New-York tribune., 1892-04-24
DIR BIG SISTER CITY.
AFFAIRS IN BROOKLYN.
Commodore Erlen's PromotiOn-The kepuDhcah rrh"i ~
r,:. posu,t-.ctive National Guard Rcgiments-Varlo"s
Jtems of Interest.

For the trials the explosive chamber VIII DC h'u WIN
a weight equal to that Of the charge OF suh-co'o"'
4, tbe head of the torpedo is a knife blade arrange
mcnt the object of which Is TO cut tle SUei hotuhs
with which the hull Of ship might Ire PfOtecteu'
An Interesting test will soon be mane WIN 'h'
Whitehead torpedo under the auspices OF tI'c Navy
Dcpartmcnt After this test 1t will be possible 10
COMPARE the relative merits o; the liOwell ana llo
Whitehead torpedpes. There IS some dOuoI as 10
the practical success OF the Whitehead torpedo ana
the coming test will be an important one Tor showing
this. Tho t0rpcdoes to be used are @eheeh-ihci
missiles and will carry charge OF about 100 PouhoS
of gnn-cotton. They are to have speed OF aOout
tblry-threo knots for 437 yards and thirty knots for
s7J wards f. W. Bliss a Co.. of Brooklyn, have tho
contract 70 produce clghteennch torpedocs OF the
most recent type. This firm has the patents, draw
ings and models OF the Whitehead torpedo Some OF
the t0rpcdoes have already been completed ana II the
trial shows that they meet the specified requirements
the contractors prepared to furnish the rest 10 inc
Navy at the rate of ten month.
Assistant Engineer George H. Salisbury, who re-
Gently returned to his home I'm Brooklyn from the
cruiser Baltimore has been ordered to duty IN INC
Bureau of steam Engineering. After joining INC
Baltimore In February is7 ne went WIN n.r ~, Vai
paisi.o where the vessel ordered to go on January
3G l-91 and remained there until after tho settlement
If the troubles there last winter He was previously
on dnty IN the Bureau Of steam Enhneerng
The officers of the fncucer Corps feel much en-
portcd Iy the senate Committee on Naval Affairs on
"Wednesday. Tho bill provides for fifteen chi1 chi1t en. nc
gnceri with the rank of captain. eighteen with tn"
rank Of commander and hiiy with tn" rank oi neu-
tenant commander: ninety passed assistant engneerS
with the rank OF lieutenant and eighty with IA" RANK
OF lieutenant Of IN" Junior grade hly assistant en-
enocr, with the rank OF ensign and Number Oh IhVai
cadet engineers a, determined by subsequent sections
of the bill The proposed measure to Increase the
cricncy of the Naval service by increasing that OF
n, Engineer Corps not cfOri 10 increase the pay
Of any officer or grade. the bin stating explicitly that
the rates Of pay provided by law arr TO be re-
faned The aim Of IN" bill Is Ia Increase the mein..'r-
ship of the Engineer Corps sufficiently To enab. thIt
corps perform the duties required of 1t in I'm. oi
by the secretary of the Navy the Chief II the Burrau
of Navigation and the Chef Of the Bureau 81 steam
The number Of officers and the division into ranks
ba-,d On careful study OF the needs ol uie
service and the Responsibilities attached 10 the various
time u peace The numbers I'm the grade Of chlef
,hosr below mat grade. but they believed to be
for ihc best interest, ~ the service. with the pro
posed Increase Of twenty each ycar In addition Z" Inc
rtiromcnts and casualties. II will take about 'X years
10 MI the Engineer Corps 10 the complement asked
il I ' ,,r- ,"' ' cadets are to he flled rom o mem
ber Of tho engineer division at IN" Naval academy. al
sr,dna'cs Of those iccinicnl ,choo, Of the United
state whose course ~ instruction In mechanical en-
r.tary 81 the Navy N" number of Er9dunt"S OF t'n
nical school, appointed 10 naval cadctsip- Ia De equal
~ member, ~ the engineer division of the Naval
Academy available each y"ar. This manner OF ap'
uGlntmc1' involves chang" IN IN" UttHun no" III
i,red by law such chang being considered necessary
.r'dno.,d from AnnapolI, are rot large enough to
supply on th" average more than about ten Tor inc
rLn ilu doc. not interfere with Tho present course
ot ttc Naval Academv hui simply ask that. IN addl-
tlon 10 the number ~ engineer graduate "hch hat
i,,,n,ion .upul.s tho Navv have the benefit NJ Ia"
.upplv from tho good engineering schools OF inc
coiitrv n l. au engineer hill, pur" and simple basi
on what the Nayy and th" fhT9eer ooFpo me,a: u
makes no comT ari-uue. nor Seflt@ any adNahtaEto'
n loDls 70 no change In pay and only asks that the
Vavv IN us engineering branch. receive that con
liberation which reason dictates The HIGHEST prOie'.
arm ~ thc Naval service absolutely require.