The San Francisco call., 1897-02-01
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAVIES.

Twenty additional torpedo boat destroyers,
with speed of 33 knots to be ordered
Tor the British navy during the present year
1t is reported that orders for 275, 900 no rse-
power in Belleville boilers are in hand for the
British navy, and all the vessels ordered dur
ing 1886 will be fitted with this type.
The Russian naval programme contemplates
an expenditure of 500, 600, 900 roubles, equal
to $40 100000. up to 1906. This implies q
large number OF new vessels and strengthen
ing OF its fleets in the Baltic, in the Black Sea
and the Pacific. A fourth station is to be
established in the Arctic, as port has been
discovered on the northern coast, which is to
be connected with Finland by railway.
The Pomone, 2O-knot cruiser. is shortly
to be begun at Sheerness dockyard and is to
be completed for commission in twelve
months. The ship will have length of 800
feet, SO feet inches beam and a displacement
OF 2l35 tons. The machinery will develop
1000 horsepower under forced draught ana
5000 under natural draught. Her armament
Will consist of eight 4-inch quick frers, eight
3-pound Hotchktss guns, Two .45-inch Maxim
guns and two 14-inch torpedo tubes.
Thirteen out OF the nineteen steamers of the
Russian volunteer fleet were at Sebastopol on
January T. ready for any emergency that might
arise, to carry an army corps to any part of
the Bosphorus. Two additional are building
on the Tyne and three more will be ordered
during the present year. The net earnings of
the fleet for the past year amounted to ST.
66S,0OO, which will be expended on new ships
The Government pays this fleet liberal sub
sidy for the transportation of convicts to Sag
halien, OF which it carries about 1900 each
season at the rate of SIG for each, and in ad-
dition it is paid S34O 900 su Dsidy yearly. 1t
Is the intention OF the company to raise the
fleet to thirty steamers, which in time of war
may be converted into fast armed cruisers.
Thirty million dollars is to be expended in
Improvements to the Devouport dockyard At
present Keyham and Devonport, on the banks
OF the river Thames, cover an area OF 145 acres,
and the scheme contempiates the utilization
OF 100 acres in the vicinity for dockyard pur-
poses. There will be tidal basin OF 35I6
acres OF 1850 feet length, 1000 feet wide and
% deep below the coping stones. Lead ing
into this basin there will be three docks of
larger dimensions than any yet bu lit, which
Will give DeyonpOrt ten docks, second only to
Portsmouth, which has fifteen docks. Already
SlOOOO,0O has been expended in dredging
and $50 200, 900 more will be expended during
the next ten years in building docks and work
shops, which will make Devonport the largest
naval arsenal in the world.
SPAIN in feeble way, has endeavored to
increase her navy 1t has purchased from
Ansaldo Co., snip-builders near Genoa, the
armored cruiser Giuseppi Garibaldi which
was intended for Italy. She is of $500 tons
displacement, 325 feet length. 50 feet beam
and % feet inches draught. Her horse
power is $4,000, and she is expected to make
20 knots. The armament is two S.inch
Iif1es ten 6-inch and four 5-inch rapid-fre
guns and twenty-four small caliber rapid-ire
and machine guns The ship is to be deliv-
cred at Barcelona in February. Another
cruiser has been ordered from Ansaldo, to be
delivered in fifteen months At the home
dockyards two new vessels have been
launched recently, and there is much activity
in preparing ships for sea and collecting war
material.