The evening times., 1898-11-12
DISCUSSING War CRAFT
Naval Officers and Others
Read Various Papers.
USES OF STEAM YACHTS
Their Proficiency as Fighters on the
Ocean-SugGestions That IA Class
of Such Cruisers Would be Useful.
Topics Concerning Modern ship
Architecture.

New York, Nov. I2.-The Society of Ma
val Architects and Marine Engineers
continued its sixth general meeting yes
terday at the rooms of the American So
ciety of Mechanical Engineers, No. L
West Thirty-first Street. Clement A. Girls
com presiding. The session began with
the reading of a paper by w. p. Steph-
ems, associate member of the organiza-
tion, on The Steam Yacht as a Naval
Auxiliary" The session was well at
tended.
Mr.. Stephens spoke principally of the
usefulness of the steam yacht in the war
with Spain. The accommodations which
the average yacht-owner desired, he con-
tended, were not in harmony with the
possible use of the ship for fighting pur-
poses, and he therefore suggested a new
class of vessels, which he said We're not
now realized in any one class. but could
be easily obtained in a special design.
The speed for these might be placed at
the moderate figure for this era of in
creasing speed of not over is knots; this
however being not measured by the con-
yentional yacht standard. by which an
iN-hiivA SAtdiH yacht lOOh lIlt WASH OF ii
good l2-knot tug. but a reasonable ap-
proach TO the designed speed. under or
dinary services. The draught should be
limited to II, or even 10 feet as maxi
mum, Mr.. Stephens said.
The engines should be strong and relia-
bic, the bunker space as large is possible.
and, as deck and side protection will
probably be impracticable, especial atten-
ton should be given to the waterline pro-
lection OF machinery and magazines
through their location and the disposition
of the bunkers The accommodations
should include healthy and comfortable
quarters for a prOportionately large COM
plement of officers and crew for an indef-
mite time, and the armament should be
comparatively powerful, with guns more
adyantageously located than was possible
on yacht Special provision should be
made for magazines, ammunition hoists.
distilling apparatus and minor auxiiiaries
There should be no sails and no spars ex-
cept the single military mast. and In all
cases torpedo tubes should be excluded
Cost Less Than Torpedo Boats
A vessel of this type, Mr. Stephens con-
tended, could be built for far less than
either the torpedo boat or the converted
yacht; she would fulfill her own special
mission, covering a wide range of use
fulness better than either; she could be
handled TO advantage by the average
crew Of not necessar riIy experienced men:
she could, when needed, be laid up for
an indefinite time without deterioration
and be ready for service at few DAYS
notice; and would be superior either to
the yacht or the torpedo boat The small
er craft Of the kind would also be we'll
adapted for such work as the exploration
and study of local waters as now carried
on by the naval militia
The paper was discussed by Comman-
der Jacob w. Miller, of the New York
Naval Reserves; William p White lieu
tenant, [ nited States navy; F. T Bowles
n"'a constructor, United States navy.
and others.
paper on Designs of New Vessels
for the United States Navy" by Chief
| Constructor Philip Hichborn L. S N.
was next read by Francis NJ Bowles. sec
retary OF the society. Mr.. Hichborn in
| this paper said that practically every
/ type of vessel the Government possessed
| had been put TO the test recently in en-
gagements with the enemy, and there
| had been no record, so far as he knew
| of the failure of any vessel to fulfil all
/ expectations. The wonderful success at
| tending these naval engagements had
| impressed the country at large with the
cient navy, and within the last six
| weeks contracts had been made for three
additional battleships, four coast defense
| monitors sixteen torpedo boat destrOyers
| and twelve torpedo boats, besides a full
| ship-rigged sailing vessel as a practice
ship for the Naval Academy. Mr.. Hich-
born then proceeded to give details of the
construction of the vessels of each class.
At the present stage. he said, he was able
< to give only approximate data regarding
| the battleships. The paper, which was
somewhat technical in character was
heartily applauded.
other Interesting Papers.
In the afternoon Assistant Naval Con-
structor H. c. Smith, United States navy,
| associate member, read a paper on
Methods of Securing Water-Tight
Work. an exhaustive paper, entitled
''Test of the Strength of Longitudinal