Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-18
ARRIVALS OF VESSELS ON SUNDAY
Two Powerful Foreigners Creep ln-One
Frsnchmau, the Other Italian.

The Jean Bart. which arrived on Sunday,
Is a protected French cruiser, and has
most formidable appearance. Her two
masts tend toward magnitying her war,
like mien, as they are as dark as her nun
and carry two galleries, one above the
other, from which tour rapid-rre guns
protrude that look as though they could
give very good account of themselves
If called npon to do SO. The jean
Bart is of the protected cruiser type and
il about 100 tons larger than the San Frau
cisco. Newark, and Charleston, being A. .l60
ions displacement She ~ larger and has
less beam than the first two-nGmed vessels,
being 3i6 feet in length and having 1873
feet beam. and her horsepower IS between
that of the Charleston and Newark, being
5000 horse. She is built OF steel, draws
nineteen and half feet of water, and has
twin screws.
She carries q battery of four 6.3-inch
guns Of 5-ton weight. six 5H-inch guns OF
3-ton weight. and numerous rapid-hre ana
machine guns. In addition she has four
tubes for launching Whitehead torpedoes.
The greater number of the French guns
are built on the Camel pattern, which has
proved 50 formidable rival TO the ter:
man Krupp. Some of the 6-inch guns OF
TINS pattern have fred nine rounds per
minute. and with smokeless powder
shell weighing S8 pounds has been
fired with velocity of 2.5S7 feet
uer second. These guns are CON-
posed simply of a tube which extends the
entire length. the piece OF a jacket which
rests at the back against shoulder OF the
tube ana of conical hoop IN proiongaton
OF the Jacket to the front. They are pro-
yided with screw fastening, the screw
nut of which is sunk into the tube. They
fro a metallic cartridge fixed TO the pro-
iectile, for the working of the 4.7-inch
Gun requires but four men, while for the
six-iuch gun another hand IS necessary
TO transport the ammunition quickly.
The gun is remarkable for its SIM
plicity of construction and has o
carriage so well balanced as to work
easily under all conditions. Inc
guns aboard the Jean Bart are kept IN per-
feet order and at once attract the attention
of the visitor. Her crew were pusily en-
gaced scru bbing, scraping, and cleaning.
and she looks quite rusty OUTSIDE aiter her
long SEQ trip OF three weeks. She LETT
Torllon on the 25th of March, spent two
days at Tangiers. and two more at the
Azores. She reports that the Russian
flagship Dimitn Douskoi was at Aigiers
when she left the Mediterranean, ana ,nas
she should come in tomorrow or next DAY.
altboush she is not q very fast vessel nor
has she moro than 400 tons coal capacity,
so that she will probably stop Tor coal on
the way.
THE BArssS.
The Italian cruiser Giovanni Bausan also
arrived In the roads on Sunday moraing
aud found ap anchorage near the Russian
ships. She is from the West Indies, wnere
she has been since leaving New YORK iast
1 November. Their cruise down IN the
tropics has not been particularly agree-
able, as the weather has beer, very warm
and the markets not very good ut several
| Of the ports they have visited: captain
Alberto do Gibero and MS omcefs are