The San Francisco call., 1897-06-21
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAvIRS.

Austria has ordered from Yarrows four first
class toIpedo-boats. They are to be larger
IMAM the Viper type and are o steam % knots.
The bursting of gun on board the Austrian
armored ship Wien, while lying in the Tugus,
Lisbon, is officially denied An explosion in
the coal buukers from coal gas took place and
the chief engineer was killed.
The torpedo-destroyers Earnest and Griffon
had their three hours speed trials May "a and
June l, and developed speeds OF 30.12 and
3O.l5 respectively. These boats were built bv
Palmer & Co, Yarrow-ou-Tyne, and the firm
has turned out nine of these crafts for the
British navy during the past year.
Two French torpedo-boais came in collision
at Brest on May 20. One was coming in from
her trials in the roadstesd and the other was
going out The bow OF the latter was demol-
ished, and her repairs will take several weeks.
No casualties to the crew occurred, but the
Admiralty has ordered an investigation to
locate the fault.
The Russian battle-ship Navarino is said 10
be armored and armed out Of ali proportion
TO her size Although only OF 9476 tons dis
placement, her armament is neariy ss heavy
as that of the Roy al Sovereign CT the British
navy, which is of IA, $50 tons. AS conse
quence other offensive and defensive quail
ties must have been sacrificed and her coal
capacity largely diminished from what was
originally intended.
The Queen paid visit to the Sheffield armor-
plate works OF Cammeu & Co last month
and at distance OF about twenty five yards
witnessed, through colored goggles, the
manipulation OF 35-ton ingot, twenty
four inches in thickness rolled out TO twelve
inches. In the Cyclops Works, as the armor
manufacturing mills are named. about 10000
men are employed and the firm has supplied
armor for 122 ships of the British navy.
A triple-screw cruiser named Hertha has re-
Gently been launched q; Stettin for the Ger
man navy. She is $50 feet in length Iy 81
feet 10 inches beam and displaces $3.50 tons
on p feet inches mean draught. The horse
power is only 10, 900 collectively for the three
engines, and the speed is intended 10 be 1s1z
knots. The coal capacity at normal draugnt
is 500 tons. The armament will consist OF
two S2-ineh, eight 6-ineh and ten 3.4-inch,
sll quiok-fring guns, besides ten 11z-pounders
and four machine guns.
navy assistant psymGster, E. G. Craddock
Of H. B. n. s. Katoomba, was recently tried by
courtmartial at Sydney on charges of embez-
element of SO 100 stealing SI717, making
false entry aud ueserting his ship. He pleaded
guilty to the charges and offered in excuse
for his acts that he had become infatuated
with a woman from whom he could not bear
TO part. When arrested he made all the resti-
tuition he cousd of the money stolen, leaving
a deficiency of only about $1275. Tne court
sentenced him 10 three years Imprisonment
and to be dismissed the service with dis
grace.
At the jubilee review in 1887 about eighteen
miles of ships were in line, but this time the
length will be nearly doubled. The vessels
are 10 b. mOored in four lines and will inc. ude
twenty-ons battle-ships, eleven frst-class
cruisers, twenty-seven seeond-class cruisers,
six thiId-clRss cruisers, TWO gun vessels,
twenty torpedo gunboats, three gun boats.
thirty torpedo boat stroy ers, twenty torpedo
boats, eighteen training squadron ships and
eight special service vessels, making total of
166 ships of the British navy. OF fore ign war
ships there viii be about twenty, seventeen of
which will be hagships. The review will take
place June 26