The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-17

Es the Battle sale UsstshIet-Tse FIns sta
b.IitS OF Oar Iadiana CIsss


WASHINGTON. April 16-The excitement ere
sted By the bitter attack OF NJ I,ockroy
upon the condition Of the French navy IL nov
likely to be revived by a report otthe commit
tee Of which he 10 member. The French in
appointing commission Of inquiry took pains
TO learn the worst by making NJ Lockroy him
self one Of the official inTestigators Yet
since he was already committed to an extreme
view. II remains to I've seen whether his con-
illusions and thHse Of his subcommittee will
be endorsed by the commission as a whole.
There were three points. us may be remem.
bered. which NJ. Lockroy specially attacked ia
his criticisms OF tho navy One was the adj
mlnistrative or bureau service particularly as
connected with tho great dorkyards anil sta
lions where ships are built repaired, or fitted
out for sea And allied to that subject wa.
that OF coast defences. az supplied by Iortin-
cations, which he considered to IT, Effective.
But the matter which perhaps has more
particular interest for our own country Ia his
criticism OF heavy French battleships. lie
considers the Magenta in particular to be nf
an obsolete type and dangerous. since she 10
likely to topple over II ramned by another yes-
sci either above or below the water line
This vessel 10 the last OF four originally I'M
dertaken long ago. The Hoche was launched
in 1885. the Marceau and the Neptune In 1897.
and the Magenta In $500 They are huit Of
iron and steel. on the same general plans an I
measurements. The Magenta has length OF
$50 feet, a breadth OF ti5 feet Z inches. a
draught Of 2Is feet, aud disDlaces lOUiO tons.
She IL twin-serew vessel with engines Of
drsnsht mSEine pqos.5Iy " about atuf Knots lSS
Her water-line armor belt Is about Ia inches
n thickness At the maximum TsI snd Der ear-
Within them are four 52;ton guns and there
are also seventeen 56;ineh rspId;nre guns in
the secondary battery and four torpedo tubes.
Her coal supply Is 800 tons. and she Gan steam
s S3 - snois , az I S speed Her cost"
The alleRatlons'of instability made against
navy. from the fact that the vessels OF this
class resemble somewhat Ia displacement and
the I Indiana class ~ These latter have ieSst%
81 S4s ioet breadth o. w.. and - ms can
Is inches and on the barbsttes II inches. thus
corresponding nearly to the French ships. as
the siies But our vessels OF the Indiana class
carry heavier weight Of arm sment than the
onr guns mater
congratulation that a recent examination OF
Admiral Walker was President resulted in
showing that she was ,periectly seaworthy.
as originally liked Tor her. while she and the
other vessels OF her class can carry their allot.
; ID S'ss' al nss es:
that she could carry many more tons OF coal
without sinking deeper than was Originally
intended. This result 10 another triump phi for
American ship building. and the moro so from
the critcis now made upon the Magenta.
Yet II 10 fair to say that the statements Of VI.
Lockroy about this vessel must not be fully
accepted without confirmation. 1t has already
been seen that he has reiterated the need OF
reform in the m after Of naval Illustration
and Of roast ortincations; md even In regard
to the Magenta his opinion has the support OF
a naval officer Admiral valion. Still, French
naval construction has q high reputation
Ing our own. II Il also we'll to note that NJ.
Lockroy is persistent advocate Of unarmored
cruisers in stead of battle ships and that there
fore, his opinion regarding the Magenta mar
be affected by his known antagonism to the
class OF vessels to which she belongs The
question Of stability, however. is capable OF
dem stration. not only By measurements bat
by actual tests. so that the Naval Commission
may feel bound to apply such tests to the
Magenta Meanwhile. there Is a Just ground
OF con gratulation that our own battle ships np-
proximating to her in size and character and
greatly exceeding her In the com animation OF
armor and armament, have been officially
found free from any suspicion OF instability.