The San Francisco call., 1897-06-07

boats. England has 25, France 80, Italy 26,
Russia and Austria ships watching the
trouble between Turkey and Greece.
On June Is twenty-five cruisers and forty
two gun-Tessels. torpedo-boat destroyers and
torpedo-b boats will go into commission at the
dockyards at Chatham, Devonport and Ports
mouth. This fleet will require about 10000
men, but only for the time during which the
IuoiIee programme is carried out
The Whiting, torpedo-boat destroyer, built
by Palmer, Newcastle, for the British navy.
had her second trial on May ID, and made an
average speed of 30.42 knots in six runs over
the measured mile. The horsepower averaged
o25l. During her three hours, continuous
trlal the boat averaged 1921 knots per hour
The Tagassko, a cruiser of 4150 tons built at
Elswiek for Japan, was launched May 1S. She
IS 500 feet in length, As feet beam and max
lmum draught oil II ieet The bunker capac-
lty is 1000 ions of coal and the contract speed
"a knots or Ia knots more than the cruisers
now in course of construction at Cramps ana
the Union Iron Works
The Royal Sovereign has hitherto been con-
sldered the fastest battle-ship in the British
navy, but must now give way for the Prince
george. Coming down from Arosa Bay May
70, the battle-ships got orders to proceed un-
der full power, with natural draught for
twenty-four hours. and In the race the Prince
George got into Portsmouth one mile ahead of
the Royal Sovereign.
The London Engineer expresses the opinion
that the trouble in the United States with the
armor-plate manufacturers is likely to result
in dearer instead of cheaper armor. Armor-
plate manufacturers at Sheffield and Creusot
are In the combination with Carnegie and the
Bethlehem corporations, and will not reduce
the price. As Il consequence the Engineer be-
heves the American companies can afford 10
wait until the Government accepts their
terms.
DIE Marine Rundschau q semi official pub
heatlon in Germany, devoted to naval matters,
rates the principal naval powers in the follow
ing order: England, France, Russia, United
states, Japan, Italy and Germany. Expressing
their lighting values in units, the relative eff
eieneies stand: England 1901, France 466,
Russia $50. United States 1875, Japan 179. Ac-
cording TO this showing the navy of Great
Britain exceeds in fighting value the COM
oined navies OF France, Russia and the United
States.
At the dockyard at Kiel 1000 to 5000 men
are steadily employed. Shipwrights receive
20 TO 80 cents a day OF ten hours, and leading
men 81 O3. Near the dockyard the work
mans building societies have erected cottages
for 200 families. Each dwelling, containing
three rooms and kitchen, rents for SO II 10
S3 SS monthly, and ten years after allotment
passes into the possession of the workman.
while at the end OF thirty-fve years it becomes
his free and unincumbered property. Stores
are also provided, at which workmen can buy
all they require at moderate prices. Consid-
ering that the wages at Klel compare with
those at Philadelphia as 90 aud so cents to
81 90 to SO, the mystery is why the German
ships-oi-war are so expensive. Ships built in
this country only exceed the cost of German
man ships by less than 20 per cent notwitn-
standing the enormous difference in wages
favorable TO Germany. There seems to be but
one satisfactory explanation, namely, that
more work is done by the individual work
maa and better system carried on in this
country