Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-09

Paris are S56 feet long, sos feet on the water
line, have q tonnage 10, 4ss tons; they are twin
;er both sets OF engines act
| an enormous area Of rudder, SO that their ma
| neuvering power is not excelled by any man-of
war afoat and equaled by very few. They are
| so subdivided as to be seaworthy, with three
compartments filled with water and floating
safely with considerably more tonnage. They
have been specially designed and built, not only
| TO be the finest passenger ships afoat and the
safest but also to be the most efficient commerce
destroyers and cruisers. They have frequently
crossed the Atlantic, exceeding speed of twenty
| knots for the whole distance taking good and
bad weather They have remarkable coal endur-
ance capable Of keeping at sea for seventy-two
days and steaming ten knots, which is a valuable
| qualification as cruiser. They are already
| fitted for sixteen rif1ed cannon and they were
| built under the inspection and according to the
design Df the British admiralty to the end that
they might be efficient cruisers Their boilers
and engines are divided into separate compart-
| ments, so that the steamer could never be
disabled by the flooding of one or more COM
partments; the boilers are protected from ram
| ming or from shot by the coal bunkers on either
| side, In water-tight compartments, and their
engines are protected in the same manner by
| water tight compartments, which can be filed
| with any suitable material when being fitted as
| cruisers. Their rudders and stearing gear are
| under water and thus protec led from shot
They are the only merchantmen afoat de-
| signed to meet all the above-described i'm
pOrtant qualifications as cruisers
THEIR VALUE AS WAR VESSELS.
Mr.. Frye went on to state that these two ships
could escape from any war vessel afoat and
| could overtake and destroy any merchant ship
| afloat. They had cost about two million dollars
each. The two vessels that were to be built
| under the provisions of the bill would cost
about 225,0O0 each. Within the last year,
| knowing that the government was looking
anxiously toward these two vessels at the time
the Chilean troubles were threatening, hs
had sent this bill to the Secretary of the Navy
| with request that he should communicate his
| opinion to the committee on commerce.
THE BRITISH LION GRowLINa.
Mr. Frye, continuing, said that there were in
| timations in the newspapers that the British
| lion was growing somewhat at the prospect of
| losing those two ships. But it had no occasion
| to growl because, when those ships were built
| a proposition was made that they should be
| subventioned by the British government at the
rate of s105. 900 a year.
But the British government had said to their
owners that in case of trouble the United
States government was liable to ask
for these ships and to admit
them to American registry, and that
that the owners yielded to that demand. The
owners asked what penalty the British govern
ment desired to exact, and the reply was
that the S105000 a year should be
returned each year, SO that there should be
| always one years pay behind, and that that
| Sl05,000 should be the penalty exacted if those
ships ever went under American registry.
So that. Mr.. Frye said, the British govern
ment had nothing to say if the bill became a
law. The penalty would be paid and that was
the end of it. If the bill became law, two
ships would be built in the United States not
of 5000 tons, but of $4,000 tons, and with
speed, not of twenty knots, but Of twenty-three
knots.
THE BILL PASSED.
The bill, notwithstanding the protests Of Mr.
Mills (Tex.) and Mr.. Palmer Oil }, who desired
further time for its consideration, was passed
by vote of Al els to 10.nays.
The HOUSE.
Almost an hour was consumed in the House
this morning in the consideration of unimpor-
tant reports submitted by the committee on &C
counts.
The House then proceeded to the further
consideration of the river and harbor bill. The
pending question was on the reconsideration of
the vote by which the House Saturday agreed
to the amendment providing that in the cases
where authority has been granted to
the Secretary of War to make con-
works, if no bids be received which are deemed
by the Secretary to be advantageous then ma
terials may be purchased and the work may be
done otherwise than by contract. Reluctantly
but recognizing that by so doing they would es-
cape day of flibustering, the advocates of the
bill voted to reconsider, and the amendment
was then rejected.
MR. HOLMAN MOVES TO REcoMMIr.
Mr.. Holman Qnd.) moved to recommit the
bill with instructions to the committee to re-
port it back with an amendment striking out
the contract provisions.
Mr.. Cultivate (Ohio) moved to amend the
instructions by requiring the committee to
strike out all appropriations which are
for new works or for the further extension of
works now under construction, DO that the bill
| shall include an appropriation for the continue
ton or completion Of works nov in progress
The amendment was lOst-yeas, So; nays, 70.
The question then REQUIRED on Mr.. Holmsn's
motion.
The motion was defeated-yeas, %; nays, ll9.
THE BILL PASSED.
The bill then passed the House-yeas, 1856;
nays, &C.
DISTRICT BILLS IN TIE HOUSE.
1t was after $50 before the District commit
tee obtained the floor. The pending question
was q motion referring to the bill extending
the Washington and Georgetown track
to tine Aqueduct bridge. Mr.. Hemphiil, how
ever, stated that the bin would be
Of no use now and asked that il be indefinitely
postponed, which action was taken by unani-
nous consent. Mr.. Hemphill then called up
House bill 6,013 to amend the laws relating 70
land titles in the District Of Columbia
The bill ws read by sections and
several amendments Of minor importance pro-
posed by the committee were adopted. A hitch
was reached when the sixth section was read,
when Mr.. Castle Of Minnesota and Mr.. Dali
cell Of Pennsylvania offered some objections 10
the bill. Mr.. Castle held that . recent dseis-
ion Of the Supreme Court rendered tho
act unnecessary, but Mr.. Hemphill read let
ters from several prominent lawyers Who
took the contrary view. Mr. Hemphin
further stated that Tie bfl met the
approval Of every judgs ON TIE DISTRICT bench
q well - Of The bar associates q the city. II
has been twice reportsd By ths DISTRICT com-
mittee and he thought wIs unanimously ap-
proved Of by the citissns. Mr.. DAlssn
asked II Mr. Hsmphill know Of any STATE
where such IN Get Stood On the statuts boon.
Mr.. Hsmphin aaksd II NJ. Dalssll knsw Of any
place whers The same conditfsae exigosd . =
ths Distract q colunhiA