The San Francisco call., 1898-12-12


 in the following navies is: British, 5000; German. s150O; French, $147S, and United States, s440O
 The open port of Liban, called Alexander dock, is ready for use and will be occupied by the Russian reserve fleet during the present winter.
 The second steam trial of the Russian battle-ship Petropawlosk resulted in u,2l3 horsepower and a speed of 16.3S knots. The ship was down to a draught Of p feet AZ inches and displaced 1o,SSO tons.
 The only new ships to be placed in com mission in the French navy during the coming year are the cruisers Guichen, S277 tons; Protet 4065 tons; Duncis. tor pedo gunboat, S96 tons, and the torpedo boat destroyers Faucouneau and Helle- barde, each of 300 tons.
 The royalties paid for the use of the Belleville boiler in the British navy are as follows: Ine Powerful, 600 horse power, $26 900; Arrogant of 10000 horse power s10, ,465 and the Diadem, ST PIP for 16,520 horsepower.
 The Russian transport Amur. recently launched at St. Petersburg, is 25O0 tons displacement and has triple expansion en- zines of 4700 horsepower which will give a speed of 171a knots. She carries ter steam launches and number of ordinary row-boats.
 The British cruiser Andromache, 11.0oo tons and 16,50o horsepower ended her coal consumption trial on November IS. The ship was down to her normal draught and under one-ffth boiler power devel- oped 3SSS horse power, 69 revolutions and speed of 12.9 knots, the coal used being 1-sS pounds per horse power per hour 
 Three of the French arnored cruisers. Montcalm, Dupetit-Thouars and Gelion, are to be of 95I7 tons, but the Gloire, Conde and Sully will be increased to 10000 tons in order to allow an increase of thick ness in the armor above the belt and make it 5 inches thick All of the two types will have engines of 20, 900 horse power and a speed of q knots.
 The Italian naval estimates of s1ss.- oo0 600 have been cut down to g DO, and but little progress will be made on new ships at the several dock yards. The Beneditto at Spezia, Erin at Castle mara, and Principe Elene at Venice are battle-ships Of 13 800 tons At Venice IS the Francesca Ferrucio, an armored cruiser of 7400 tons. and at Genoa the torpedo-boat Condore and 8 sister boat are under construction.
 Professor Alfred Dietrich died septen- Der $ last. He was chle1 constr LQucLOE ID the Imperial German Navy and P-ivy Councillor Of the German Admiralty He was born at Pirna in 1S43 and received university education. h 1s7o he entered the navy as an assistant engineer and since IS90 was entrusted with the design of all the ships in the navy. The total result Of his labor is represented lo 2J9.o9o tons displacement ships; 300 900 horse pow CT of engines. involving an expenditure Of ss2. .5o0. 900. An incident occurred during MT. Dietrich's visit 10 this count
 1888. which would indicate his imminent fitness for the responsible position he held.
 Passing through the corridors Of ths Navy Department building, where models Of the ships of the new navy are located, MT. Dietrich and our chief constructor stopped before the model Of the Indiana 4 sweeping glance revealed to the visitor the merits and defects Of the ship and he pointed out where the fire of the several guns would interfere and become dan gerous to the gun-c1ews under certain conditions His criticism proved correct. for the defects developed aI the gun trials of the Indiana and had to be made good