New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-10

,,,v COLUMBIA GOES TO THE HUDSoN
RIVER.

,,ow WATER IN THE wALLABouT OhAN'>rN
,,,, NEW vrssrIs-NorEs AND GOSSIP
$40 no prooklvn Navy Yard is without
-, q, commission the Columbia haN"is gum
.ho Hudson River anchorage 10 A'''9" ,
y, ,,enare for inspection. The heceSS"' "
o,nc there is another illustrator" " ,ho U.al
hicb attention was called iast "eeN' 'n ' -,
,ohout Channel needs more d'eus'"e. - I'D ~
.,.,. ptr.,o" n the Hudson River was maui ~
OF Ule a,,,dine at low water when all ner
P ~. 81 hoard About 1000 tons were piaeeu III
49, h,rters AZ the yard, and the 'N lois "eeVS'','
a. on them would sink the snp 10 'he ""u u '"0
-uatn.d At the quay wall at the Earu' IL y N
,oo,ad that she will be in port lor 'e" va! - '
-, more before proceeding to JOIN Rear
Two We, n,oa1e.s feet to which she will be well
80 nddi,ion since some of the smaller Nesseis
80 ,oen sent to the Mosquito coast
rho work now in hand at the yard Consists III
.inA,r tho battle-ship Maine and the coast de-
co. monitors Puritan and Terror and the h''h'S
~, ~ the old frigate Lancaster as gunnery Tram
shp In the shops work is gong aheau Oh wv
now ma chinery for the Chicago. which is expected
a. arrive here in about ten days. The cruiser lett
madeira on the Sth. and her boilers are oio aS
naval boilers go. and there is no particular huiiS "
her 70 come TO the Navy Yard. II is more thah INK
" that Captain Mahan will jog along easily ana IL
the shin averages go miles day, she Will DE dois
all that can be reasonably expected OF her III VIII
h =, least two weeks after her arrival at the yaru
hefor. she will he declared out of commission anu
I'm the mean time her men Will be transferred " Wv
Vermont or assigned elsewhere ,
The proposed improvements at the yaru reCeIN. ,,
slight setback at the hands OF the senate C
zee which struck out the appropriation FOR 'ne ne"
ranair sbon and the scawall at the COD pooN'
These however will doubtless come aio'is III ~
season and in the mean time 'i'n a.ao.s
serson will see that other work LOT "i',' ,,
go n.or ,e, &c pushed forward as rapidly as avail
able appropriations VIII pein.- 90 bnild q drv-
,,round where Mr.. Gillies Is trying 70 ou'iu w!
go s,ows no material change few piles nave
been driven and that Is all ,
~ rIap FOR the increase OF the Navy, for which
annropriations finally passed the senate mas s''e"
rIse 70 a great deal OF discussion. That the appro
,a,,ors arc more liberal than had been granted
n the mast is a matter Of much qualification 10
all who are interested In the advancement OF the
Navy The Junior officers are specaly Pie"seu
with the prospect of six adGltohal suhooa's' as
that means six additional commands ior heu'eha"'-
commanders The reduction Of the proposed tor
nedo-boats to three is not. however received with
so much favor The question of the efhclency OF
+ornedo-boats as fighting machines is one on Whlch
the examples set by foreign nations shoulo DE
source of enlightenment TO the neople VINO nave 'e
decision In the matter In this country a COM
rorison with vessels of other navies and the plans
of other Governments for increasing their haNa
force shows 10 what extent the great Powers are
ralvne on the small, inexpensive, easily handled,
vet terribly destructive boats. The British Navy,
which has AZ batteshps. Il coast-deienders' ana
Is armored cruisers in service, besides ~ patde-
ships building has 23S unarmored war-VesseIs'
III IS more authorized and l6j torpedo-ooats win
s, more building While the programme for 1873
trvoves an expenditure OF f1S 7Ol COO and the con-
stru,tion of 4 irst-class. 1 second-class, and ,
-hirdclass cruisers. and % torpedoboats ana "
observation-disclosures. France. with 70 armored YES
sells afoat and 20 more authorized has li' uh-
arrnored vessels, with "a more building ana ~
,ornedo-boats ahoat and ~ more in course OF con-
.rro,ion Russia with 40 armored and 80 un-
arn,ored vessels in service, has 1853 torpedo-boas
Germany with 80 armored and 80 unarmored SHIPS
has 10 torpedo-boats: 1taly's proportion Is sun
greater having IS armored and q unarmored yes
sells and IT'S torpedo boats, with II on inc s'
Austria has Ga torpedo-boa,s Greece Of; Argentine
Brazil and Chill % each. ana Japan - III
and with % others building
Tho CHILEAN Brazilian and the Corean wars nave
demonstrated the value OF torpedo-ooats "i'.e @
practical impreSnability OF the heaViv a'n'oie'
Chinese batteships. at the battle OF the i"'"' 80
q s,ropc Endorsement for that type as far as It's
constance 10 shot and shell is concerned. 1t
nould seem in view Of all these facts, that an IN
crease in the number Of available torpeuo-ooatS'
o. which the United States has only three 'he
Stiletto Gushing and Ericsson would be OF as much
value as the increase OF any other arm u '"e
service
ever let be thankful
me authorities are all ready considering the gen.
.ral features OF the SIX gunboats whlch the sen
ate committee has authorized As they are 10 DC oil
about 900 tons it follows that they VII! be oil a
class midway between the Petrol and the Machias'
7, * ra,ticalIy settled that the main battery oil
each will consist of eight or inch guns with
,srhaDs four 6-pounders, l-pounders ana
couple OF Gatngs for a secondary battery. Inc
engines will he OF the twin vertical qudl-
rup.e-expanson type. Under the provision OF 'he
bill the hull may be composite. and there is every
probability that this will be specified IN the plans.
II is possible that the Of the incendiary ac-
ton OF modern high explosive Shells exemplifei
a, the battle Of the Yalu viii result in barring
out Of the use OF wood either in tae construction
or equipment. a substitute for wooo IS 10 De en-
poyed even in the constrl elton OF CABIN furniture
in vessels under way for the German Govern
ment and II is probable that some substitute for
wood will be employed in the new vessels OF our
Navy, the matter has already received consider
alton
PLANS FOR THE NEW VESSELS
The two battleshps. IT Is expected will be models
OF offence and defence. Naval Constructors HIGH
born and Taylor have made plans for them which
will be submitted to the Secretary of the Navy. and
the Bureau OF Ordnance has. it is understood, de-
termined to scatter the all over the ships in
stead OF forming a redOubt for the vitals as has
heretofore been the policy. The will be about
fifteen inches In thickness, this. in the opinion Of
the officials. being sufficient for all ordinary pur-
poses 1t IS In the battery that the strength
OF the ships will be shown. II the ordnance men
can have their way. each battleship will be armed
with four l3-inch guns in urrets and these tur-
rets will be fixed others out OF which two S-nch
guns will project. This idea is credited Ensign
Joseph Strauss. duty in the Ordnance Bureau
and has been favorably received by the experts
The main battery OF the ships will II the present
oil q 9i,ct
and twelve S-lnch guns while the secondary bat
terry will comprise at least couple OF dozen guns
OF the 6. and inch rapid-hre class. with possibly
Few smaller ones and some Hotchkiss revolving
cannon or Calling guns. The machinery OF the bat
'eshps Will be designed to produce at least 1900
horsepower giving speed close to l7I2 knots an
OF the Oregon class WA "e i"ise' Una" '"ose
The fact thar r.