor with but
little liability to reformation.
But the American (Harvey) process of
hardening armor caused both the Hotter
and Carpenter shots Carpenter is the
American maker of the Firminy proeess) to
be completely destroyed.
ELECTRIC APPARATUS.
Section 4 has to do with ELECTRICITY on
Board Ship" The notes show that during
the past year there has been a marked de-
v~elopme7t in marine application of cleo
tricity, as follows: 1, a tendency to intro
Guse a~ccu,nulators and discard primary bat
tehes; .. in increasing demand for electric
power, principally for training and elevating
heavy guns and for controlling the fire of
machine guus; b improvement of dynamos
as reeardr external field, and its, effect or
the compass; 4, Increased power of search
lights and Improvement of the apparatus for
manipulating them; ., Improvement of gov