The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-09

knots, and ran one nj at the rate of 80 knots.
The horsepower averaged 615g, which eus-
bled her to keep up 400 revolutions The
steam in the boilers wss $50 pounds,
The Spanish navy list viii be increased dur
Ing the present year by the addition Of ten
captains and seYenty-two 1ieutsnants. At the
present time II consists of 1907 officers, la.O0o
sailors and 1000 marines, to which should be
added 715 meehanielans and other employees,
which include engineers not holding mllltsfy
rank or title.
The Russian Empefor's steam yacht Stan
dart which was built at Copenhagen, Den
mark, very nearly ruined the contractors, as
the work was taken at low price ana many
alterations were made. After some delay the
Government has remitted tho sum OF R3l0,OOV
as extra pay for the yacht, and as oonss-
quence the Danish shipbuilding company -
again on velvet
An accident occurred 10 the Tsszer. torpedo
boat des troyer on July ID, while undergoing
trials The boat had been running for two
hours, working up to speed OF Z7.67 knots,
when the stern A bracket broke. The water
poured into the after part OF the vessel and
two compartments were flied, but tho water
tight doors being promptly closed, the Tsszsr
was enabled to return to the yard ut CoWss,
Some months ago certain of1osrs rom ths
Russian battle-ship Dimltr Donsky were pro
ecuted and fined at Hongkong for making
sketches OF one OF the forts and shortly after
another lot OF officers from German mail
steamer we're charged with similar ohense
and fined The local press took the matter up
very vigorously and when the Dimitri DonsRy
arrived at Singapore she was greeted by one
of the Straits Settlement newspapers as the
"spyship," and among the extreme measures
proposed it was suggested that she be ordered
out of port. Similar ofenses in Russia are
visited with the most severe punishment.
Quite recently, however, British army ON
Ger was discovered INSIDE one OF the fortifca-
tons in Vladvostok, but after being de-
tanned for a short time 10 explain how he got
into the fort, he was marched out and cor
daily invited not to come back and then left
severely alone.
The recent loss OF the Russian turretshIp
Gangoot was not from the result OF running on
rock, but apparently solely due to bad work
manship on the hull. The GaDgoot, with
other vessels OF the squadron, were at target
practice in the Gulf of Finland and at the
conclusion of the trial the chief engineer dis
covered that water was pouring into the ship
in such quantity as to drive the stokers out OF
the frerooms. The water tight doors were
closed, but after keeping afioat six hours the
ship sank in over seventeen fathoms of water.
The divers found the ship lying on Its port
side, and discovered that the outside plating
on the starboard bnge had ruptured for dis
lance OF forty feet amidships. The rupture
was along the line OF rivets, and the hss IRE
varied from nine to eighteen inches in width.
1t is now charged that the vessel was 80 badly
constructed that the firing of the heavy guns
had started the riVets and the assures opened
the practice continued When the Gangoot
was launched the ship drew three feet more
than intended, and the officer who superin-
tended the construction was dismissed.