The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-09-13
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAviES.

The recent premature explosion of she
in 5inch gun on the British sloop-of- war
champion injured six men severely and
slightly hurt three other sedmen.
The Russian batte-ship building at st.
Petersburg, work upon which was started in
the presence OF President Faure of France, is
to be named Paris. The ship will be IL, 500
tons displacement.
Three torpedo-boats built by Normand at
Havre for the French navy have been tried
with satisfactory results. They are 121 feet 3
inches in length, Is feet 7 inches beam and
81. tons displacement. The horsepower of
1900 was calculated 10 give a speed OF 81
knots, but the trial developed 1920 horse
power and speed OF 25.7 kno s. With 10
tons OF coal on board the bolts can steam
1000 knots at the rate of IA Knots an hour
These boats are 20 toas less in displacement
than three buildin; for our navy, and for
which speed of only 22.5 kno:s is guaran-
toei.
Admiral P. III. Colomh, British navy, is be-
yond doubt the best authority on naval mat
ters In general, and his representations in ma
val developments have always hitherto proved
correct He advocated abandonment OF sal,
ana the adoption of steam solely for war yes .
sels brought about the change from ships
batteries of few and heavy guns 10 the present
system OF many guns OF smaller calber but o t
the quicS-fring type, and he is of the opinion
that the large costly and unwieldy armor-
clsds will go out of fashion in the near future,
the torpedo boat destroye:s being in his opin-
ion, more effective. He favors, however, fast
arm 'red cruisers, such as the New York and
Brooklyn type, of which England is about to
construct limited number.
Armor-plate tests of more than usual inter
est took place at Sh oburyness on the 10Th OF
last month. nickel-ste:l Harveyed plate
furnished By the Vickers Company was ties ted
under conditions more exactihg than any
other armor trial. The plate was IL 11-16
inches thick and 10 feet by z feet, backed with
12-!nch oak. The stipulations for acceptance
were three sao,s from a 12-inch breech- load-
ing rifle, two of the shots TO be fired with a
velocity of 1850 feet and one shot with 1880
per second, without driving any part of the
plate or prof ectile through the backing A
howitz steel projectile OF TIA pounds was
used. The first shot, red at velocity of 1861
feet initial velocity, penetrated pa inches
| into the plate and broke The snoi into small
pieces; the second shot, with 1868 feet veloct-
ty, penetrated 231 inches, and the third shot,
al 1860 feet per second, went % inches into
the plate. The latter was not cracked, but the
projectiles broke ali TO pieces. The ttst was
considered highly satisfactory and the lot, of
which the plates tested was sample, was ac-
cepted.
The Royal Sovereign, British battle ship is
evidently not happy ship. She was lying at
Portsmouth last month ready to depart for
the Mediterranean when the discon tent of the
crew manifested itself in manner verv un :
usual of late years in the British navy. Off
cars were threatened as they passed between
decks, and the i'll fee ing was especially di-
rected against the executive officer, Comman-
der Ricketts, The cells on the ship were more
than fl led, and 1t became necessary 10 send
four culprits TO the dockyard prison. Two
men were court martialed for attempting to
strike Commander Rick stts. Both were found
guilty, and the first. ordinary seaman, was
sentenced to one years hard labor in the
prison; the other, first-class boy, was SEN
fenced to twenty-four cuts with birch, to be
i'm prisoned three months and then to be dis
missed the service. English papers express
the opinion that the sentences were severe,
butthe punishments are lenient in COMPARE
son with sentences for similar offenses in the
United States During the past eight years
eight men have received sentences varying
from three to seven years for threatening TO
strike Il superior officer, and some years ago
sailor got three years imprisonment for ex-
pressing his opinion OF the captain Of the t.
conderoga to the latter i'll language that was
unparliamentary and also grating to the cap.
tain's feelings.