The San Francisco call., 1898-02-22
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAVIES.

"
 The premature explosion of a shell in six-inch quick-firing gun on the Brit ish gunboat Bouncer killed two and wounded six men. The accident occurred January 26, while the vessel was at gun practice near the More. Some seven or eight rounds had been fired, and on the weapon being again loaded the cartridge prematurely exploded from some cause yet unknown. As the breech had not been locked, and there being no resist ance,- it flew open, the cartridge shell struck petty officer and a seaman, kill ing them on the spot, and the fire severe ly burned six other men around the gun. An inquiry into the accident was ordered the next day, the proceedings of which were held with closed doors, and it's re- suits have not yet been made public. The Russians have taken out the Du Temple water-tube boiler of two torpedo boats and will replace them with Narrow straight tube boilers. The cause alleged is the rapid deterioration of the Du Tenn pie boiler tubes owing to inability of properly cleaning them out as they have curved ends at top and bottom.
 The British cruiser Diadem, 1000 tons, has completed her four hour trial under forced draught with satisfactory results Steam was carried at 291 pounds; the revolutions were 116, air pressure only 8 inches, developing 15,s61 horse power and speed of 2O.5 knots. The coal con- sumption was I95 pounds per horse power per hour.
 The British admiralty have ordered gas .buoys laid in the roadsted of Spithead to indicate the anchorage for ships of war.
 At Vladivostok dock, 560 feet in length, ninety feet wide and thirty feet of water over the side. has just been completed. This dock was cut out of the solid rock, and has been under construc- tion about five years.
 The ponderous ice-breaker built in Denmark for use at Vladivostok has proved its utility in breaking ice twenty eight inches thick and progressing at the rate of three knots an hour. The prob- abilities are that the harbor can be kept open barring exceptionally severe win ters, and the Russian Government has ordered two more ice-breakers.
 The British cruiser Powerful did not develop any extraordinary speed during her recent voyage from Portsmouth to Shanghai. Her average speed did not exceed thirteen knots. On her last stage of the trip from Singapore to Shanghai the orders were to make the distance at the rate of twenty knots. but for some reason-said to be due to condensers get ting out of order-the cruiser averaged only thirteen and a half knots.
 The Spanish armored cruiser Cristobal Colon has just made run from Cadiz to Geneva and averaged nineteen and five eighths knots under natural draught. This ship Is of practically the same de- sign and size as the Garibaldi recently delivered to the Argentine Government but the latter's speed under the same conditions as the Cristobal Colon has not exceeded eighteen and three -eighths knots. The Spanish ship is 6S40 tons, and was purchased from Italy, taking her off the hands of the builders, as the Govern ment was in: financial straits. She was then named the Varese and rechristened when sold to Spain. The sister-ship Garibaldi, sold to the Argentine, was re- named San Martin.