New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-04
FOREIGN NAVAL NOTES.

The question OF big guns continues to harass the A.
mrally and they are now talking q great improve
mcnts and notifications" Of naval heavy ordnance,
that it can be worked when necessary by manual In.
stead Of mechanical means At present the cotton gun
is the heaviest weapon with which this is possible but
many OF the leading officers hold that guns which are
heavy to be worked by hand readily are altogether
out of place board of ship. Ii is certain that the
lloton uonSo>tcs cannot he worked by hand, but II
is claimed that the JOton guns with the Elswick ar
rangcment which Ia, been accepted By the ordnance
authorities In the Admiralty, will have the following
advantages II VIII be possible lire them In pairs ut
intervals not eAoeing ney seconds ever operation
cah b. Performed hy hand a an alternative, and the
guns be loaded In any position. in fixed posi-
ion Consequently, II one gun only has been fired IL
be reloaded although the other gun Is kept bearing
Oh the object
one of the lords Of the admiralty recently made the
hilarious statement that h. could get many engineer
Officers he wanted for the Navy, This statement has
caused investigation to b. made with the result that
OF the 532 engineer officers in the British Navy there
only fourteen not assigned TO ships and there is no
Available , , Of eseer Officers s w rae r. n
perts In the matter CT dynamos and other electric ap
and have had 10 call upon the engineer officers to
superntend the work. The detail OF line officers 10
other duties where II Is required to have knowledge
Of mechanics mclsurgy strength OF materials, etc,
has also proven disastrous In the British Navy.
The japanese seem to have been unfortunate with
the war vessels they have had built in France. Tho
torpedog vessel Chshma Kan has been lost as have
also about seventy OF her She into by
a British mail steamer near Nagasald, which picked up
only her captain engineer and few Others. The gun
boat Uncbikan went the bottom with all hands, ana
the MaXu-shlma is missing new cruiser the Yoshlna
has recently been launched Elswk and promises to
be good vessel. She has length Of 300 feet and
displacement Of 4l30 tons. 1t is promised that she
shah have a horsepowc equal 10 1000 and speed
not far short OF twenty thee knots But she l. yet 70
have steam TRIAL to prove this In fact she is oue
II commerce destroyer or what used TO be called
piivatcer Her artery viii consist Of folr 6inch rapid.
iins guns, eight smaller qic hiing guns and twenty.
two 3Iounder>. There VIII also be nVe torpedo
launching tubes.
Navy uniforms are always matter Of consideration
TO those who have them. and too, army
uniforms "A sui je OF e. aid legislation. Ohcce3
I'm the American servic. often told that they are al
ways protesting about their uniforms but they grumble
because they not left alone and In this they not
unk leir br III the water. A re mt order
issued by the British Admiralty reads: Flag officers.
captains and of corresponding rank at liberty
TO wear the undless tail coat Instead OF the jacket"
And there is growl among the others. who want
know why there i, invid0us distinction laid down
against the portly and full surgeons, neet
engineers the like. The naval mess Jacket Is GER
ainly unbecoming garment a. could be devised for
fat wrong side of forty and recalls what
said 10 the Admiralty some years ago concern
Ing the military SHELF t." 1t was This major
Of eighteen stone in all the unprotected bodnes Of his
schOolboy attire is object too serious for laughter
and dmiGd for pity-cirt In whore he sires ease
and exposed whore he requires covering without pol
put any thing into AM conscious that he 8her
wondered at than admired
at was your fault - That is what everybody In
authority nj TouOn to be- sayng 10 d Of tho
responsibility for the incNcu-abe neglect Of NOT retu
ing the salute the French flag by the Dutch cruiser
Johan Nili,m Friso couple of weeks ago. II ap.
pears that when the cruiser began iring the salute
clrgrH pAic order 10 he officer the poly gOa
battery TO the salute but rs the battery was
under repair could b. done. Then Admiral do
lioissoldy directed the salute TO be fired by tho
Lamagnc battery. but the officer In charge Of the
magazine had gone away and taken the keys with him
no salute could be- fired here. The AdmIal next
order thu salute t. b. fired by the battle ship Mar,eau.
bat told by the captain that the snip had only Just
been commissioned cOnscl uently had no proper NUM-
ton, on board. Then. in desperation. the Adnirul
hurricdly OF To the Dutch visitor AMI explained
the commander the OF Ibis seeming inter- n
onal di,couIte>y which was accepted as satisfactory
The beginning OF the construction OF the French
cruiser POthuan, at llavre, completes the warshp
building programme OF France for 1892. The total
amount Of vessels put In hand BY the French last
year was In round numbers. 10000 tons, and will haVs
cost when fully armed and fitted for the ,cIllcc about
$2OOOO.U0O. The Pohian Will be the sixth heavily
armorcd protected cruiser in the French Navy VI the
DupUy de- Lone class.