The San Francisco call., 1896-09-28
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAYIEs.

At the Nagasaki dockyard Japan has three
vessels in course of construction of 1900, 5000
and 1000 TONS most OF the material of which
is sent out from England. A second dock 81
feet in length viii be opened shortly. During
1895 there were Ill vessels-of-war and 19S
merchant vessels doeked at Nagasaki, which
indicates very lively times along the water
front and in the dockyard.
The Russian volunteer feet in the far East
consists of twelve new steamers of large tom
mage and some OF high speed. There are four
ranging from 1925 tons to 1890 tons, three
of 10.50G tons, two of $685. tons, and one each
of 1875, 1876 and $500 tons, all OF thirteen
knots speed. The swifter class are magnifi-
Gently fitted up regardless of cost and the
whole neet was built on the Clyde and on the
Tyne.
Seven of the torpedo boat destroyers recently
completed in England will be assigned to the
Mediterranean and China stations, five going
to the former and two to tire latter station
where they Will act as dispatch vessels.
Promotion in the British navy is entirely by
selection, and twice year the list is carefully
scanned by the service to ascertain who were
the lucky ones. Last July five officers were ad-
yanced to the rank of captain, IL to command
ers and "a TO lieutenants. One of the new
commanders is 40 and another only SS years
of age. In the United States navy promotion
is only by seniority, by which many excellent
officers remain stationary in one grade for
many years. The youngest officers in the sew
eTal grades in the line division in our navy
are: Rear admiral. 60; commodore, 81;
captain, 80; commander, 4S; lieutenant
commander. 46; Lieutenant, 80. In the latter
grade the ages of the first $50 range from 40 to
4S years.
The first triple-serew battIeship in any navy
is the Kaiser Friedrich III, laun ched last july
at Wilhelmshafen, Germany. The shin is OF
IL ,O5O tons displacement and will carry the
largest number of guns OF any vessel af1oat,
the main battery consisting of four 94-inch
b. l. T., eighteen 5.9-inch quick-fring guns,
and secondary battery of twelve 33 inch
twenty-four 1.9 inch and twelve machine
guns. The speed, with three screws, is esti-
mated at eighteen, with two screws sixteen
and with one screw, ten knots an hour. The
armor- belt is 115< inches and the barDettes
and turrets 9Z inches, Harveyized steel. The
ship has also five underwater torpedo-tubes
and one in the bow above water. Cost com
plete, So, 100000.
Three battle-ships, to be fitted with water
tubular boilers, have just been laid down for
the British navy. They will be known as the
Canopses class of Il, 900 tons, length $50 feet
breadth "A feet, and mean draught of %
feet.
Blunders in French naval vessels are becom-
ing altogether too numerous OF late years, and
a large portion of ships constructed within the
past ten years will either prove entirely use.
less or much inferior to expectations when put
to the crucial tests of warfare. A few years
ago the Hoche armor-clad was found to be
overweighted. Later the Brennus was diseoy-
cred to be in the same plight, and now the
Carnot OF $4,000 tons, launched in 1894 and
built at a cost of $5,350,000, is found to be
seriously defective, being much deeper in the
water than calculated. The French naval con
structors have the reputation of being the
peated blunders indicate either ignorance in
practice or that the red-tape system of the
Navy Department Is at fault.