The San Francisco call., 1896-08-14
Experiments Made by the British
Government Are Of Great
Importance.
ADMIRAL KIRKLAND's REPORT
Enlistment of Apprentices at Mare
Island Does Not Come Up
to Expectation.


tary Herbert before his departure for
Europe, bureau chiefs of the Navy Depart
| ment are collecting data for incorporation
in their annual reports, which are to be
submitted to the department. by October l.
Perhaps one of the most i'm portant recon-
mendations which will be made will be
that contained in the forthcoming report
of Chief Naval Constructor Hitchnurs. 1t
is understood that this official will recon-
mend to the department that Congress be
asked to make an appropriation for
sheathing all ships of and below the cruiser
class. The Chief Naval Constructor be-
lieves that the new navy has progressed
far enough to learn what is best for its
preservation. He will point out to the
department that the docking and cleaning
and painting of a ships bottom every
nine months prevents the service oil the
vessel for several months, and in addition
is very expensive. If vessels were sheathed,
he says, ali danger of pitting, like that
suffered by the Boston, and more recently
by the Minneapolis, would be removed.
The experiments made by the British
Government on the subject will be re-
ferred to. 1t has been urged by opponents
presence of an extra skin on vessel ma
terially retards its speed. The British
Government recently proved the fallacy OF
this statement. Two ships were built
alike in every particular, with the excep-
ton that one was sheathed and the other
carried only her ordinary plating. On
their trials the unsheathed ship made a
quarter of knot greater speed than that
made by her sister ship. A month later,
however, it is said that the unsheathed
ship had lost her advantage and that the
sheathed ship was her equal in point of
speed. AS the accretions on the steel hull
of the former vessel increased her speed
fell and the sheathed ship showed her
heels to her sister ship.
The Chief Naval Constructor will show
that, while there may be small temper
ary loss of speed, the sheathed vessels will
by continuous service be able TO do equally
as fast, if not faster work, and will always
be ready for service instead of having to
be laid up at Rayy-yards every nine
1t is said that the sum necessary to pay
the expenses of cleaning and painting a
| ships bottom for three years will defray
the cost of sheathing. 1t has been deter
mined by the department to sheath q
couple of gunboats now under construc.
ton, but the Chief Naval Constructor is
desirous of protecting all the ships by this
method.
The Navy Department ordered a board
to-day, consisting of Commodore Charles
M. Sperry, Naval Constructor Bowles and
an Assistant Naval Constructor, to be
designated by the Commandant of the
Brooklyn Navy-yard, to make survey of
the torpedo-b boat Ericsson, and determine
| the amount and cost of repairs to be made
70 ha Un ha Iab
requisite TO put her in condition for COM
mission. Naval Constructor Bowles, in a
report made to the department yesterday,
estimated that the cost of repairs to this
vessel would be $4,000. 1t is the desire of
the department to get the Ericsson in
commission as early as possible, as she is
required for torpedo exercise at the New
port training station.
Considerable practice with torpedoes has
been had by naval officers and officers of
the Naval Reserve at Newport and it has
been highly beneficial. The authorities
feel confident however, that better results
would have been secured had such a YES
sci as the Ericsson been on duty at the
station.
A report received at the Navy Depart-
ment to-day, made by Rear-Admiral Kirk
land, commandant of Mare Island Navv-
yard, states that the enlistment of appren-
tices on the West coast is small. AL
though an order permitting the enlist
ment of boys was issued some weeks ago
there has not been the response that the
departments officials expected. Up to
the present time only forty-five bows have
applied for enlistment. The authorities
believe that the fact of it being the sum-
mer season may have had something to do
with the slow enlistments and hope that
the fall may have different result to
| show.
1t is said by naval officers that the de-
partment some years ago made an attem pt
to establish training station on the
coast, but failure resulted because of lack
of enlistments.
Admiral Ramsay, chief of the Bureau of
Navigation, who has charge of all matters
relating to the enlistment of apprentices
said to-day that the board to survey Goat
Island, for the purpose of fixing up a Site
for the proposed training station, would
not be assent bled until the fall. One and
| perhaps two naval officers would be a %
pointed and an army officer, the War De-
partment having authority over portion
of the island.
The admiral believes that when the STA
4 ton is established on the island there will
be no difficulty in getting all the enlist
ments that may be desired.
1