San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-08-31
MULTUM III PARVo.

lEterDerI'
A landscape is a condition of the
SOUL Amiel.
Brevity is a great charm of elo'
uuenee.- Cicero.
The noblest mind the best con-
tentment has Spenser.
The greatest naval review OF
modern times was by Queen Vic
toria, in 1854 at the beginning OF
the Crimean war. The fleet extend
ed in an unbroken line for five
miles, and comprised BOO men-of-
war, with twice that number OF
store and supply ships. The feet
was manned by 10000 seamen.
In 1880 there were 947 American
vessels on the lakes, 6Sl on the
Mississippi, 472 on the Ohio, 463 in
New England, 1859 in the middle
states, ZIG on the gulf, total of
5l3S. The crews of these vessels ag-
gregated 100 men.
"LlOyd's Register" says that in
the fifteen years ending 1880, HOS
ships were missing and never again
heard of; 1888 were sunk by col
lision; 1908 were burned; 1902
were stranded; SO26 were water
logged or otherwise lost, a total
loss in fifteen years of 32,5S7 YES
sells, or over 2OOO year.
In the navies of the world are en-
listed l9l, 600 men; the commercial
marine employs $4,000; coast trade
and fisheries, $4,000, a total of l.
$4,000. If marines, coast guards
and the men of the life-saVing ser
vice are included the total will eX-
coed 100000, or 3 per cent of the
able-bOdied men of the Christian
world.
The Suez Canal is the most i'm
portant shipping enterprise known
to history. 1t enables two ships
to do the work of three in trading
between Europe an | the East.
From London to bombay by way
of the Cape is 1885 miles; by the
canal, $3.50. 1t cost El7OOO,OOO,
was begun in 1886 and finished in
1869. Its length is ninety-twO
miles, depth % feet; the tolls
average $500 per vessel, or s shtl-
lings per ton of net tonnage. The
estimated saving to commerce is
S5,0OO,0O0 a year. In 1889 1928
vessels went through, the mean
time of passing being twenty-sevGn
hours. Electric lights are now
used to enable ships to pass at
night as readily as in the daytime.
The British ship InfleXible, the
typical amOred battle-ship, is 800
feet long and - beam. The Citad-
ell is - feet hign, 9 above and 6 be-
low the water; it's walls are fl in
ches thick, a of iron, therest teak /;
the two turrets are 9 feet high,
with % feet internal diameter,
each holding two eighty-tOn guns
capable of firing a l7OO-pOund shot
with a charge of $50 pounds of
powder. 1t carries 1900 tons of
coal, enough to make a voyage of
$500 to 5000 miles at a speed of ten
knots.
In 1860, the GlOire, French plated
frigate, and the Warrior, English
plated frigate, were both launched.
The Warrior was then the largest
vessel in the world, save the Great
Eastern-3SO feet long, 5S beam,
6,270 tons 45-inch armOr.
The most singular ship in the
world is the POlyphemus, of the
British navy. 1t is simply a long
steel tube, deeply buried in the
water, the deck rising only 4 feet
above the sea. 1t carries no masts
or sails, and is used as a ram and
torpedo boat.
During the revolutionary war
large whale boats We're fitted out
by both sides, which made very
effective gunbOats. They were
about 40 feet long, mounted two
small guns, and carried a crew of
thirty to fifty men.
In 1921 of the American trade
23,6OO,00O tons were carried in
American ships and 100000 under
foreign flags; in 1889, 54,0O0,OOO
tons sailed under the American
flag and 253,OOO,OOO tons were car
ried in foreign vessels.
The greatest speed attained by
sailing ships, according to Mulhai
was by James Baines. 4I2 miles in
twenty-fOur hours, and Flying
Cloud, 4l2. The Red Jacket ran
$3.50 miles in seven days, averag
ing 325 miles day.
The repeal of the British navi
CATION laws in 1919 allowed foreign
built ships to be registered as
British if owned by British sub