The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-10-10
ALONG THE WATER FRONT.

The cruiser Chicago, after ten years OF
continuous service, ds laid up. -
The new PORT Royal S. C., dry dock, is
the largest in the United States
Our new babtleships, with their batteries
on board and when ready for commissions
cost $6,000,0O0 each.
Two war5hlpes are being built in Great
Britain for the Cuban rebels. An inves-
tigatFon is being made.
The British barks GlenaDHon and Port
Stanley arrived down from Portland,
grain laden for Europe.
The British ship Mackrihanlsh has brok-
en- all records by Coading with grain at
Port Costa in three days.
Sept. 18th the ship Americana, of Homo
oulu, WAS spoken in 81 degrees north, 129
degrees west, by Capt. GriffIth5 of the
"Beeswing," 'taEl well"
| ]. S. CLARK, of the Fort Candy dtfe saw
ing crew, arrived in the city yesterday to
suIpertlntend hte renidval dof The new
life boat to that station.
The British ship Star of Austria, from
Santa RosaHa for Falmouth, and the Brit
igh ship Lord Spencer, hence April 9Th
for Queenstown, have been given up as
lest.
The Alice Blanchard will arrive down
this morning from Portland with a gen.
eral cargo for Sam Francisco, and will
take about $50 tons of freight from AS
torfa.
The Geo. w. Older arrved down from
Portland yesterday with a good cargo
| for San Franisco and is loading with
salmon, lumber, box shocks, etc., ait
Astoria. She win probably leave out to-
day.
The annual report of the Hamburg
American Line, for the year Of 1894, &he
forty-eighth year of THE company's ex-
istence, has just been given out. The
gross earnings for the year amounted to
f149,SO0 After dedudting the interest due
on preference shares and writing off the
value of the Ships and other items, moth
ing is leHt to pay a dividend.
Washington dispatches report the in
ability of the navy department to secure
men to man the ships now in commission,
anu III rs DeDeNtu WIldL IL Is Oil 'ulllS dCSOulpl
THAT the Maine and Texas will be unable
to take part in the coming maneuvers
| off Newrort. This crisis hIas Ithreatened
our navy for great many years, but
until the present time hhe fuLq force of its
| influence on this country as "a naval power
| has never been realized.
To cure constipation, bEloulsnelss, indi-
The British four-masted bark Auchen-
cairn, CAPt Nelson, ARRIVED in yesterday,
11S days from Fleetwood, I'm ballast.
She is consigned to Myer, Wilson Il
| Co., for grain loading. Capt. Nelson says
| that he had an extremely smooth trip
| and would have ARRIVED a number of days
earlier, but THAT Ia short distance from
the Columbia he met with Lgtht winds,
which delayed hIis progress. He expects
| to take hills veLst5el up the river today.
! After a reconsideration of the subject,
| Secretary Herbert has decided to aban-
don THE idea of advertising for proposals
for building lHhe two new battleships with
a provision for the inclusion of the ne
| cessary amor for the ships in one form
of bid. Consequently, the advertisement
| will cali for bids for the ships without
armor, ascording to the existing practice
under which all of our new ships were
| built. The idea of permitting Ship builders
| to bid for ships with arrnor complete, Is
| stfQ under consideration, butt even if
adopted, will not apply Ito these two
| babtlel5hips.
Secretary of tlle Navy Herbert was vs--
tied recently by President Linderman, of
| the Bethlehem Iron Works, and his alt
| torneys. White no definite information
was given out as to the purpose of the
Ixyieai H. nf.-a
the department that 1t was TO protest
against the adoption of the recommends
tion of Chief Constructor Hitchborn that
| hereafter idhe armor for vessels butit for
| the new navy be included in the contract
for the ships themselves. The armor-
makers objected 10 lthe change oil the
| ground thllt the present system is more
economical for the government and ait the
same time more advantageous to them.
! Whales are now quite numerous off the
| Australian coast. The coasting steamer
Ocean Queen recently ran into a school
| of sperm whales and some good sport
was afforded the passengers taking pot
| Shots alt the monsters. One of them
was 90 feet in length. The only weapons
| we're a couple of little brass signal guns, |
| end the loading and firing of these prim-
! tive weapons, charged with grape, bits
| OF bolts and OH ruEloed chhfns, was more
! interesting Ito Fle passengers than damag-
! ing to the NflaI,es, TIE i-5ter Ipouting and
| going v.head in EGle mogt unconcerned
manner, Though said to have been hdt
| hard in their Vital parts. Tine barken-
! tine Handa Is.e was not, however, so
| fortunate as to escape the notice Of these
amphibian monsters. When the vessel
was miles off Sydney, she w1aIs struck
By 4 whale 60 feet long. The monster
| cut into the side of the vessel. causing
fears of laundering; and II the craft had
been loaded with coat instead of lumber
| there Is no doubt but she would have
gone down.
The machhnists of the navy have
grievance, and unless this is speedily re-
dressed the service is likely to be snort
of the best grade of mechanics. BY the
department. system they nave been grad
ed into three classes, chief, first and sec
ond-crass machfnisits, with pay in proper
tion. According Ito the practice of THE de-
paribment, the men cannot be enlisted as
! chief madiini5ts, but must enter one OF
the lower grades and await promotion.
This has brought about the result t1lSH
when a person iBas served faithfully for a
number of years and by ability has at
tained tine rank of chief machilist, ne
must, If he desires to continue in the
naval service at the conclusion Of his
| term OF enlistment. re-encist in the lower
grades. taking hfs chance Of again getting
his cd rating as chief, and tossing SIS
per month in pay until he succeeds. In
the event that he succeeds in re-eniist-
! ing on the same ship on which ne has
been serving ne suffers no loss, as ne Is
Immediately rated as chief, but in the
| more frequent castS where he - to re-