New-York tribune., 1895-10-13

sells OF the Navy shorhanded Of engineer Of
fcors, and they have 10 work overtime. The
suit Is that the break down. 'burnel
out" and have to be placed the retired list
Since the beginning OF the presen, fiscal year five
officers OF the grade of chief engineer have given
way under the strain. and have been retired. The
new vessels. with their multiplicity OF engines and
the great aInolnt of required to keep them in
order. are extremely wearing the ensine-room
force. and when to the other difficulties is added
the excessive hea, which has been developed in the
interior of some OF the ships there Is little wonder
that men constantly breaking down under the
strain. Another cause OF the deficiency in the sup
ply OF engineers Is the that vessels no; strictly
under the control of the Navy Department are sup
piled with engineers from the Navy list. The Fish
Commission steamer Hawk Is laid up waiting
for engineer, the chief OF her machinery de-
partment having been taken away from her for SER
vice a vessel which had been made shorthanded
through retirements Of disabled engineers.
The engineers at the yard making prepara-
tions for the trial Of the proposed system Of using
liquid fuel under the boilers OF small boats, such
auxiliary vessels for the big cruisers. The ex
pertinent will be tried under the boilers o! one OF
the torpedo boats intended for the Maine II 1t can
be arranged FOR the purpose and Il s not likely now
that when the battleship goes to sea she VIII have
her torpedo-boats board. The date for the next
trial has not yet been fixed, and the fact
or less serious leads those interested in the success
Of the little craft 10 think that they will ultimately
be consigned TO the scrap heap or used for short
purposes about the yard The damaged pro-
peller which the result of the latest trial mas
been replaced by new one. and as far as the
boats themselves are concerned. they are all right
Reports are coming in from unofficial sources
that the men on the Texas not we'll satisfied
1t was at first expected they would De. me
deserted,
follow as soon as opportunity oners JUST tIe
but II is understood to be the large amount of
necessary in consequence OF her being new ship.
DELAY IN COURT-MARTIAL CASES.
BY way of explaining the delay Of the President
in taking action in the case of Medical Inspector
Edward Kershner. who was recently court-martiaIed
for violation Of Article 235. and other offences. 1t
is said that the President has decided 20 set aside
the courts sentence OF dismissal and substitute
therefor milder penalty ana hat ne Is U
on the punishment TO be meted out Inc case OF
Colonel Forney 1t Is expected VII be ulosra Pa & n
made public by the Navy Department. and although
they a disappointment TO those who hoped anu
think the Colonel has escaped so easily that II VIII
be better to let well enough alone and say no more
about 1t. The point remains. however, tnat IL the
Colonel is entitled TO reprlnand lor haV,hg useu
&c Goa in his are Ia e same ba
and the question as to why he should be mn mace , d
are not versed in the ways Of naval and marine poll
tics 1890,
amining and retiring boards is causing dis
content. President Cleveland IS usually conserva-
does rot fully realize that delay in promotion
be Interpreted as rehection upon an ,nninosy omen
recommended by examining board for promotion
gyen give rse to- ali kinds Of reports some Of which are
detrimental to the officers fitness for the grade OF
Preparatory orders have been issued to him to COM
mand the Boston, and he will 20 to that vessel When
-l,a fc ,,laaaA In rprfrn nCCiQ no
time II is believed that his Will be returned to
the Navy Department with the Chief Executives
NAVAL NEWS OF INTEREST.
The Bureau of Steam Engineering has detailed a
couple of officers, including chief engineer. to
witness a trial OF the Babcock & Wilcox boilers on
d lake steamer. 1t is the desire OF the Department
that some OF the smaller ships shall be fitted with
coll boilers and at least Of the new gunboats
for which bids were recently opened viii be htt@i
with them The Board which tried the BelleviNe
boilers on the steamer Northwest recommended
siiered at present in connection with new gun,
boats. on the decision of the present Board VIII III
depend in great measure the type OF boiler 10 Df1
used with the new engines Of the Chicago ana
possibly those Of the ,o Atlanta an contracts
for the proposed bate-ships the Ke9rsarse and her
Bureau. There are good reasons for believing ethat
the specifications VIII require that me ;be
material and that there will be an increase IN me me
old specications Tests when have been made
within the last few years by the Bureau of ord
nance show that it is almost impossible 10 set a
66-inch shell into 6-inch Harveyized plate The
recent test of the 15-inch plate representing a
group Of armor for the side of the battle-ship
Iowa resulted in the breaking up of lO-nch snells
fired against 1t, with ntt,e damage to the pate,
and the Pinch shell barely was able to get us nose
through, The remarkable showing made by & tni'
plate was due the opinion OF ordnance experts,
to doubeforglng process This process. 1t is the
intention OF the Department to adopt for the arnor
for the proposed batte-shipss and paragraphs VIII VII
be incorporated in the specifications requiring hal
this method be followed, or inducements VIII De
offered TO the armor firms to pursue 1t In CARVING
out the contracts. In view OF the results given oy
this process and It's adoption for the naval service,
the ordnance authorities say they Will nave 70
make the ballistic tests more severe. Inc thlck-
est arnor for the new ships will be fifteen inches
Under the requirements now pursued O-inch gun
would be used in a ball!stc test for this thickness
OF armor In the proposed specifications the calbre
OF gun Will be increased to twelve inches Inere is
a possibility that the veocties OF the shots VIII pe
Increased about hundred feet second For NE
6-inch Plates the gun used in the test Will proDaoy
be eight inches in calibre increase OF two call-
bres over The gun now used In tests OF aT'nor OF
this thickness The Carnegie and Bethlehem arInor
firms have been invited 10 inform the ordnance iIu-
reau OF any paragraphs. II any. they may desire
10 have inserted in the new specifications Nheh
these are received they Will be considered by the
authorities.