The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-12-17

C0mrA00 WuB1o1O simmons writes Oh the
Progress In the Navy.
EDfToR NATIONAL TarBuSE: The latest re-
port shows that tho Brook lyn Is 995 per cent.
completed. SO that tho remaining half per cent.
ought 10 be put on by Christmas, at the latest.
Early in January both this vessel and the Puri-
tan will DO in commission. To the Iowa only
IS per cent. Of completion Is assigned. bat she
has already bad her builders trail trip, and the
official trial Is expected by the middle Of Feb
ruafy, snd her commission IN Spring. These
three powerful armor-clads are thus available
for the coming seasons exercises OF Admiral
Bunce. The three Newport News gunboats.
Nashville. Wilmington and Helena. are 90. 81
and 80 per cent completed. and should have
their buildeTs' trial before long, with their
commission early next year. Pushing after
them are the composite gnnboats Newport and
Vicksburg, building at Bath, which are The
most advanced Of their class, while the Annap-
oils, at Eiizabethport. and the Marietta and
Wheeling, at San Francisco. are reported as
three. ffths done. These. also. We may have
ready by the middle of next year.
The three torpedo boats building at Baltimore
are "a. 6S and "a per cont completed, while No.
8 is 60 per cont. Moving hack to the battle
ships, the Kentucky and kearsarge are II per
cent. completed, and work ON them is advanc-
ing noticeably. The Illinois. the Alabama and
the Wisconsin are little more than started,
The Marblehead, having been relieved by the
Cincinnati, will not return to the European
Station, at least for time, but will be under
Admiral Bunce's command. and accordingly the
reitting and repairs on her will be abbrevi-
ated so that she can DO used as soon as practical
bio. About the middle Of December the little
Petrol will be commissioned again after her re-
pairs, and will duly find her way back to the
Asiatic Station, where her light draft makes her
particularly useful. The Adams will soon be
home for repairs from Honolulu, WHITTIER the
Alert has gone to relieve her. The Castine will,
after her overbauling at the Brooklyn yard. go
back to the South American Station, where the
only vessels near are the Lancaster and the
Yantc.
Two recent shiftings Of flags have occurred.
that of Admiral Beardslee from the Benning.
ton to the Philadelphia, larger vessel. and
that of Admiral Selfrdge from the MinneapO-
lis to the San Francisco. smaller.
The degree of success achieved with the Ter
ror's pneumatic system Of working her guns,
turrets, and rudders is all the more gratifying.
as the apparatus was undertaken so many years
ago, and some doubt has been east upon it.
Those interested in it have waited long for the
successful demonstration. Another iuroad
made upon the realm of naval hydraulics q
short time ago was in the return spring gun
carriage, in which powerful springs for arrest
ing the recoil and returning the gun to battery
were made to take the place OF the hydraulic
recoil cylinders. A gain in economy and in
lightness resulted in the successful test with a
II. inch gun.
The Newport and Vicksburg, whose probable
lanch ut an early day has been spoken Of, be-
long to the single-screw class of the six COM
posite gunboats. There are four of these and
two OF the twin-serew type. The plans for the
former called for vessels 1B8 feet long the
water-line, with an extreme beam Of SO feet,
while the others are longer and narrower. the
respective figures being IVA and 81 feet. Both
have q mean draught Of IL knots. The single
screw vessels carry full sail power, and the
others have only steadying sails, relying wholly
on steam. They are alike in having two single
ended Scotch boilers. aud each boat is to de-
veiop 800 horsepower this being produced with
$50 revolutions in the single-screw and 200 in
the two engines of the twin screw boats. With
the uncoupling arrangement of the former. it
is thought that little retardation will result
when sails are resorted to, and the screw is
allowed to revolve.
The Newport and Vicksburg will have .
normal coal supply Of 100 tons, and q total
bunker capacity of 239 while the figures for
the twin-screw vessels will be 120 and $50.
Each of the six vessels is expected to displaee
about LOCO tons. They are not ambitious in
point of speed, but WILL no doubt, be economi.
cal in craft.-WM. SIMMONS, Philadelphia.