The age-herald., 1897-08-07
COST OF MARSHES.
,me Companions Between Different
 Countries and Different Periods,

Some Companions Between Different
 Countries and Different Periods.
 Grow tn in dimensions, speed, protcc- ton and armament has necessarily been accomplished by increase in cost Tn 1687 the Sovereign of the Sens cost e41, 900, half of which was for labor. This was quite an exceptional outlay, and no doubt other than legitimate expenses were charged against that vessel At tho be- ginning of this century 100 gun line of battle ship cost from e65, 900 to gro, GOO, exclusive of armament. The 21 gun sail- ing three decker of 1887 cost nearly e120,- GOO, and the screw three decker of 1857 about e220, ,000
 The use of arIEor added greatly to tho cost, and the Warrior of 1859 figured up nearly e3S0,0 GOO. The Dreadnaught of 1873 cost E620,000, and the Inflexible, which followed her, cost 9310,000. These large amounts were partly dne to the in- troduotion of costly mechanisms required for mounting and working the heavy guns and partly to large increase in the outlay on armcr.
 Then cnme the reaction in favor of less costly ships, and vessels were produced for e600, ,O00 to a659, 900 between 1875 and 1885. The inevitable tendency reasserted itself in 1885, the Milo and Trafalger each costing nbout eS50, o00.. The Royal Sov- ereign class of 1889 cost about e775 GOO and the Majestic about GS40, 900. All these fig ures arc for ships built In the royal dock yards and exclude incidental charges B well as cost of nrmamcnts. They include gun mountings, with their costly mecbanisms, and torpedo gear
 Cruisers have similarly increased in cost. ha 1al- br, olo twice as much as the unarnored Incon- stant, laid down in 1s66 The Powerful will cost about e69O, QUO She carries considerable weight of expensive armor and gun mountings costing over a50, ,000.
 Other navies spend even more on their units of naval force. A French first class battleship costs about 91, 900, GOO, and so do the corresponding ships in the Russian and Italian ileuts. The American battle ship Indiana cost over G600, ,000 exclusive of arnor, and that involved an expendi- ture of nearly G340, GOO. For the German battleships now building, of II GOO tons, the estimated cost is about e700,000. It will be seen, therefore, that British bat tloships are, in proportion to their dimen- sons, less costly than battleships of other nayies and actually less costly than most foreign battleships of about tho same date.
 Tho eamo thing may be said of cruisers. Tho French Jeanne d Arc Is estimated to cost about eS00, GOO, German first class cruiser about R650, 900 and the American New York cost, exclusive of armor, eto., about e600, 000 The actual cost of the great Russian cruisers Is not known, but must reach high figures.
 AS compared with the costs of the largest passenger steamers, the foIeglong figures, no doubt, will appear very large, but if de- auctions are made for the expenses incurred on armor, gun mounfiDgsandm mcchanisms, torpedo gear and sp- e,N fittings, represent ing together, say. ESS ., 900 to e400, ,0o0 in a first. class battleship, the comparison is made fairer, and tho uarship approximates in cost very closely to tho largest passenger steamers.-Sir William H. White in Cas- sier's Magazine For August